Candles 

Candle-lit dinner parties probably aren't the best way to spend Earth Hour, considering how inefficent they are at producing light compared to a lightblub.

And then there's the fire-risk.


-michael

Re: Candles 

Hi Michael

What's your positive suggestion for raising awareness of global warming? Do you have a plan for helping prevent a global environmental crisis?

I'd love to hear.

John

Re: Candles 

Replacing normal light bulbs with energy saving light bulbs would be a good start.

Michael

Re: Candles 

Even if every house in NZ replaced all their light bulbs with energy efficient ones, it would make only 0.001% difference towards global warming outcome, it is industry that you have to convert over, not your average householder.

Hour 

Another ridiculous gimmick for raising awareness of a topic that is shoved down our throats every day. Well done.

This will do nothing but give people a false sense of accomplishment so that they can justify driving their SUV's to the supermarket the next day.

Re: Hour 

Stanley, the only way change can happen is first through acceptance. Earth Hour is an awknowledgement of the issue and there are lots of people doing positive things to try to overcome the problem of climate change.

What is your positive suggestion?

John

Re: Candles 

I was down thru Central Otago last week. All the dams along the Waitaki, and others also are full to the brim. If there is a significant reduction of power use during earth hour, they will have to spill (waste) water, which incidentally they have already had to do recently anyway. Please note then that the candles and BBQs etc used during earth hour will give off CO2 etc, and tell me how the hell that is good for the planet!!
Myself and my brother at our respective houses are going to turn all lights and other things on during that hour, just to illustrate what a pointless exercise this whole thing is. At least we will be utilising rather than wasting the totally renewable energy spilling over the dams of the South Island.

Re: Earth Hour 

Quote from above on this site:
"The people of Christchurch helped make Earth Hour 2008 a huge success. 63% of residents took part, sending a powerful signal to the world."

What powerful signal might that be?? Perhaps it is that we are mindless followers of pointless touchy feely feel good gimmicks that acheive nothing in the long term?

I already conserve electricity, and have almost all energy efficent bulbs in my home. But here's the thing; that change over has been driven soley by the fact the electricity cost per unit has doubled in the last 6 years. That is the prime motivation to get people to change I would suggest.

Unless you are going to regularly turn off lights in the weeks and months and years after earthhour (like that will happen...... yea right!!) the whole Earth Hour thing is just a pathetic waste of space.

Re: Earth Hour 

There are two strands of activity going on here. One is science and technology, the other is social change. Earth hour is about social change, raising peoples' awareness of the issues and gaining their acceptance. Social acceptance is at least as important as the science, one without the other will mean change is at best slow, at worst, impossible.

Yes Earth Hour is a gimmick, but it does not make it any less valuable than the science. Discrediting Earth hour is to diminish the opportunity to get people on board with the issues.

Re: Candles 

...
"we will achieve nothing?" "only make 0.001% difference?"
Isn't that just an excuse for not doing it?
if you are too lazy to do something, too selfish to turn off your lights for just on hour, please have some guts to not use euphemisms and say it like it is.

Re: Candles 

>> Isn't that just an excuse for not doing it?

No. just stating a fact, I already have a house full of eco light bulbs, solar water heating panels and a pellet wood fire. I do more than my bit...

Re: Candles 

Spot on Margaret I agree with everything you said!

Re: Earth Hour; margaret 

Margaret says; "Social acceptance is at least as important as the science"

Sorry I will not let you away with that statement. What you are attempting to do by adding science to your statement is to give plausibility to the Earth Hour event, an idea that is fuzzy and unscientific. Therefore what you say falls into the catergory of pseudo-science. Sorry I don't buy it.

I'm impressed you concede it is a gimmick. That is progress.

Tonight there will be pollution caused by thousands of people burning cheap Chinese candles. Not only that, those candles have already generated a carbon footprint, by their manufacture, and shippment to NZ. So Margaret, put that in your pipe and smoke it........ or on second thoughts, perhaps not. It would add to your carbon footprint! Cheers,
John

Re: Earth Hour; margaret 

john you are a nob its a good idea good on christchurch for last year

Re: Earth Hour; margaret 

John
Thanks for sharing your opinion. You obviously are already aware of the issues and comfortable with your choice of actions. As you have already made environmental choices yourself I hope you can focus on the common outcome and apreciate that more people will be on board for the longer term good we all seek. It is all for the same end but a different path to you. Lights going out now in my house! T

Re: Earth Hour; margaret 

TK: Lights now ALL on in my house, including (I kid you not) a nice little 2000 watt flood light at the back of the house.
My little stand for sanity and common sense.

Re: Earth Hour; margaret 

Gee thanks Anonymous, but perhaps better to be a "nob" than a mindless sheep following a path appaerently unlit at the present time. Baaa Baaa Baaa

Re: Earth Hour; margaret 

Our houses light are all off!! This is turning out well.

Re: Earth Hour 

It is a fact that increasing temperatures in the Arctic region are melting the permafrost and leading to an upswing in the levels of methane gas. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas. This is an example of how human-generated global warming can trigger natural processes that will make the global warming problem larger.

Use public transport, get a smaller car, ride a bike, walk, support the development of better public transport, support wind power, support geothermal power, advocate development of more hydroelectric power stations, be efficient, change your light bulbs and do not listen to nay saying wallies like Rodney Hide.

Re: Earth Hour 

Does it realy matter. Yes!!! Surely the effect of Earth Hour has nothing to do with how much money is saved or how much CO2 a BBQ produces. If you turned out your lights tonight what did it mean to you. For me I simply sat in the dark and talked to my wife but I did it at the same time as alot of other people who are starting to realise we have but one earth and we can't take it for granted. I don't beleive that any action I can take by myself will save the world but perhaps events like earth hour can make people think ... combined small actions can ... just maybe ... change the world.

Re: Candles 

Are you for real..omg..That is the best way to wine and dine..Romantic in everyway..I felt such a good vibe for turning everything off..Totally unreal..ur a dick head!!

Re: Earth Hour 

Hmmm sounds like a good slogan for the next Tui billboard around town.... Yeah Right. I was feeling pretty bored, so I took a drive upto Broad Oaks at 8:15 to watch the city go dark..... Yeah Right, 8:40 after not noticing one ounce of difference to the brilliance of our fair city, I came back home and settled in front of the Rugby, ironically the Crusaders playing at AMI under lights
Rob

Re: Earth Hour; margaret 

Good on you. Earth Hour is such a farce.
Time for people to actually do some research instead of reading headlines! The world is NOT warming to a catastrophic level, stop wasting money on chasing after the wind.

Re: Earth Hour 

We should be celebrating the fact we have electricity and technology,considering we'v had free energy tech for many years,hidden ofcourse.The power of the media aye,interesting how the people who own/control the media are also the same people who stand to make billions from "carbon tax" pushing this farce.
Do the research guys

Re: Earth Hour 

Can someone tell me, just who is receiving the money that is payed for carbon taxes. The whole deal seems like a huge money merry go around with various agencies each taking a cut of the action. On the face of it, there is just too much room for scams and abuse.

Mike S