Earth hour tonight

Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, March 27th, 2010 - 17 comments
Categories: activism, Environment, International - Tags:

Tonight, 8:30 – 9:30pm is Earth Hour 2010. New Zealand is among the first in the world, kicking off the event. Turn off, tune out, drop in.

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million homes and businesses turned their lights off for one hour to make their stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating. Global landmarks such as the, Sydney Harbour Bridge, The CN Tower in Toronto, The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

In March 2009, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third Earth Hour. Over 4000 cities in 88 countries officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative.

Earth Hour 2010 takes place on Saturday 27 March at 8.30pm (local time) and is a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community throughout the world. It is a call to stand up, to take responsibility, to get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Europe to Asia to the Americas will stand in darkness. People across the world from all walks of life will turn off their lights and join together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common our planet. So sign up now and let’s make 2010 the biggest Earth Hour yet!.

It’s Showtime! Show the world what can be done.

17 comments on “Earth hour tonight ”

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  1. pmofnz 1
    27 March 2010 at 10:17 am

    Count me in boots and all as usual.

    That is, as usual with every light and appliance burning full on for an hour to rail against the madness of this annual Flat-Earther’s Hour.

  2. gingercrush 2
    27 March 2010 at 10:27 am

    While I won’t go as far as pmofnz. I just think Earth Hour is absurd. I won’t be doing it that is for sure. I already don’t use that many lights. I don’t waste water and rather than use air conditioning I open a window and stuff heating the house all the time that is what blankets are for. Also I switch things off at the wall rather than having them on standby and wasting power.

    If 10% of all the current central city lights in any town, city etc switched them off permanently. Surely that would do far more for the planet than switching things off for one hour.

    • Bill 2.1
      27 March 2010 at 10:58 am

      I can’t see anybody beyond school kids, sincerely useless liberals and cynical businesses taking part in this nonsense.

      Oh, and the (what?) 6 billion(?) who have no access to electricity.

      gotta love the splurb though!

      “a global call to every individual”…(I’m sure the billions of piss poor will appreciate being phoned at last)

      “the largest global climate change initiative” …( we really are screwed that being the extent of our capacity for showing initiative)

      But the one I really love is this, “People (..) from all walks of life will turn off their lights and join together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common.”

      I mean, is that anything other than a suicide pact? Are training shoes compulsory?

  3. Nick C 3
    27 March 2010 at 1:05 pm

    So what do you plan to do with the money you save on electricity during earth hour?

    • Bill 3.1
      27 March 2010 at 1:10 pm

      Buy the T-shirt?

      The one that was produced using small children on oversized hamster wheels to generate the electricity necessary for their manufacture. Oh, but hang on. Those candles weren’t that cheap were they? Seems I lost money on the deal. Meanwhile, business gained on reduced overheads and increased sales.

      Showtime indeed.

  4. joe the bummer 4
    27 March 2010 at 1:43 pm

    At 8.30 on a Saturday night…..whats the point. Most power wastage is done by big businesses, not individuals in the home. Aren’t most people relaxing outside in the evening having a quiet drink anyway?
    If these people grew some balls and put this thing on a weekday at 3pm, then we might be doing something useful.
    I’m all for a more saving resources and living a less extravagant life, but this has no substance. I guess it makes some people feel less guilty

  5. mickysavage 5
    27 March 2010 at 2:17 pm

    Gee we have a large number of wingnuts commenting on this. How can you disagree with reducing energy consumption at the same time as the message is given out that this needs to mark a permanent change in behaviour, rather than something that happens once a year for an hour.

    As usual the lefties are going to have to do enough for the wingnuts as well as themselves.

    • Gweg Pwessland 5.1
      27 March 2010 at 2:23 pm

      Nah people just see it for the meaningless PR stunt it is.

      [lprent: Change your handle. Too close to a real person.. Otherwise I’ll change it for you. ]

  6. parishpump 6
    27 March 2010 at 3:48 pm

    Madnessinc is that you?

  7. Rex Widerstrom 7
    27 March 2010 at 5:54 pm

    I’d just like to commend the television channels for doing their bit by transmitting such dire, mindless pap that even the most left-of-the-bell-curve lobotomised mouth breather would feel their intelligence insulted, and thus turn off their sets.

  8. pmofnz 8
    27 March 2010 at 7:55 pm

    ms,

    A large number of wingnuts?

    Depends which side of the fence you sit. From my side, it seems that most commenters here are not, as you might suggest, wingnuts. Most have seen through the spin of Earth Hour, though some still fail to see anything but promotion of the greenwash.

    • parishpump 8.1
      28 March 2010 at 9:11 am

      Wow this wingnut logic process is really interesting. All you have to do is think up a word, say it often enough and the argument is won.

      One such word is “greenwash”. Say it about any environmental campaign and success is assured.

      Why you would attack something as benign as Earth Hour is beyond me.

      The promoters want our planet’s inhabitants to spend 60 minutes thinking about the threats that it is facing and the idea is that many individuals will then decide to live differently. Individually the power saving may be very small but if enough people do it then the cumulative effects can be significant.

      This is not some communist plot. This is a very simple message to all, consume less power, go around the house and turn off the lights from time to time. And occasionally try doing without power.

      Because if we do not do it voluntarily now then we may be forced to do it later.

  9. deWithiel 9
    27 March 2010 at 8:09 pm

    Funnily enough, here in deepest Avondale, it seems that there’s been a popular response to what has been described, possibly accurately, as a gimmick: aside from the street lights, absolutely nothing is on (I’m on battery power). Quite extraordinary: Avondale is hardly Ponsonby. What’s behind it: is it something to do with mining Schedule 4 land; or has Avondale succumb to gestural statements? All I can say is that, aside from the rumble of cars belching out their particular contribution to anthropomorphic climate change, it is most pleasantly quiet.

  10. deWithiel 10
    27 March 2010 at 9:06 pm

    Ooops, anthropogenic.

  11. Brett Dale 11
    28 March 2010 at 11:22 am

    I like the thing they had at christchurch, a 50’s style drive in, where everybody bought their gas guzzlers

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