VOTE EARTH! Turn off lights for one hour on March 28!

[cilu]

On March 28, turn off lights for one hour starting at 20:30. This way you can tell the world leaders they have to take real action against the global warming and climate changes.

This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming. For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.

You can find all the details about this campaign at http://www.voteearth2009.org and http://www.earthhour.org.

Be one of the one billion people to turn off lights on March 28!

[dglienna]

Need to double that number? <evil grin>

EDIT: Log in at 2031 here, to post that you went DARK!

[ovidiucucu]

On March 28, turn off lights for one hour starting at 20:30.

Computers also... ?

[cilu]

It's about lights. Not computers.

[Siddhartha]

It's about lights. Not computers.

Ah, I see a problem with that already.
The exercise is quite futile if one focuses on lights alone -- especially if helping the planet is a priority.

Most desktop computers (with their peripherals combined) consume about as much electricity as a couple of (power hungry tungsten) lamps. Some multi-core ones a lot more than just a couple.
It would make sense to turn off all possible electrical gadgets (save for the refrigerator as spoilt food wouldn't help the planet either), and spend time with family and friends over a candle-lit evening.

The spirit of the campaign is to save energy and increase awareness, and not to increase the life of installed lamps by an hour.
(That apart, it will help us do a reality check: to what extent can we live without our gadgets... ?)

[cilu]

I think the spirit of the campaign is to increase awareness on short term and save energy on long term, rather than save energy for one day on global scale. It is to test whether we are willing to do something to save the planet, and if so put pressure on world leaders. This is what I understand.

[Siddhartha]

Well, in that case, switching off lamps for an hour is quite a feeble sacrifice in the name of awareness in creating energy savings. In fact, it is outright misleading given that most devices other than lamps are consuming a lot more energy and will actually continue ruining the planet in the absence of lamps.

I see this creating an awareness only if lamps are symbolic of electrical devices in general, and not an absolute in themselves.

[dglienna]

They want to take the photos of darkness at night...