Sour Over Earth Hour

I'm environmentally aware. It's not new to me - in 1987, at university, I was among the founding members of the Green Club on campus. We returned empty beer bottles and kegs to fund our more serious pursuits.

Last year, I posted on calculating your carbon footprint. The Carbon Coach stopped by with some encouraging comments. I celebrated when Australia ratified the Kyoto Accord. I wrote about the soil shortage before I even knew about Brian Fagan's book. At home, we recycle and embrace the green bin program being rolled out in our community. We have low-flow toilets and shower heads and use faucet aerators. We use a rotary blade mower to cut the lawn. We've converted to LED's and CFL's.

We've installed low-E windows and last year we installed both a new hot water heater and a high efficiency furnace. We've had opportunities to repair the central air, but have chosen not to. We get by with fans. You might even say that we practice our own brand of sustainable gardening.

Programmable thermostat?	Check.			Use non-toxic cleaners?	Check.
Reuse bags and boxes for groceries?	Check.			No pesticides?	Check.
Wash clothes in cold water?	Check.			Hang clothes to dry?	Check.
Use the dishwasher on the EnergySave cycle?	Check.			Lights on timers? Power bars?	Check and Check.

All this but I can't get behind Earth Hour.

Organized in Sydney, Australia in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund as a demonstration tool, 2-million people and thousands of businesses turned off their lights and electrical appliances for one hour. Aussies wanted to inspire their government to take climate change seriously. It worked.
This year residential and commercial participants from every continent will turn off their lights and electricity at 8:00 p.m. for one hour.
I understand that it's an event to raise consciousness. I know that it's a symbolic action. I get that people who may not have been so conscientious about reducing their energy use may be inspired to change their behavior.

But

I was at a forum on the environment this week. In front of the meeting place, a dozen drivers waited in cars with the engines idling.
Inside, people were complaining about the inconvenience of being greener. They couldn't be convinced that making small changes, no matter how inconvenient, would be of benefit.

Toronto was the first city in North America to take up the Earth Hour challenge. We've had months to prepare for one hour of darkness. It was quite a different story when the power was taken away abruptly...the reaction to the blackout of 2003 wasn't all positive.

Among the tips to conserve:
- Turn appliances off while not in use
- Unplug items to eliminate stand-by loads
- Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs
- Use less hot water
- Drive less.
- Maintain your vehicle to reduce emissions/improve performance.

These conservation tips should be a part of everyday life by now. The energy crisis in the 1970's introduced these concepts (well, compact fluorescents weren't available yet). There are news reports and studies almost weekly that reinforce the impact of consumption, emissions and waste on the environment.
In 2008 there's no excuse to NOT be responsible with energy consumption.


Tags: [Earth Hour] [Climate Change] [Global Warming]
[WWF] [Earth Hour in Toronto]
[Energy Conservation] [Brian Fagan]
Ontario Ministry of Energy Conservation Tips