Earth Hour

[DC83]

Hey everyone!! So tomorrow (Sat, March 29th) we should all do our best to reduce energy consumption as we can!

Between 8pm - 9pm, please shut off all electronics incl. TVs, Computers, Wii consoles, and yes... even your car *gasp*!

Go for a walk! Take the dog out! Enjoy our city without driving or using unnecessary energy to prove a point!

For more Info on Earth Hour, please visit *and sign up* at http://www10.earthhourus.org/ or http://www.wwf.ca/earthhour/

Thanks everyone... this is important!

What does everyone plan on doing?

I plan on going for a walk, most likely through downtown or maybe up the Jolley Cut to Sam Lawrence and just take in the beauty of the city. I did that during the 2003 Summer Blackout and was amazed!

[SteelTown]

*gasp* turn my computer off!?!? Noooooooo! lol

[vid]

A walk sounds like a good idea. Sun sets at 8:20 tomorrow and I went for a sunset walk on Monday, it was nice.

[FairHamilton]

I've already told my wife we are going to take an hour and go for a nice walk.

[DC83]

Originally Posted by vid

A walk sounds like a good idea. Sun sets at 8:20 tomorrow and I went for a sunset walk on Monday, it was nice.

Great idea, Vid! Thanks! And what better a place to watch the sunset in the Hammer than at Sam Lawrence Park!

From MyHamilton.ca

myhamilton
Earth Hour with Lisa Winn
Print Event

Starts:
March 29, 2008 - 8:00 PM

Ends:
March 29, 2008 - 9:00 PM

Special Notes (Date/Time):
Doors open at 7:30pm

Location:
Staircase Theatre
27 Dundurn Street North
Hamilton, L8R 3C9

Cost: Free

Parking: Free Parking

Website: http://www.lisawinn.com

Email Address:
info@staircase.org

Contact Information: The Staircase

Organization: The Staircase

Phone Number:
905-529-3000

Short Description: On March 29, 2008 at 8pm local time Earth Hour will commence all around the world. Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming. The Staircase will be turning off the lights and hosting a truly "un-plugged" set by Hamilton musician Lisa Winn...by candlelight!

More Info:
Doors open at 7:30pm and the music starts when the lights go out at 8pm. For information about Earth Hour: www.earthhour.org. Though The Staircase offers free on site parking, everyone is encouraged to walk, bike, blade or take public transit. If you have to drive - PLEASE CARPOOL!!!

Repeating Frequency:
One Hour Only!

http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/...thlisawinn.htm

[flar]

Better not see anyone posting here during earth hour. tsk tsk

[raisethehammer]

this won't be like the blackout...all street lights will still be on. the skyline will look darker though, especially office towers.

[DC83]

Originally Posted by flar

Better not see anyone posting here during earth hour. tsk tsk

haha Oh you know we'll see some posts in here during those times...

unless SSP.com shuts the site down for that hour Ehh moderators???

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

this won't be like the blackout...all street lights will still be on. the skyline will look darker though, especially office towers.

Yep! My office (which is open on weekends) is participating and doing all it can to reduce energy consumption this weekend.
It's a great way to raise awareness! I bet we never think of actually SHUTTING off our computers (I know *I* don't). So instead of 'logging off', let's all 'shut down' instead

[SteelTown]

Help Mac Unplug This Weekend

McMaster University is joining the global initiative Earth Hour to get people to think about the environment, and we're asking for your help. We are encouraging staff, students, and faculty to reduce energy consumption on campus this weekend and support Earth Hour by shutting off (not just logging off) your computers, printers, and non-essential devices at the end of business on Friday and for the duration of theweekend.

As outlined in the Campus Plan, McMaster University is committed to sustainability and to the environment, and events such as Earth Hour are opportunities to reinforce and further entrench those values.

Earth Hour is hoping to get as many people as possible to turn out their lights for an hour at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 29. Unfortunately, we cannot do that on a wide-spread basis on campus for security, logistical, and research reasons.

Still, McMaster wants to be involved in and supportive of Earth Hour. So instead of turning off all the lights, we thought we would contribute to Earth Hour by shutting down computers, printers, photocopy machines, coffee machines … in short, any device that is non-essential for the entire weekend. If you can shut down your Blackberry port, and your Blackberry, that would be terrific. And if you can make a habit of this practice each Friday before you head home for the weekend so much the better.

McMaster is also asking its general contractors to turn off as many lights as possible at such campus construction sites as the new Engineering building and the McMaster Innovation Park.

McMaster students are also getting involved through MacGreen. They're being asked to turn off the lights in their homes and apartments, and to turn off computers and small electronic devices.

[vid]

I always shut down the computer. I used to just use standby, but then the power went out while it was in stand by mode and corrupted the hard drive. I lost everything. Now, I always turn it off when I'm done using it. I don't normally turn off the monitor (apparently, we aren't supposed to do that?) but I will tomorrow. I'll be shutting the entire power bar off.

