Who is participating in Earth Hour?
By patgalca
@patgalca (18181)
Orangeville, Ontario
March 24, 2008 10:48pm CST
This Saturday, March 29th, is Earth Hour. From what I understand it is around the world. I know it's across Canada as I checked out the website at earthhour.org. To participate you simply turn off your lights from 8pm to 9pm on Saturday. Better if you turn off other electric items like television, computer, washer & dryer (not the fridge).
I was walking down our main street in our town last week and I saw the signs in the windows of a few stores promoting Earth Hour. Only a few signs. I expected to see more. What was worse was when I went on the website, clicked on Canada and scrolled through every company registered in the country, I found only TWO from my own Town. How disappointing is that? Perhaps people are going to participate but not registering. I decided right then and there to register AND to write a letter to the editor of the local paper urging the companies to register to represent. I hope they print my letter and I hope it gets people to sign up.
In Toronto, obviously not everything can be turned off, but places like the main mall downtown will be working at half the power. Whether that means turning DOWN the lights or turning off HALF the lights, I don't know. The sports centres will be busy so they are only going to be turning off their outside lights. Street lights and traffic lights, for obvious reasons, will still be on. The CN Tower will be shutting off all lights except for the air traffic control light at the top of the tower. Electric billboards will be shut down.
So what's going on in your area? Are you turning out your lights on Saturday?
Bring out the candles!
3 people like this
12 responses
@Fishmomma (11377)
• United States
25 Mar 08
We turned off our lights, television and my computer was off for an hour last year. It wasn't easy, as I'm on the computer a lot. The city participated and many other residents did also. Power goes down every summer in this area, so I'm willing to try helping there be less power outages.
3 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45615)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
25 Mar 08
Aw... you beat me to the punch about reminding people about Earth Hour...
I visited the site today and found it verrrry slow in loading... hope that means heavy traffic on the site. I tried to look up (on the site) what Hamilton was doing but didn't get anywhere. But according to Hamilton's own website "The City of Hamilton will be turning off all non-essential lights in our corporate facilities for Earth Hour and we encourage you to join us and turn off your lights at home and in your offices for Earth Hour."
Back at the Earth Hour site, I noticed that both "Buy Viagra" and "Cialis" have signed up... Will that mean a drop in spam?
2 people like this
@patgalca (18181)
• Orangeville, Ontario
25 Mar 08
On the site I found the Town of Orangeville had signed up, obviously. And a realtor who is actually the major sponsor of this event. This realtor's daughter plays soccer and she was handing out candles at soccer a couple of weeks ago. I wonder if people think that if the Town registered that it means everyone in town. I think individual companies/businesses should register. The rec centre where the girls play soccer has a sign up in their building so you would have thought they would register. I'm hoping my letter appears in the paper and prompts people to go on the site. But like you said, it's getting down to the wire and people are probably registering at the last minute.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45615)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
19 Dec 21
@rebelann Yes, it is still being promoted.
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@rebelann (111322)
• El Paso, Texas
19 Dec 21
I have to check if this is still being done these days @BarBaraPrz
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@patgalca (18181)
• Orangeville, Ontario
25 Mar 08
Of course it would. You can read by candle light. When we had a power outage in August a few years back (I mean total power outage across southern Ontario and northern US) we put a bunch of candles on a tray on the coffee table in the living room. The neighbours wondered why we were the only ones on the street who had power because the candles all together lit up the room. I read a book at that time.
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45615)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
25 Mar 08
I remember that... it was kind of fun. I have a crank radio, so I was able to keep informed of what was going on.
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@deepti15 (1190)
• India
25 Mar 08
How about no... I'll put on all of my electronics and lights just to make my point....
The true science says that it is the Sun that is causing most of the recent warming that we have been hearing about.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is only accountable for less than 5% of greenhouse gases and we only make about 5% of that. (About 90-95% of Greenhouse Gases is Water Vapor)
The reason for increased CO2 is because as the oceans become heated, they cannot hold as much as they could if they were cooler, so the oceans release the excess into the atmosphere. From what I hear, the oceans can hold many times more energy and heat then the air. This meaning that the atmosphere should have very little effect on the oceans and that the sun or perhaps the Earth itself is heating up the surface since those are two of the only things that could heat our vast oceans.
Also, the Earth hasn’t warmed in nearly a decade but has actually fallen and it has fallen greatly within the past 2 years. Many scientists believe we are about to go through another little ice age.
1 person likes this
@owstalaga (4707)
• Philippines
28 Mar 08
but deepti15, if what you say is true, why then is the whole world participating in this event? Wouldn't the proponents of this "movement" have studied and researched about this before they'd make this into a global event?
So are you saying turning off the power globally for an hour won't be any help at all to the earth? i think that's being pessimistic. At least we should all try and do what can be done even by doing this earth hour thingy.=) It's just once a year, i don't think it'll be that much of a burden to anyone. It's been in the news and commercials and stuff so people must be ready to do this by now.
