I try to conserve all the time. Just a matter of economics.

Do you completely turn off? You should flip the switch on your power strip to your computers and TV's. Even though they are "off" they are still using power. I unplug my chargers, etc, when they are not in use.

I have my computer set on power save - the monitor goes off after 10 minutes of non use - and the hard drives spin down after 20 minutes.

We won't be, we're having company over for dinner, but even if we weren't, we wouldn't be doing it. The energy producers will still be producing power in whatever method they use, so I fail to see how not using what they made saves much of anything. And can you imagine the strain it puts on power equipment to have that huge surge at 9 PM, when everyone flips their lights back ON?

Symbolism doesn't really do much for me. Besides, I turn off my lights every night for about 8 hours. How can one more hour make much of a difference?

Oh for heaven's sake, it is symbolic.

Sorry...won't be doing it here. I feel very strongly that this gesture makes a mockery of real issues.

Yes, I will be doing it. The entire city where I live is going to take part. I live in Southern California. I think anything that brings people together or educates people about the importance of conserving energy is worth it.

I don't see much point in doing this for one hour only. I can see cutting back in usage all the time as being the best way to go. Offices don't have to have all of their lights on at night, why just cut back for one hour only? I wonder how many house fires will be started with candles going. I will turn off things in the house that I am not using but with the animals in the house I wouldn't dare have candles going.

It's for emissions--not for $$$ saving.

We're doing it. All of the city halls around here are taking part, as well as many many many businesses and Canadian landmarks. Earth Hour started in Australia last year, with over 2 million people in Sydney taking part. This year, over 300 cities are participating. I think it's fantastic! It's not so much about how much energy is saved during that one hour, but I think it really makes people really think about how much energy we waste on a regular basis. I absolutely believe that this hour will cause many many people to rethink their energy consumption and make efforts to cut back.

Here is a pretty good article about it from our local paper.

Here is a link that might be useful: Article about Earth Hour from the Toronto Star

Sure will!

We'll be lights out at 8 pm! We usually don't keep many lights on anyway, but the porch and patio lights will be dark.

It's a consiousncess awareness program and it's traveling across the globe. The lights are out in Sydney's opera house and on Harbor Bridge. Lights will be dimmed on the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, they'll turn the lights off on the Wrigley Field marquee in Chicago and the antennae beam on Sears Tower.

They don't expect to save much actual power, but it's more about making people aware. It's symbolic.

Have you checked out google.com? It's dark!

That's how we found out about it.

We actually turn off all lights and sit outside with Tikki Torches and Firepit almost every night.

Gayle

I live in a 1750 sq.ft. "all electric" town house in the northeast. I'm very ecologically minded and over the last several years, I've changed all the lighting to energy saving bulbs/fixtures. Last year...to my horror...every appliance that I owned...including my computer and 2 TVs...went boots up within weeks of each other. Unfortunately...they were all about the same age and had been purchased within months of each other. To make a long story shorter...I replaced each and every item with an energy star appliance. Even my computer [PC] is smaller and more compact. The moral of this tale/experience...I've saved over $480 over the past 12 months on my yearly electric bill...and my electric company owed me money at the end of my billing year.

Will I turn my lights off for 1 hour tonight? Probably not...but that's because I won't have more than one light on at that hour...and I need some illumination at my age. However...I will turn my PC and TV off if only to join in the symbolism.

Every time I read another report about some small creature dying out...like the pollinating bees...or insect eating bats...that we all so desperately need for our comfortable existence whether we realize it or not...I'm spurred on to do/contribute whatever I can as one human being to help better our lives....and I, personally, think that's the point of this evenings' exercise. Hopefully...it will result in greater awareness of just how delicate a balance there is to our "eco" system if it only encourages people to ask why the lights are out.

Anne

Whoa! They're only asking that you turn lights off - not major appliances. That would create a HUGE electrical surge when everyone turned them back on.

Just lights, lights only:

On March 29, 2008 at 8 p.m., join millions of people around the world in making a statement about climate change by turning off your lights for Earth Hour, an event created by the World Wildlife Fund.

Earth Hour was created by WWF in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and in one year has grown from an event in one city to a global movement. In 2008, millions of people, businesses, governments and civic organizations in nearly 200 cities around the globe will turn out for Earth Hour. More than 100 cities across North America will participate, including the US flagshipsÂAtlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco and Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

We invite everyone throughout North America and around the world to turn off the lights for an hour starting at 8 p.m. (your own local time)Âwhether at home or at work, with friends and family or solo, in a big city or a small town.

What will you do when the lights are off? We have lots of ideas.

Join people all around the world in showing that you care about our planet and want to play a part in helping to fight climate change. DonÂt forget to sign up and let us know you want to join Earth Hour.

