Lights out in 84 countries for Earth Hour 2009

[cal04]

Source: Associated Press

The lights are going down from the Great Pyramids to the Acropolis, the Eiffel Tower to Sears Tower, as more than 2,800 municipalities in 84 countries plan Saturday to mark the second worldwide Earth Hour.

McDonald's will even soften the yellow glow from some Golden Arches as part of the time zone-by-time zone plan to dim nonessential lights between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. to highlight global climate change.

"Earth Hour makes a powerful statement that the world is going to solve this problem," said Carter Roberts, chief executive of the World Wildlife Fund, which sponsors Earth Hour. "Everyone is realizing the enormous effect that climate change will have on them."

Seven times more municipalities have signed on since last year's Earth Hour, which drew participation from 400 cities after Sydney, Australia held a solo event in 2007. Interest has spiked ahead of planned negotiations on a new global warming treaty in Copenhagen, Denmark this December. The last global accord, the Kyoto Protocol, is set to expire in 2012.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090327/ap_on_re_us/earth_hour

[No Elephants]

1. The real issue is why the so many non essential lights are always on with

both the environment and the economy being in dire straits.

[Delphinus]

2. Too true.

I shall be participating.

[roguevalley]

16. I get Las Vegas but i still think its insane the number of lights they have on

[FailureToCommunicate]

3. Anyone know if the space lab or a satellite will be photographing to show any

visual difference? Or electricity use monitoring?

[The_Commonist]

4. Here's a small company to boycott...

"But not everyone agrees and at least one counter-protest is planned for Saturday.

Suburban Philadelphia ice cream shop owner Bob Gerenser, 56, believes global warming is based on faulty science and calls Earth Hour "nonsense."

The resident of New Hope, Pa., and owner of Gerenser's Exotic Ice Cream planned to illuminate his store with extra theatrical lighting.

"I'm going to get everyone I know in my neighborhood to turn on every light they possibly can to waste as much electricity as possible to underline the absurdity of this action ... by being absurd," he said."



I've never been to New Hope PA, but if I ever find myself there, I'm not eating any ice cream!

[Robb]

6. Isn't that hilarious?

"We've got hundreds of thousands of people joining in this thing, but for 'balance' we're talking to this one schmuck who makes ice cream...." :rofl:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

15. And, to make it funnier, he's surrounding by a bunch of liberals there

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

14. The funny thing is, New Hope, PA is super lefty

It's filled with a bunch of artists and gays. It's a pretty cool town. I've never had ice cream there, though.

[Judi Lynn]

18. Hey, don't scoff at Bob! He's a George Washington re-enactor!

Ice cream shop owner takes his licks and reopens
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
BY CURT YESKE
Special to the Times

NEW HOPE, Pa. -- Ice cream shop owner Bob Gerenser, also widely known as a George Washington re-enactor, has made peace with the Bucks County Health Department.

The county agency last December ordered the shop owner to halt operations at his Gerenser's Exotic Ice Cream store on South Main Street because he refused to connect his business to the community's newly installed public water system.

That put the 50-plus-year-old shop out of business for a time until Gerenser obtained a frozen dessert license from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, under which he served soft ice cream to tourists in this riverside community.

But the county health department eventually prevailed over the agriculture department's license and Gerenser was again ordered to desist.

More:
http://www.nj.com/news/times/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-14/1222833953110630.xml&coll=5

[Gregorian]

5. Now do refrigerators off.

If you really want to make a difference.

Then cars off. Then wars off.

[JoMama49]

7. When exactly is earth hour? And, what time zones? n/t

[Juan_de_la_Dem]

8. Link to Earth Hour

http://www.earthhour.org/home/

[truebrit71]

10. 8.30 pm tomorrow night in whatever your timezone is...

..

[DoBotherMe]

9. Coworker said it will cause damage

He's a John Bircher. Dana ; )

"If the whole country switched on and off at the same time, they would do more damage than they would save, thus wasting money and raising electric rates.I also will leave my lights on. This is as stupid and worthless as everyone not buying gas for a day, which is what we did in the old days when you couldn't buy gas on Sundays. Fortunately Motel 6 will also Keep the lights on for you."

[truebrit71]

11. Damn, that is a special kind of stupid...

...sorry you have to put up with it..

[ConcernedCanuk]

12. LAST year's earth hour pix - Toronto Ontario Canada

.
.
.

[Kaleko]

13. Wow. That's great to see.

Thanks for posting it.

[cal04]

17. Lights go out across Australia for Earth Hour

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25257140-12377,00.html

SYDNEY'S famous harbour landmarks and many of its high rise buildings have again been plunged into darkness, with tens of thousands of residents and businesses also turning their lights off for Earth Hour.

Now in its third year, Earth Hour saw Sydney turn off its bright lights in aid of the environment.
Earth Hour originated in Sydney in 2007, with just 2.2 million Sydneysiders taking part.

The event has now become a truly global event, with almost 4,000 cities and towns around the world, and about one billion people, expected to take part.

In Sydney, city landmarks including the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, and Anzac Bridge powered down for an hour from 8.30pm (AEDT), when ferries at Circular Quay blew their horns to signal the start of the event.

[ohio2007]

19. wonder what kind of power surge issues will come up when the lights go back on ?

Is anybody perched in space going to report "offenders" ?

[Jersey Ginny]

20. Turned out the lights at my house

We had 2 other families with us and the 6 kids told stories to us by candlelight. It was something we should do more often as it was very enjoyable and educational for the kids.

[bemildred]

21. Earth Hour: Limbaugh to turn on Christmas lights to celebrate

---

Limbaugh

By the way, Rush Limbaugh is celebrating Earth Hour just like everybody else. Although he’s planning on doing it a bit differently. Earlier this week, he announced on his radio show that he’s making it much more festive.

“I have the ability from my couch, wherever I happen to be, I can turn on very light in the place, on all five houses. I can turn on the air conditioner and I can regulate the air conditioner. So I lit my place up like a Christmas tree last night.

“At 8:30 on Saturday night, I’m going to do the same thing. I mean, I might even put a Christmas tree up! I might even put Christmas lights on the outside lights, on the outside landscaping. I mean, I’m going to go just the opposite way, because I, El Rushbo — as you know — resist the tug of popular sentiment.”

http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/03/28/earth-hour-limbaugh-to-turn-on-christmas-lights-to-celebrate/

[Matilda]

22. I, El Rushbo, Am A Dickhead.

n/t

[arikara]

23. He actually calls himself el rushbo?

Words escape me.