Switching it off for the Earth
Earth Hour is upon us again. At 8:30 p.m. local time on Saturday (March 27), people around the world will be turning off their lights for an hour as a show of support for taking action on climate change. Will you be one of them?
Begun in 2007 in Australia, the global demonstration is organized by the World Wildlife Fund, which says nearly a billion people joined in last year. Iconic structures like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Sydney’s Opera House, the Great Pyramids of Gaza and New York’s Empire State Building go dark for an hour. As the time-lapse footage above of Shanghai shows, lights even get turned out in China, which now emits more climate-altering carbon dioxide than the United States.
Here in Baltimore, the lights will go out at City Hall and six nearby municipal buildings for an hour. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake issued a press release encouraging residents and businesses to join the effort, noting that energy conservation is a money saver as well as a help for the climate. The average Baltimore home could save $250 a year by trimming its energy consumption 15 percent, she points out.
Is anyone else turning out their lights for Earth Hour? Videos of the event are being uploaded here on YouTube. And for the Twitterati, the hashtag is '#earthhour'
Update: The lights are going out in Annapolis, too, at the State House and the governor's mansion. Gov. Martin O'Malley also issued a call for all Marylanders to join in. There's a Web page here where Maryland residents can register their support and see who else is participating. And there's also a blog here dedicated to Earth Hour activities in B'more.
Comments
This is so stupid we all turn our light off more than this daily. Maybe we all should light a candle wait candela give off heat that would likely increase global temperature. Create affordable LED lighting or a free America that isn't forced to buy a product like health care or be fined for making a choice.
Posted by: Sw | March 26, 2010 1:23 PM
thanks, i will absolutely turn every electrical devise/switch on for that hour.
i may even go weld something with my shop with my mig welder.
Thanks again for the reminder! God Bless us all!!!
Posted by: George W Granofsky | March 26, 2010 1:24 PM
We will be in our first voluntary blackout
of the year here in Manhattan Beach,
California. haha Of course we love it!
Happily switching it off for planet earth!
Posted by: Susan Reavis Phillips | March 26, 2010 1:40 PM
We will be in our first voluntary blackout
of the year here in Manhattan Beach,
California. haha Of course we love it!
Happily switching it off for planet earth!
Posted by: Susan Reavis Phillips | March 26, 2010 1:42 PM
As a lighting designer by trade, I would like to know why lighting is always targeted for these showboat events like it's some great evil? Why not turn of the AC or heat , or resolve not to drive somewhere that you can walk? It's lighting that helps bring civility, safety, and vibrancy to our urban environments. As an industry it had also made incredible strides in efficiency, so find another boogeyman.
Posted by: Mike Noon | March 26, 2010 2:09 PM
If you look at a world map, South Korea is an ocean of light, while North Korea is "green" all the time...black as pitch every night, no lights at all.
That's what the greenies want us to be like. Green is the new Red.
I'll be turning ON every light I have, thanks. Light is warmth and life. Darkness is cold and sterile.
Posted by: CommonSense02 | March 26, 2010 3:26 PM
it's always interesting to see how upset people can become rather than taking these type of things as a sign that "wow, it really is possible for people of different countries, beliefs, etc. to come together and take a stand TOGETHER". Why not focus on how great that is and think about what's possible instead of looking for the negative like we chose to turn the lights off versus something else: no one is saying lights are evil, it's just something that people can easily do and can be SEEN by all the world: it makes a statement that cannot be disregarded or covered up. Why not join? OR find another way to make such a statement and get involved instead of getting upset and complaining. Not a critique, just a thought...how much happier might our lives be if we looked at things from this angle rather than a negative?
Posted by: Anonymous | March 26, 2010 10:32 PM
Will Saint Al of the Goreacle be participating in his 20 bedroom mansion? This Global warming fad is dead. If you look at other countries media outlets, they are actually covering the climategate debaucle. This cap and trade pyramid scheme has been proven to be a disaster in Europe and will kill what little labor is left the US. No thank you I'll turn every appliance in my house on tonight!
Posted by: Anonymous | March 27, 2010 2:06 PM
Earth hour again this year. let us all support the upcoming earth hour on the 26th!
Posted by: Joe Elevator | March 22, 2011 11:58 AM
Agree Anonymous... I just love these asinine comments! Ya know what, if you don't want to do it, don't. But the comments about "having to turn every light on" in spite - well, it must be sad to be that miserable of a person. And if that's your thought process, please don't challenge me on the fact that you're not! Now, I'm going to go turn my lights off... and computer.
Posted by: Kimberly | March 26, 2011 8:28 PM