One hour, America. Earth Hour. Turn out for Earth Hour!

Here is a link that might be useful: Earth Hour Website

I've saved over $480 over the past 12 months on my yearly electric bill...

WOW, Anne! That is a GREAT testimonial! Thanks for sharing that!

Never heard of it until I went to Google this morning and it was all black.
No Every light in my house will be on. It (IMHO and you asked), it is just another stupid semi-political call and I won't be part of it except to protest. Like forcing us to change our lightbulbs!!

Cool! This is what Sydney Austrailia looked like:

I must have lived in a cave in a past life or somewhere dark. I rarely have my lights on at night unless I am in the kitchen cooking or have company over. My neighbours would all think something was wrong if they saw my house ablaze in lights. LOL

I've always watched my energy consumption - if my Kilowatt useage goes up past 300 kwh a month I try to think what I did to during that month that used more electricity and each month I strive to use less than the month before which doesn't always work out. I really noticed with all the baking I did at Christmas and the tree lights and using the oven I used more than 400 kwh.

I noticed a reduced rate on my electricity charges and my bill shows that I am a "low consumption user"

I think there is a lot of energy waste today and I am tired of "light pollution". I can't even see the stars at night anymore because of light pollution especially from the downtown casino's sky lighting show lights which drives me crazy. I live miles away and those lights sweep all the way down here. My neighbour's outdoor backyard lighting probably uses more electricity in one night than I use in a month and it invades my space. I'm still waiting on the city do to something about that besides give a warning which doesn't work.

LOL I ungplug everything when not in use (even the microwave) because even though things are shut off electricity is still being used. Only major appliances stay plugged in. It's just become habit. I don't have a lot of electronics so that helps and I don't have kids so I can understand why it would be hard or impossible for most people to unplug everything when not in use.

8pm around here it is still light outside so I won't see any impact with regard to "light pollution" but it might make people more aware of their energy use.

Anne

Lights off in Manilla, Phillipines:

{{!gwi}}

Um, it's Hockey Night in Canada, husband would slam me against the boards if I turned out the lights out on his game. :~)

We will be shutting off the lights between 10pm tonight and 8am tomorrow, if that counts. :~)

BJ

They aren't asking you to turn off TV's - just lights. Tell your husband the TV will look better without lights. LOL!

Boy...I guess I have been living under a rock too. Hadn't even heard of this before this!

We only have 2 lights on in the evening around here anyway...one over the sink, and the family room dimmed down. Yep...we will turn those 2 off.

Thanks for adding the pics!!! That is pretty interesting.

I agree with Azzalea. I don't participate in "feely-good" campaigns. I don't leave lights on when I'm not in the room.

I am also stocking up on regular light bulbs for the day when they will be banned.I probably use far less energy than the average person in other ways. I wonder how many people who will participate in this farce have their televisions on all day whether watching or not. How many leave their outdoor lights on all evening? How many have an extra "old" fridge in the basement or garage? Earth Day...bah.

Add my name to CherryFizz's post. I live in the dark. Thank goodness I don't live in Russia or the dark would be for a lot longer. LOL

Just out of curiousity, what are the real issues this is supposed to distract from?

Plenty of green babies in 9 months time

I didn't read all the replies. I don't know yet what I will do. I just now read about this, was gone all day. I just don't think I want to sit in the dark for an hour.

Really, I feel like I already did this, during our ice storm in December, when we had no power for two days and two nights, plus 3 hours.

Really the only thing that did, was everyone ended up turning their heat up. No one wanted to turn it down at night, cause who knew, it might go out again. Our bill was actually higher that month.

Moni

Nope...I wont be doing it.

Sounds like a beautiful way to enjoy a quiet hour...

Great pictures of cities less lit, thanks for posting.

No. I think it's silly.
everyone turning off lights, while leaving TVs plugged in, heaters on...all the big energy users left on...in the dark.

Not to insult anyone here, but I think it's the usual PC foolishness.
cream

Well, it's after 8:00 here. And I don't see a single house with their lights off. Actually, some seem to have more on than usual (including our resident environmentalist--he actually works for the EPA), so guess I'm not the only one who feels that it's not a viable method of expressing one's conservationist feelings.

Computer was off. I enjoyed watching T.V. by candle light.
ivamae

I wasn't home. I lefted early this afternoon and didn't
leave a light on....so my house was in darkness.

