earth hour

[+batsgonemad and his squirrel]

I'm sure we could all tolerate a candle-lit dinner ....

 

EARTH HOUR - 7.30pm to 8.30pm - Saturday March 31, 2007

 

Earth Hour is a fabulous opportunity for you and your family to do

something

about climate change. On one night, in one hour, more will be done, more

will be demonstrated, and more will be learned than through a hundred

'talk-fests'. And you can help make it happen.

 

What is Earth Hour?

 

It sounds simple, but it is very, very dramatic. At 7.30pm on March 31st

2007, we will be encouraging companies, government departments,

individuals

and families to turn off their lights for just one hour. If we meet our

objectives during the first Earth Hour, the savings in green house gas

emissions will be the equivalent of taking 75,000 medium sized cars off

the

road for one whole year! Now that's something worth doing.

 

Why?

 

The facts are alarmingly clear:

 

* The climate is changing! The 10 hottest years on record have occurred

since 1990. In fact 2005 was the hottest year since record keeping

began.

 

* More than 95% of the Great Barrier Reef will have been destroyed by

2050

if carbon dioxide emissions aren't reduced. (WWF-International)

* One million species worldwide are facing extinction due to climate

change.

 

But not everybody listens to the facts. Earth Hour is your opportunity

to

demonstrate how a simple change in our way of life could change, and

help

save, our planet.

 

The goals of Earth Hour:

 

Households : Most of us use unnecessary electricity. Appliances on

standby,

old style light bulbs, lights left on when we're not using them. Earth

Hour

will help us all to realise just how simply we can make a dramatic

impact

upon global warming (and our own power bills). We will see it in action.

 

Companies : We want companies to be involved. If every company turned

off

its lights when the buildings weren't in use, and combined it with

energy

saving technology, we would save between 2 and 4 million tonnes of

greenhouse gasses every year. Earth Hour will show companies just how

easy

that is.

 

To make it an annual event : Out of the 8,766 hours in a year, let's

give

one back to the earth.

 

What you can do:

 

Sign up to Earth Hour and Pledge to turn off your lights on March 31st

from

7.30pm to 8.30pm by logging onto www.earthhour.org .

 

You will receive all the information you need to make Earth Hour a great

success (and to cut your own energy bills in the long term). Pledging is

free.

 

Get off standby : Turn off all the electronic equipment and appliances

in

your home that are not being used or are on standby. Computers,

televisions,

stereo equipment, phone chargers, DVD or video equipment.

 

Tell a friend : Spread the word about earth Hour by involving your

friends,

family and workmates. Get them to pledge at earthhour.org and most

importantly, turn off the lights at 7.30pm Saturday 31 March 2007.

 

Spread the word - Once you have signed up for Earth Hour tell a friend;

spread the word at work; tell your boss; mention it at school, at your

local

sports club or society group, you can even run it past your neighbours!

 

Make it an event. Get your family and friends to switch off their lights

as

well;

 

Take some binoculars and look at the stars; sit and talk by candlelight;

 

Explore your backyard by torchlight;

 

Have fun with sparklers; or just do something non-electric as a family;

 

Have a picnic-at-dusk; pretend you are camping; or have a candlelight

dinner.

 

For more info on Earth Hour, check out www.earthhour.org

 

EARTH HOUR. MAKE IT HAPPEN.

 

Taken from a email newsletter i recieve from www.coinsandpins.com

[+vespax]

We practice multiple Earth Hours every night when we go to bed.

 

We'll add another hour to our Saturday though even if we aren't in Oz.

[+cownchicken]

We have practiced Earth Hours quite regularly here in the Western Cape thanks to Eskom.

[+QFC]

I would be more worried about the after-effects of the hour.

 

Think of it: as soon as it is over everyone would turn back on their appliances causing a massive load on the power lines. The work "Boom" comes to mind

 

It is not like they turn off the power plants because there is less demand over an hour period:

Koeburg may still be churning along unhappily.

Middleburg will still be surrounded by smoke.

 

* Please excuse the pessimist in me. *