I would be joining this Earth hour and am also telling everyone else who doesn't know about it yet to join in and help the planet.
1 person likes this
@whywiki (6066)
• Canada
25 Mar 08
This is the first I have heard about this and I live in Canada. I may have missed it in the local paper but I haven't seen any signs in shop windows. I hope our city participates. I am going to now go and check out the site and I will try and fire off a letter to the local papers. It is a great idea and I for one will be turning off my lights.
1 person likes this
@_pahn_ (17)
• Philippines
26 Mar 08
I will definitely be joining. I have also done some brigade to invite friends to make their household turn off their electricity. One hour before the event, we are going to make special reminder to everyone by passing the notes via call, text, email, or what ever we could do :)
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18181)
• Orangeville, Ontario
26 Mar 08
My Letter to the Editor did not appear in the paper. I am assuming that is because the paper themselves did not register. I am thinking I should phone businesses around town and tell them to register, but I have enough on my plate. I think a lot of people and businesses are getting involved, they just haven't registered.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
29 Mar 08
My husband decided to watch CBC news on Wednesday and Thursday, even though I told him there were some good movies on TCM, but for some reason, he heard this about the Earth hour and how by turning off the lights, we would be saving the planet. It is still light at eight up here in Manitoba, I had no intention of turning off the computers, turning off the lights, turning off the Tv, because well in January and in February we had our usual cold weather, snow up to here, and the minus 40 below some days with wind chills increasing it up to minus 60.
We have to heat our homes during the winter, and I thought that had there be a global cooling, no one would be helping us and besides by promoting global cooling you are promoting more days and weeks with minus 40 degrees in January and maybe a little earlier in December so that we will be suffering more and some will not be able to heat their homes.
So if there is another Earth hour, I will make sure all the lights in our house are turned off since it is God who is control and not man and HE can make sure the sun sends out more solar flares so everytime you turn off your lights in unison, it will be a failed effort.
@patgalca (18181)
• Orangeville, Ontario
29 Mar 08
My Letter to the Editor appeared in today's paper - one day before the event. They are always so behind in that paper. There is no reason why they couldn't put it in Tuesday's paper. Some people won't even read today's paper until Saturday.
I would just be happy to see the lower power useage. I'll like to see it happen more often for that reason alone.
@hardworkingmom (1130)
• United States
26 Mar 08
I'm lose because what is a hour of turning your lights off got to do sving the earth?! When you on the average you burn more electric through thinks that you don't use during the day then what you actually tur on. For an example clocks, microwaves, dvd players, steros, etc. You have them plugged up just because its not one dont mea that your not using electric. So once again what can 1 hour do. I think if they really so call want to save the earth there are others ways like pay folks to recycle(maybe that will give people the incentive to actually do it knowig that they can make some of their moeny back that they put into what they brought) Just do't make recyclig companies for 1 specific things(like cans)have them expect all recyclables(bottles, cans, tins, plastic, old cell phones, etc.) That is how I feel it should work if they wat to SAVE the EARTH.
Thank you for letting me voice my opinion on your discussion.
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
31 Mar 08
Hi. I participated in earth hour. I had to have the computer on though so I could get my daily earnings. That is a must do. I did make sure to turn out all of the lights during that time though, so that had to help a little bit. I did light me some candles also.
@patgalca (18181)
• Orangeville, Ontario
31 Mar 08
I had the computer and televisions turned off. The family played a game by candlelight. The game lasted, believe it or not, exactly one hour. Of course at one the point the kids got up and started waving their flashlights at the neighbours across the road. They were having fun pretending they were sending signals to each other.
I kind of was obligated to follow through the whole way since my letter to the editor appeared in the paper the day before. We also didn't want to be the first one to turn our lights back on so we waited about ten minutes until we saw other neighbours turn their's back on. One hour away from the computer and spending time with the kids was not too much of a sacrifice.
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
25 Mar 08
Hi Pat. I have never heard of earth hour, so I am going to check out your link. Sounds interesting and I wonder if they are going to do anything here in Virginia. I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the link!
@wrld_n_harmony (695)
• United States
28 Mar 08
There's nothing going on in South Texas as far as I could tell. We'll be turning off though - it'll be fun!
@janujennifer (664)
• Philippines
25 Mar 08
Here in the Philippines, it is scheduled on Saturday - from 8-9 PM. Will I participate? I want to, but my family might not like it, so it'll depend to them. I think it's great to participate in this world-wide campaign for global warming.
@owstalaga (4707)
• Philippines
28 Mar 08
ah well maybe you can tell them that this is just a once a year event so why shouldn't they join it? It's not like they're gonna be doing this everyday right? Although it might be good to do this everyday but it will take a lot of commitment, as one mylotter said.