"few will know you even participated in."
Actually, I don't think it's really about drawing attention to yourself. It is about doing something that you can do, at least to get started. My family participated, unpugged everything possible, went for a walk and were quite surprized by the number of folks out walking with us. We also found a neighborhood close by that was having an Earth Out party, comlete with tiki torches, kids riding scooters, shared goodies and lots of talk about how our small town can get greener. One neighborhood at a time.
My first post. Peace,
walt

Ooops, hadn't heard a word about it until I just now read this post. Guess we missed it! LOL

I agree with somebody else - wonder if this will cause a surge in the birth rate? LOL

We participated.
We lit the tiki torches and had candles on the patio table. Finished grilling dinner by 8 and had a nice time dining and listening to the windup radio. We we took Peati for a walk and noticed alot of homes in the dark.
I grew up turning lights off when I left a room we rarely used the dryer (clothes line in the basement for the winter and rainy days) and always had a very low electric bill. We moved to NH in 1989 where electric rates are the highest in the country per KH. We are still very frugal with electricity but I can't use those new bulbs they trigger migrain headaches. Our bill in FL is about the same as in NH and we now have a pool.

Symbolic yes, but I told at least 10 people today about EH after reading this thread this morning and hope that they participated. So next year those 10 people will participate again and tell 10 people and make them all a little more concious of the energy we use. I call the school board at least once a month to voice my opinion about the lights being left on at the school down the street when no one is even in the school or on the school grounds. It's my tax dollars and my earth, but I think it's everyone's responsibility to pitch in.
Just my 2 cents.

WOW! Apparently over THIRTY MILLION people participated. 380 cities worldwide participated oficially.

We had an "Earth Hour party" and talked to Sophie about what it was all about. We played games by candlelight and had a lot of fun. We looked outside around 8:30, up and down our street and over to the next street - not a light was on in any of the houses that we could see. I was amazed!

Just where do they get those numbers? Because people said they were participating?

It's Earth Hour now and my town is lit up. The lefties in San Francisco are still lit up too according to their local radio station. LOL

Around here we know better than to turn our lights out for an hour. Use just a bit less electric and PG&E will use it as an excuse to set our baseline allowance even lower and charge us up the butt even more.

Maybe I should go turn on a few more lights just for insurance. :-)

ROTFL, Wildchild. I'm with Cream, it's just more PC stuff for us. JMHO! We still recycle, try to limit our electricity every day, shop local, etc... We're just not into all the worshipping of the earth. JMHO! :)

Blessings,
Haley

Here's a picture of the Toronto skyline. Taken during Earth Hour tonight, and taken at the same time a couple of days ago.

I was pleasantly surprised to see all lights in our neighbourhood go off at 8:00pm.
We are very careful about conserving energy every day of the year,and have switched over to low energy bulbs etc,but this was a chance for us all to take an extra hour and think about what more we can do to save this delicate planet we all share.

Well, we difinitely did it. Turned off all the breakers, then lit some candles. Deej and I sat, had a drink together and talked for the entire hour. It was a pleasant way to spend the time. I guess once a year it's good to chat without glancing up at the tv or the computer. LOL!

Laurel

Nicole that's beautiful!

San francisco

Here is a link that might be useful: San Francisco earth hour

Nicole and Kartwheel, thank you! Those are telling picture. We turned our off and I was surprised to see the hillside across the valley from us go dark a few moments later.

Perhaps it was a 'silly' PC type of feel good thing to some but to me it goes deeper. To me it helps draw attention to a problem, one that each of us has the ability to fix. It isn't often that by making just a few changes the average person can have a big impact. But energy usage is one.

I meant to ... but forgot.

Had a light or two on ... plus computer ... plus radio, I think.

By the way - those Tiki torches throw out smoke, don't they? A bit of six of one, half dozen of the other at work, here?

I agree that expanding the knowledge of the need to reduce pollution, global warming and waste is important.

When the oriental folks by multiplied millions begin to come anywhere near our level of generation of those pollutants and warming - our unemplyed people won't be able to put gas in our cars or our generators.

But that won't matter much - for the world will be becoming so polluted that there'll be a question as to whether mankind may survive.

Have you visited a garbage dump lately?

When are we going to tell our appliance manufacturers, who 60 years ago built appliances that could operate 40 years later ...

... that we're sick and tired of buying current appliances that'll only last for 10 years - 15 at the outside?

Only tiny birds that haven't learned any better foul their own nest.

ole joyful

I noticed that Google had it's servers on....and showing a black background page, which uses many times the amount of bandwith that their normal white(which uses the least).

Yes, Google explained that they realised their home page wouldn't actually save any power. They just wanted to remind people of the event. There was a link on their page to follow for an explantion and info. on Earth Hour.

When I told Main Man about Earth Hour at 8:00 pm. His remark was "We are just gonna move our "lights out" back to 11:00 pm, and we will keep them off for 7-8 hours".

Gayle

Whether or not you agree with Earth Hour - you have to admit it has everyone here talking about it and that is their point to bring awareness to the situation.

Here is a link that might be useful: Earth Hour 2007

I apologize I didn't see Tally's link, not even sure it is the same, but probably close enough. So disregard my link.