Sorry Earth, I have a couple of sick children and I need the lights on to look after them.
Besides, if we all turn the lights out at 8:30 and then turn them on again at 9:30, we’ll blow the transformer substation.
Think about it, the electrical infrastructure in most places is 25 years old or more… maybe not such a good idea to put stress on it in when it’s cold outside?
Exactly, Brett, like it’s going to make a difference.
Pretty porch lights you’ve got Friar. Shouldn’t you be sitting on that chair though,admiring the nice Spring evening and watching the neighbours eating dinner by candlelight.
Exactly – and I try to make a difference in other ways, anyway.
I submitted a proposal to the CFO of my company showing that with a very simple change in the software on our computers (I mean, *very* simple, 5-10 minutes for a System Admin), we could save $100k-300k a year in electricity.
Any company could do this.
Any family could do this on a smaller scale, too, if they have a lot of electronics at home.
Believe me, it will make a bigger difference than shutting off the lights for an hour, if we all do what I would suggest.
@Brett
I has just thinking last night. Power plants typically burn coal or gas to generate electricity, which is converted to light.
As opposed to Earth Day, where they tell us to burn a candle instead. Which is made of paraffin. So we’re basically burning another non-renewable petroleum resource.
So that’s making things better…HOW?
In fact, if your electricity comes from hydro-electric or nuclear, that’s emission-free. By burning a candle you could be making things WORSE.
March 27, 2010 at 9:18 pm
Sorry Earth, I have a couple of sick children and I need the lights on to look after them.
Besides, if we all turn the lights out at 8:30 and then turn them on again at 9:30, we’ll blow the transformer substation.
Think about it, the electrical infrastructure in most places is 25 years old or more… maybe not such a good idea to put stress on it in when it’s cold outside?
March 27, 2010 at 9:44 pm
Exactly, Brett, like it’s going to make a difference.
Pretty porch lights you’ve got Friar. Shouldn’t you be sitting on that chair though,admiring the nice Spring evening and watching the neighbours eating dinner by candlelight.
March 27, 2010 at 9:44 pm
@Brett
Where we live, if a squirrel so much as climbs a utility pole, the whole grid goes down for a 40 km-radius.
March 27, 2010 at 9:46 pm
@Kate
Heh. Christmas lights I haven’t taken down yet.
It’s 3 Celsius right now. Despite being Spring, it’s a bit too cool to sit outside drinking beer.
This is such a sleepy town, though. I really can’t tell the difference between when it’s Earth Hour, and when it’s not.
March 27, 2010 at 9:48 pm
Friar, you’re precious.
I made my son turn his light out. I don’t think it’ll offset the methane he produces, though…
Shade and Sweetwater,
K
March 27, 2010 at 9:51 pm
@Kyddryn
He’s probably reading comics under the covers by flashlight…and burning up batteries which contain heavy metals!
March 28, 2010 at 12:48 am
Nah, he was playing on his iPhone with its rechargeable NiCad battery that will eventually wear down and have to go to the landfill.
Shade and Sweetwater,
K
March 28, 2010 at 7:16 am
@Kate,
Exactly – and I try to make a difference in other ways, anyway.
I submitted a proposal to the CFO of my company showing that with a very simple change in the software on our computers (I mean, *very* simple, 5-10 minutes for a System Admin), we could save $100k-300k a year in electricity.
Any company could do this.
Any family could do this on a smaller scale, too, if they have a lot of electronics at home.
Believe me, it will make a bigger difference than shutting off the lights for an hour, if we all do what I would suggest.
March 28, 2010 at 10:01 am
@Brett
I has just thinking last night. Power plants typically burn coal or gas to generate electricity, which is converted to light.
As opposed to Earth Day, where they tell us to burn a candle instead. Which is made of paraffin. So we’re basically burning another non-renewable petroleum resource.
So that’s making things better…HOW?
In fact, if your electricity comes from hydro-electric or nuclear, that’s emission-free. By burning a candle you could be making things WORSE.
March 28, 2010 at 10:04 am
@Kyddryn
Hah!
So he was using electricity, but he was just postponing having to draw it from the power grid till later (when his batteries need recharging).
March 29, 2010 at 9:24 am
I see you participated by recycling the same joke as last year.
March 29, 2010 at 1:30 pm
@Seestor
Yes, but last year, the lights were on in the daylight.
This year, I was deliberately more “green”. I only turned them on at night, when they would be seen.