Earth Hour... Anyone else signing up?

[M1ke]

The kids at schools have been told to take photos to prove that their lights were off. So even if they only switch them off for the 15 mins it takes for the kids to get a good photo - it helps.

I am going to set up my tripod and for the fist time try and get a photo of the night sky. Should see tons of stars if they switch the streetlights off

With the streetlights off, that's going to be AWESOME! I wish I had a private chopper now. Go up and to time-lapse photography of everyone switching their lights off.

[Vampyre_2099]

streetlights being off would encourage break-ins.

[Prime]

Thank you all demonstatring your complete ignorance about power generation.

Wind, solar, Hydro and Tidal power are not suitable as base load station, For that you need nuclear, or coal, or something else.

Our country does not possess the right terrain + rivers for hydro power. The fall of the water is too small or something. So the Drakensburg hydrostation is not actually a proper hydro system. its a pump storage scheme. At night we pump water up into a big dam and during peak load we let the water drain back down over turbines to generate electricity.

As for wind power, there is a space and noise issue.

We could build a solar plant in the karoo, it would be hugely expensive though. Although one of the mining houses was going to build a pilot project Solar Tower to see if it was workable. Go google that crazy contraption.

We were going to build a 20 Gigawatt Nuclear plant but after france went horribly over budget on their last construction, the project may have been scrapped

now back on topic: I'm in, will pull the telescope out and point it at the moon

[jee]

I have thought long and hard over a period of years about the "can one person make a difference" concept (in all spheres of life) and have come to the conclusion that, if we all say "no", nothing will ever be achieved.

Although in principle I support Earth hour, I feel that each of us that really cares, should do something about it every day. I often (more often than not ) sit outside in the evening in my little forest where no light from streets (there are none) penetrates, where the only light on in my cottage is my Himalyan salt lamp and candles, my fridge the only bit of electronic equipment working [one has to keep the yogurt fresh and the tonic water cold], my cooking done using Green gel, and the cats having a ball in the moonlit trees. There are magic around such a setting, and peace after a fast day of technology ( mind, everyone moans that my office is to dark, cause I refuse to put the lights on.....).

We live in a world where every one has to have teh newest of everything, it must have clogs and wheels and chips and works with batteries or electricity (when is teh mind power going to be the chosen one??) , with fiber or wireless through the ether, fast, furious and phantastical. We need to have an excuse to have a raucous braai with friends using only the light of the fire (do we tell stories of Uhnk and Urg to each other or have we forgotten our forefathers and their merrymaking?) We have to use cars so big and powerful that eat up quantities of fuel and spit out black soot in their wake...

Everyone needs to choose for hm/her self, but doing it once only will never be enough. It must become a habit. It must become a way of living. It must be not just the choice of the moment because of the sudden publicity, but a deep seated urge to change Gaia.

Are we too late?


btw, have you guys und gals read about the high mercury levels in the "energy saving" light bulbs we have been "forced" to use? Exchange one danger for another? One harm to Gaia for a much bigger one? How to dispose of these monsters?

Eskom is offering free CFL bulbs in exchange for the old type but appears to be making no effort to advise recipients about the dangers and how to deal with them. The ‘Eskom’ CLF bulb boxes are reported to contain no warnings.

[Prime]

Woolies and chicknPrey have collection boxes to recycle the CFL lamps.

As someone stated, there is also an issue of quantity of mercury in the bulb?


http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Documents/Polici ... tTubes.pdf
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cfl.asp

[jee]

Prime, read the story - and that is not the only one on the net, or in the newspapers, or information available. It really has a high mercury level that make the disposal of the globes a problem.

[Ike]

Am I the only one worried about the effects of this could have on us?

If enough lemmings turn off their power for an hour, and then turn it on again it could completely take down our power grid. Which by the way isn't so stable if you have been living on mars(or zimbabwe )

Even just the power that isn't suddenly used could cause surges that could destroy aging base stations

[Tribble]

They ask that we switch off the PCs too - will make more of a difference. So I will comply - it is only one hour.

[spearone]

I am taking part in it! Hope my fedora 10 download finishes before half past 8!

[Tribble]

spearone, well done. Be proud.

[Ike]

SO if I can post my power is on?

[spearone]

Ah its over now! I managed to install Fedora before half past 8 as well! Now to see if my install works!

[Prime]

Prime, read the story - and that is not the only one on the net, or in the newspapers, or information available. It really has a high mercury level that make the disposal of the globes a problem.

There is more mercury in the jar in my room than the entire contribution of mercury from low energy bulbs in our house.

its mila or micrograms. thats 10^-3 or 10^-6 grams. I did read the articles and thats why i actually question the seriousness of this and some links of relevance. there is probably more mercury in a piece of felt and far more mercury in a thermometer

I also notice that there are no actual tests that have been conducted to verify quantities and claims.

[Monty]

streetlights being off would encourage break-ins.

And the more obvious increased accident risk

[Stuart]

streetlights being off would encourage break-ins.

And the more obvious increased accident risk

nah, that's only if people switch off their headlights too. which in south africa might actually happen ...

[Monty]

given the office discussion around this issue, along with a number of articles i've read, i'm convinced humanity is sinking into the sludge of culpable stupidity much faster than previously assumed....

It is, unfortunately, happening at an exponential rate. The early indications gave us the wrong story.

[Tribble]

Many of my neighbours did not switch their lights off - but at least some of them did.

[hamin_aus]

So this is finished now

Did you lot save the world from global warming... No?

Well, don't let that that bother you... continue the happy-slappy self congratulations and keep up that false sense of grandiose achievement.

[spearone]

So this is finished now

Did you lot save the world from global warming... No?

Well, don't let that that bother you... continue the happy-slappy self congratulations and keep up that false sense of grandiose achievement.

At least we are trying!

[Tribble]

Agreed - it is better than giving up.

[capanno]

Ah damn I missed it. I was looking forward to switching on our oven to 100%.

[Tribble]

capanno, evol - that is what you are. Would never have guess either.

[capanno]

Evol? Hmm. If being fortunate enough to see through this hippy-trip, pointless, ineffective, hypocritical marketing stunt makes me evol, then yes I am evol. Evol as rice crispies.

[Tribble]

lol you seem to have missed the point of the exercise. It wasn't to save tons of electricity but to make people aware that they should switch off the lights that they are not using. There are nidiots out there that have all their lights on just because they are home. There are companies that tell employees not to switch off their PCs - only to log off.

If every unused appliance was completely switched off - we would make a huge difference. This was just to illustrate a point and try and generate some awareness. The immediate benefit - my kids felt like they were doing something to save the planet and we had fun. My bill will also be a few cents less than it would have been.

[Screeper]

I was in the Kruger on the 28th and all the camps had messages asking us to turn off the lights for Earth Hour.
At 8:30pm in Punda Maria camp it was completely dark - every guest had obliged with the request. Was rather pleasant. And it made the stars look even brighter