How was your Earth Hour?

[Torture]

Turned off the lights, then left the house to go drink at my friend's house. She hadn't turned her lights off. Also, I drove there. And most of the houses along the way had their lights on.

I did my part though, turned off my lights, TV, stereo, and laptop....but I did drive so that probably kills all of it.

[Devils'Advocate]

I went downtown to listen to a speech given by a former director of the Sierra Club (given by candlelight) and then went to Parliament Hill for the vigil.



So far there have been a couple "waste of time" posts. Same as last year. Last year I said that in the long run I didn't see Earth Hour accomplishing anything big. But then I went to work the next day and found that people that aren't really into environmental issues discussing what they did with their "Earth Hour". The fact that this thread even exists proves that it gets people talking about the issue of energy. A friend said that her family put out some candles and played Scrabble for the hour and oddly was one of the best hours they had as a family in a long time... better than sitting down and watching reality TV together. So they made it a regular thing for her family.

[Flame Of Liberty]

I bet it takes more than one hour to turn off all the lights and el.appliances in Al Gore's mansion.

[metallicat]

I didn't even know about it.

[shane_c]

Originally Posted by Thor

I went outside to turn on my car and left it running for 1hr, went back inside and turned all the lights on and turned my oven to 500 for 1hr while I ran my washing machine empty, my drier and washer empty for the hour.

Also I had some kittens I killed.

When I lived out there it was this mentality that really bothered me. A lot of people I met really didn't give a damn and were more concerned about themselves and their possessions. There are more important things in the world than your big house in your cookie cutter neighbourhood (with no yard), investments, how much equity is in your house, big trucks, oil, big BBQ's and Alberta beef. The general consensus I got was that as long as people had those things the world was a perfect place.

If anything I would hope that people turning off unnecessary lights would go towards making them realize that perhaps they are being a little wasteful and could cut back on their usage and maybe live a simpler life. It's also an hour where some families can sit down together and enjoy each others company instead of being caught up with a lot of other frivolous things.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by shane_c

When I lived out there it was this mentality that really bothered me.

(A) Thor was kidding. The kittens thing was so over-the-top to give it away in lieu of green text.

(B) However, in last years thread, there were others that said much the same thing and meant it.

Cowboy89:

I also took things a step further this year and idled my car for half and hour for no particular reason.

(C) I would agree that it's pretty easy not to be wasteful and to conserve energy. For some people that's an evil goal and any efforts to that end must be squashed.

[shane_c]

I realize he was kidding but when I was living out there for 4 years that was the general feeling I got about the place and the attitude of the people, minus the cats of course.

[GGG]

I like how burning candles is way less efficient then using light bulbs and that the spike in energy use after earth hour requires backup and quick acting additional power generation to meet demand which is usually supplied by coal.

[amorak]

Originally Posted by shane_c

I realize he was kidding but when I was living out there for 4 years that was the general feeling I got about the place and the attitude of the people, minus the cats of course.

I think you're just jealous that Albertans are much better thank East Coasters at everything, besides fishing

[amorak]

Originally Posted by shane_c

I realize he was kidding but when I was living out there for 4 years that was the general feeling I got about the place and the attitude of the people, minus the cats of course.

http://www.financialpost.com/executi...tml?id=2321380

Proof that we're smarter and more handsome - I don't see mention of Halifax in there

[jolinar of malkshor]

If people really wanted to make a difference they wouldn't worry about these lame propaganda stunts put on by the Al Gores of the world. Instead of Coke donating millions of dollars to this event to make it seem like they care, they would actually change their business practice to switch back to reusable containers.

There are way to many people and businesses in this world that like to make it look like they are doing something by turning the lights off for 1 hour but actually do nothing. Yet, the family that recycles all of there materials, doesn't use plastic bags, uses water saving appiances; does a lot more than the person who turned their lights off for 1 hour.

It was business as usual in my house. No more extra energy, no less.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

There are way to(sic) many people and businesses in this world that like to make it look like they are doing something by turning the lights off for 1 hour but actually do nothing. Yet, the family that recycles all of there materials, doesn't use plastic bags, uses water saving appiances(sic); does a lot more than the person who turned their lights off for 1 hour.

However, how do you get someone to START being more environmentally friendly? I remember fighting the fight for recycling in Halifax and people said that recycling was bad for the environment because people would think they were 'saving the environment' with their token measure.

Sure, 1 hour is a token measure, but it could lead to something bigger. It's supposed to be a short time in one's life to reflect on what they could be doing in their everyday lives.

I've given my laundry list before of things I have done to reduce my global footprint so I won't bother repeating it (some have said it comes off as self-righteous). But I can say that those who have not started looking at their environmental impact, but started last night with Earth Hour, I harbour them no ill will and am happy that they have taken the first step. And maybe next year they will use cloth bags and reduce water consumption.

It's meant as a starting point, not an end-all be-all.

[Bownesian]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

(C) I would agree that it's pretty easy not to be wasteful and to conserve energy.

Is it?

Is the average Canadian ready to give up their detached housing and move into row houses like in Europe?

Is the average Canadian ready to ride their bike or walk rather than driving their car?

Is the average Canadian ready to pay double or more for fuel and power to pay for the changes to the infrastructure necessary to implement a truly renewable energy system?

Is the average Canadian ready to pay to remove whole sectors of the economy and pay more for goods so that the energy consumption isn't just shipped overseas where we won't see it.

More importantly, is the average Canadian ready to give up their beer fridges? :-)

Sure you can shut the lights off when you're not in the room and you can switch to CF light bulbs and turn the thermostat down and you can buy a car that gets 20% better gas mileage and you can replace your windows with triple pane glass and you can walk more but doing all of this, you might cut your personal energy consumption by 10%? 15%? We Canadians still use double the energy per capita than the average German and four times the worldwide average.