[DC83]

Earth Hour's call hits home
Hydro officials praise event for raising energy awareness

April 01, 2008
Carmela Fragomeni
The Hamilton Spectator

Hamilton and St. Catharines hydro customers turned off the equivalent of 600,000 light bulbs or 9,000 fridges during Earth Hour -- reducing consumption by 2 per cent from the previous hour.

"That's significant," says Sandy Manners, spokesperson for Horizon Utilities Corporation, which serves Hamilton and St. Catharines.

There is usually an increase when dinner hour is over and computers and TVs are turned on, she said.

Hamilton on its own recorded a 1.7 per cent drop in consumption. St. Catharines cut its power use by 2.42 per cent.

Toronto claims to have cut usage by 8.7 per cent.

But Manners says electricity use was measured differently there.

Manners and Toronto Hydro spokesperson Denise Attallah called Earth Hour a success because it raised awareness.

"For us, the success is in how dark our skyline got," Attallah said.

"Focusing on an actual number is not a true reflection. People started realizing turning off a light can make a difference."

[DC83]

some other quick #s:

Toronto: -9%
Vancouver: -3.5%
Montréal: unchanged
Calgary: +2%

[hamiltonguy]

Earth Hour, what a bunch of BS.

I had homework to do and I met up with my group at second cup to do it, and I used my laptop.

I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Environmentalism is a 24/7 52 week a year thing, all this does is make people who have never done a eco-friendly thing in their life feel good about themselves.

Hey loser, If you care enough to forgo electricity for a whole hour (although I bet most people with electric heat, phones, and clocks didn't turn it off, and that people who didn't use appliances just shifted their normal use to after the hour) , why don't you actually take some actions to reduced your energy usage all year round?

[HAMRetrofit]

Originally Posted by hamiltonguy

why don't you actually take some actions to reduced your energy usage all year round?

Why not do this and give up electricity for one hour?

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by hamiltonguy

Earth Hour, what a bunch of BS.

I had homework to do and I met up with my group at second cup to do it, and I used my laptop.

I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Environmentalism is a 24/7 52 week a year thing, all this does is make people who have never done a eco-friendly thing in their life feel good about themselves.

Hey loser, If you care enough to forgo electricity for a whole hour (although I bet most people with electric heat, phones, and clocks didn't turn it off, and that people who didn't use appliances just shifted their normal use to after the hour) , why don't you actually take some actions to reduced your energy usage all year round?

Earth Hour was just a symbolic thing set up to convince people to reduce year-round energy consumption. I imagine that shutting off lights/TV/computer was adequate in fulfilling the symbolism. Shutting off electric head, phones, et cetera would not really have achieved anything over and above shutting off the lights or TV.

[raisethehammer]

this thing was stupid. It gives people an 'out'. They turn off their lights and watch hockey in the dark for one hour and then they don't feel guilty the rest of the year for driving around in the summer with their AC pumping while windows are down, sitting in the Hortons drive thru for 10 minutes a morning and watering their lawn for 3 hours in the middle of the day.

[HAMRetrofit]

I am not convinced idea is stupid since it reminds people of how minuscule they are in the world without modern technology.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

this thing was stupid. It gives people an 'out'. They turn off their lights and watch hockey in the dark for one hour and then they don't feel guilty the rest of the year for driving around in the summer with their AC pumping while windows are down, sitting in the Hortons drive thru for 10 minutes a morning and watering their lawn for 3 hours in the middle of the day.

You got busted with your lights on, didn't you?

[DC83]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

this thing was stupid. It gives people an 'out'. They turn off their lights and watch hockey in the dark for one hour and then they don't feel guilty the rest of the year for driving around in the summer with their AC pumping while windows are down, sitting in the Hortons drive thru for 10 minutes a morning and watering their lawn for 3 hours in the middle of the day.

I also had a beef with this!
I'm a huge Habs fan, so I hate the Leafs... and Sat was Habs v. Leafs w/ the chance for Mtl to win the division title for the first time in like 17 years.
... but I didn't watch the game... I turned everything off and went for a nice long walk.

The #1 thing that ROYALLY pissed me off was David Suzuki (yes 'Mr Environment' himself) was on Hockey Night in Canada saying, "Shut down all your lights, every electronic you have... but you can watch the hockey game, that's ok" BS!

But yes, it did work for me and some ppl I know. We're all a little more consumption-cautious now. So hopeully it catches on worldwide!

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by DC83

I also had a beef with this!
I'm a huge Habs fan, so I hate the Leafs... and Sat was Habs v. Leafs w/ the chance for Mtl to win the division title for the first time in like 17 years.
... but I didn't watch the game... I turned everything off and went for a nice long walk.

The #1 thing that ROYALLY pissed me off was David Suzuki (yes 'Mr Environment' himself) was on Hockey Night in Canada saying, "Shut down all your lights, every electronic you have... but you can watch the hockey game, that's ok" BS!

But yes, it did work for me and some ppl I know. We're all a little more consumption-cautious now. So hopeully it catches on worldwide!

If you really wanted to have a symbolic hour, you could have done it whenever you pleased.... no big deal. It is not as if Earth Hour actually saved anything... the same amount of power was still generated at the various plants and the excess capacity was just wasted.