Earth Hour Copenhagen.

[trekkiedane]

Earth Hour Copenhagen and here.

Will you be celebrating it? -How? (apart from switching off all of your stuff.)

Did you remember to celebrate it back in March?

Is it 'just one of those things' that pass you by while life goes on and the daily humdrum weighs in heavier?
_____________

OK, so I'm not really up on current events (unless they have already happened) and therefore didn't notice it back in March, but as the news (here ) is filled with the going ons around COP-15 (especially the most disgusting way the local police has been acting and the ways participants seem to behave contradictory to what they are here to talk about) I happened to notice it this time

I'm probably going to switch off my lights and one (or perhaps two) of my monitors and the TV and only light up my place with a single candle.

 

[Mr. B]

...'fraid not. I'll be busy at work... at a local TV station capable of consuming enough electricity to power 100 homes.

 

[SmoothieX]

No, I'm all about environmental stewardship, but these hippie soft science feel good moments are just plain silly.

 

[trekkiedane]

No, I'm all about environmental stewardship, but these hippie soft science feel good moments are just plain silly.

I totally agree, but like with the last segment of any TV newscast in the western world; the 'human interest' story, we need something 'close to home' in order to make sense of it all -even if it is just a story about the baby-[insert species here] in the local zoo or switching off a few lamps around our homes.

 

[Mr. B]

Make sense of what? ...misled people who think they're "Making a difference?"

 

[trekkiedane]

Make sense of what? ...misled people who think they're "Making a difference?"

No, more like trying to understand he complexities of the entire world by doing something close to your daily life.

 

[bigdaddy]

Thanks for reminding me, I'll make sure to turn EVERY light on, all the TVs on, stereos, computers, and everything else I can plug in.

 

[trekkiedane]

Thanks for reminding me, I'll make sure to turn EVERY light on, all the TVs on, stereos, computers, and everything else I can plug in.

I know EXACTLY where that's coming from

While we, every one of us, are guilty parties in the problems the world is facing, only a grand political resolve is able to make the necessary change. Sure we can change to LED lamps and put up solar panels and buy more efficient cars but the problems we are facing cannot be solved by only those of us willing and able to change our ways, we do need laws to make those (entities) not willing (or able) to also change their ways.

 

[Mr. B]

Not everyone sees increased energy consumption as a 'problem' to be 'solved.' Even if individuals use of electricity was dramatically decreased, residential usage only accounts for about 1/5 of energy consumption in the United States... and of course such campaigns totally ignore an increasingly industrialized world in which energy demands of China and India are skyrocketing... and all powered by coal... to say nothing of third world industrialization.

You can call campaigns like Earth Hour cute or whatever, but it's really just a perpetuation of ignorance and absurd self-importance.

 

[trekkiedane]

Not everyone sees increased energy consumption as a 'problem' to be 'solved.' Even if individuals use of electricity was dramatically decreased, residential usage only accounts for about 1/5 of energy consumption in the United States... and of course such campaigns totally ignore an increasingly industrialized world in which energy demands of China and India are skyrocketing... and all powered by coal... to say nothing of third world industrialization.

You can call campaigns like Earth Hour cute or whatever, but it's really just a perpetuation of ignorance and absurd self-importance.

Absolutely correct (although I don't know about your 1/5-figure), which is why I mentioned The Earth Hour resembling the 'human interest' story in the news an the laws being necessary to change the way other entities (the corporations, if you will) act.

 

[Mr. B]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_the_United_States#Current_consumption

 

[thumbtack]

a local TV station capable of consuming enough electricity to power 100 homes.

That's not much of a station.

 

[trekkiedane]

a local TV station capable of consuming enough electricity to power 100 homes.

That's not much of a station.

Depends: is it the power of the transmitter or the lights end electronics they use

But: you're right, I thought so myself

 

[Mr. B]

Our viewing area only has about a 70 mile radius... I'm not including the main transmitter in my '100 homes' estimate though. We just microwave our signal across town to the main antenna.

 

[trekkiedane]

Our viewing area only has about a 70 mile radius...

...Which would be about double that of our regional station!

 

[Candlelight]

...'fraid not. I'll be busy at work... at a local TV station capable of consuming enough electricity to power 100 homes.

I could turn off all the power at my tv station too, but then all the UPS units kick in so it's kinda irrelevant.

 

[Mallory]

Earth Hour Copenhagen? Never heard of it until now. And I'll ignore it the same as I have similar publicity stunts in the past.

 

[Capn Flukie]

Earth Hour Copenhagen? I can't keep up with all these new sci-fi shows.

 

[Ward Fowler]

Energy is wealth. If you don't believe me go back to the 16th century and take a look around. Or, alternatively, take a trip to any of the poorest countries in Africa today. Cutting back on energy usage doesn't strike me as a particularly positive thing for our standard of living. However, changing the type of energy we use is probably necessary for a variety of reasons. As far as Earth hour, I hope those who celebrate it enjoy the cold and darkness. Myself, I enjoy warmth and light.