For me earth hour is just another hypocrisy where people can think that they are doing something without making any change whatsoever. Until people are willing to accept some hardship it's all window dressing.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by Bownesian

For me earth hour is just another hypocrisy where people can think that they are doing something without making any change whatsoever. Until people are willing to accept some hardship it's all window dressing.

Like I said, it's a starting point. If people don't start somewhere then they never start. And then the whole thing is pointless. People don't go from not caring about the environment to Sierra Club members in a day. This serves as an on-ramp, to get people involved.

While I may have foregone a vehicle in lieu of public transportation and pay a premium for Bullfrog Power, you are right that many would not do those things. But you can't start to cultivate that desire for change by dismissing all attempts to get people involved.

[bcb]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

If people really wanted to make a difference they wouldn't worry about these lame propaganda stunts put on by the Al Gores of the world. Instead of Coke donating millions of dollars to this event to make it seem like they care, they would actually change their business practice to switch back to reusable containers.

There are way to many people and businesses in this world that like to make it look like they are doing something by turning the lights off for 1 hour but actually do nothing. Yet, the family that recycles all of there materials, doesn't use plastic bags, uses water saving appiances; does a lot more than the person who turned their lights off for 1 hour.

It was business as usual in my house. No more extra energy, no less.

You're just mad because you couldn't connect the exterior spotlights because someone stole your extension cords.

[Bownesian]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

Like I said, it's a starting point. If people don't start somewhere then they never start. And then the whole thing is pointless. People don't go from not caring about the environment to Sierra Club members in a day. This serves as an on-ramp, to get people involved.

While I may have foregone a vehicle in lieu of public transportation and pay a premium for Bullfrog Power, you are right that many would not do those things. But you can't start to cultivate that desire for change by dismissing all attempts to get people involved.

But "getting involved" solves nothing and in my opinion only serves to entrench our overconsumption because it fools people into thinking that they are contributing to a solution in a meaningful way. If people really wanted to cut consumption, they would elect a government that would jack the price of non-renewable energy way up (i.e. double or triple), giving the market and people the incentive they need to make real change.

Ignoring the effect this would have on our disposable incomes or whole sectors of the economy, the amount of bitching you hear when the price of gas goes up by 8 cents before the May long weekend tells me that people aren't ready to make a change.

I believe that the only thing that will force a change is when we run out of cheap energy (i.e. when we burn half of our remaining oil stocks in 10 years, 20 years or whenever that happens), and the price spikes naturally and the price change suggestion I made happens without people choosing it.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by Bownesian

...the amount of bitching you hear when the price of gas goes up by 8 cents before the May long weekend tells me that people aren't ready to make a change.

Well, this is much why I dropped out of environmental activism. I fear you are correct. Canadians are not willing to make the changes that those in Europe have and fighting that is like beating your head against a wall.

However, of late, I've been of the opinion that standing up for what you believe is right is being more true to yourself than throwing in the towel.

I don't think anyone is foolish enough to think that turning off their lights for 1 hour is sufficient to make a huge change on the environment.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

However, how do you get someone to START being more environmentally friendly? I remember fighting the fight for recycling in Halifax and people said that recycling was bad for the environment because people would think they were 'saving the environment' with their token measure.

Sure, 1 hour is a token measure, but it could lead to something bigger. It's supposed to be a short time in one's life to reflect on what they could be doing in their everyday lives.

I've given my laundry list before of things I have done to reduce my global footprint so I won't bother repeating it (some have said it comes off as self-righteous). But I can say that those who have not started looking at their environmental impact, but started last night with Earth Hour, I harbour them no ill will and am happy that they have taken the first step. And maybe next year they will use cloth bags and reduce water consumption.

It's meant as a starting point, not an end-all be-all.

Look, I am not saying that talking about the environment is a bad thing. The more we can talk about it the better. But IMO the way this Earth Hour is set up is completely wrong. If they really wanted to help the Earth, why is Earth hour not changed so instead of turning your lights off which is REALLY easy to do, have everyone go pick up trash out of the lakes and ponds for an hour. I will tell you why they dont do this because it would actually involve some work, and most of these people that turn their lights off couldn't be bothered to go pick up some trash. Thats my point, they think they are helping out the environment when they actually aren't.

A lot more people would buy into this idea if they made it less about "people are bad because of capitalism and advancement" and more "lets go out and do something that is actually meaningful".

[Bownesian]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

I don't think anyone is foolish enough to think that turning off their lights for 1 hour is sufficient to make a huge change on the environment.

Nope but a lot of people think that the very best they can do is buy CF lightbulbs, drive a Prius and create awareness by burning a candle for an hour a year, none of which do a whole lot when you do a total energy balance calculation.

I have faith that consumption will go down in the long run (because of market forces) but I also believe that we will burn every last barrel of oil in the process. I'd rather that we did something about it now while energy is cheap like building a bunch of wind and nuclear power generation capacity but that will happen in the long run, it'll just cost a bunch more 20 years from now.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

I will tell you why they dont do this because it would actually involve some work, and most of these people that turn their lights off couldn't be bothered to go pick up some trash.

Again, we're right back at wanting people to *START* at being willing to dedicate a lot of time and energy to the environment and if that doesn't happen, it's a failure. Life does not work like that.

Praxis doesn't start on the extreme. You wean people into it. It's like everything else in life.

"Bob needs to lose weight. But he's only walking. If he REALLY cared about losing weight he'd be doing the P90x." That doesn't make sense. You start people slow and they will move progressively towards getting more and more involved.