Earth Hour: What will You Be Doing in the Dark?

Today, March 29, 2008 at 8pm (local time), people all over the world will be turning their lights out for Earth Hour to take their stand against climate change.

It started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia and has now spread the world over, growing into a global movement. My fellow Canadians are participating in a big way with major landmarks going dark for the hour. And you can get involved too!

But how much good will this do?
Supercool math brain, Burton MacKenZie pounded out some approximate numbers on his trusty calculator and came up with a noticeable savings of $39.6K for the US and Canada alone as a result of Earth Hour. Even with his modest assumptions and his area's cheap electricity rate, Burton's result is still significant.
"It won't save the world," Burton says, "but [it] shows how we can make a difference in our world power requirements if we are simply slightly more frugal. Every Watt counts."

So, yes, it's worth it for you to get involved.

What can you do?
Go to sleep early, go to bed early (which is different from the previous... teehee), enjoy some family storytelling, have a late dinner by candlelight, read a book, join others who are also participating in Earth Hour.

Enjoy your darkest hour, and bask in the knowledge that you're doing the world some good.

3 comments:

  1. well, I missed it. But I take some pride in the fact that I'm a zealot - and always have been - for turning the lights out after leaving a room. Also, I have gratuitous use of CFLs. I figure moderation all year long is better than a one shot fast.

    That's my story and I'm sticking to it! ;-)

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  2. We had my girl's party early evening. But, most of the guests have gone home by 8pm. So, we turned off lights from nearly all parts of the house - except one place where we were with the kids and some of the guests.

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  3. @harmzie -
    imagine how much better that will be when you don't miss Earth Hour *next year*, eh? ;)

    @shai -
    sounds like a great compromise! I hope your girl had a great 1st birthday party :)

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