Weekend Diversion: Night Of The Ponies
Pedway, First Store Open At Block 37
Around Town
Around Town
Red-Light Cameras Not So Special?
A global initiative created by the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour encourages individuals and businesses to turn off their lights for one hour to make a statement about conservation and climate change. This year's Earth Hour will take place this Saturday, March 28, starting at 8:30 p.m. The event started in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and it became a global event in 2008, with participants in 35 different countries and over 400 cities. This year it has grown even more with the WWF hoping to reach 1 billion participants worldwide. Already 2,500 cities in 82 countries have committed to participate.
Last year Chicago was the flagship city for the U.S., with major locations like the Sears Tower, the Hancock Center, and the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel going dark. Theater marquees went dark, and McDonald's shut off 500 golden arches, too. They estimate that about 2.7 million people in Chicago participated last year, and ComEd reported a 5 percent decrease in energy usage during that hour.
Chicago is a key city again this year, but it has a lot more company this time. Last year just four U.S. cities officially participated--San Francisco, Atlanta, Phoenix and Chicago. This year many more areas are jumping on board as key cities, including New York City, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Every city that is home to one of our sister 'Ist sites is participating. Check the map on the Earth Hour website to see which cities are participating.
As of now, almost every local college and university has signed on to participate, and some local restaurants and bars are expressing their support, too, by creating candlelit events for the occasion. Berry Chill is donating 50 percent of its sales during Earth Hour to the WWF. In nearby Batavia, the city has organized a river walk and are taking the opportunity to do some star gazing. Check out this interactive map to find an event near you.
WWF also encourages people to register their support online and to help petition governments to participate. The event takes place at 8:30 p.m., local time in each city, starting in Christchurch New Zealand. You can also follow information on Earth Hour in Chicago on Twitter, and they've created an Earth Hour Chicago Flickr group for photogs to share after the event.
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There is a Chicago teacher who is doing a marvelous job in creating climate change awareness. Read about her - she's awesome. http://www.examiner.com/x-5356-Chicago-Home-Technology-Examiner~y2009m3d25-From-home-and-the-world-technology-connects-classroom-and-teacher
2.7 million people? Given we only have about 2.835 million, I find that percentage to be extremely high to the point I don't believe it.
A visit to the Earth Hour Web site suggests they mean Chicago region when they say Chicago. The Chicago region has some 8 million people.
Not saying the numbers are solid, only that they seem to be using a larger population measure.
I like that the WWF encourages people to use electronic devices to learn about how they can cut down on their energy use.
Hey, let's all drive in separate cars to the earth day rally!
Green is bullshit.
Would you prefer the WWF distribute information via parchment and fleet-footed couriers, then?
Some people have this either/or idea of green: That either one must mock the green movement, or one must use brittle leaves for toilet paper lest one be called a hypocrite. There is a position somewhere in the middle; that is, we can still be modern while working to reduce our energy consumption and making our technologies more efficient. Surely you know this. If not, well ...
More text. You're lonely aren't you?
Green-washing horseshit like this masks actual, substantial changes in infrastructure, food architecture and other patterns of consumption that need to change. Turning out your lights? Bougie, feel good, bullshit.
Yes, it is PR bullshit, but as much as we might dislike it, PR does work for good and for not. Perhaps a stunt such as this might wake up more people; maybe not. The thing is, neither you nor I know for sure.
Yes, I am lonely, as my cats have all run away. That is why I fish the Internet for people like you, who, no matter how much they mock, keep coming back to me and responding. I suspect you have a ill-developed sense of irony based on the distance between your mocking comments and your actual behavior.
Sure, this doesn't have the effect of rebuilding our entire infrastructure and altering the way we live our lives, but if you're holding out for only that and nothing else you'll have to wait a long while. It takes a lot of little steps to build an acceptance for the big steps in a population. Sure, turning the lights out for an hour won't save us, but maybe it will make some people more willing to think.
I compare it to all those Green party Nader voters back in 2000, who think the only way to start a new party is to start at the top, when it would have been must better to spend all that money building a base in local and state elections first. Big change happens slowly. You need patience.
You hit it on the head, BlueFairlane.
Baby steps. There are a lot of people who would never take the time or have the time to actually get involved in a big way. When they find out how good it feels to connect with others on a worldwide scale maybe their consciences will get raised and they'll
feel the urge to go out and do something else beneficial.
Or maybe not. But, it's not gonna kill ya to turn out the lights for an hour. Have a conversation, play monopoly by candlelight, go for a walk. It's all good.
Waiting for the rehash of last year's long, drawn-out argument over how the Sears Tower and Hancock dimming their lights is a safety hazard for aircraft navigation...lol.
I hope all you geniuses us public transit, bike or walk as much as possible instead of using your Earth-killing cars.
:) Have a nice day, the planet still loves you.