Reactions to story from A Blog Around The Clock

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  Earth Hour 2008 - lights out tomorrow at 8PM!

  http://skeptalchemist.blogspot.com/2008/03/earth-hour-2008-l...
  46 days ago in the skeptical alchemist · Authority: 60

  If you are in Sydney, great, but you do not need to be! Earth Hour 2008 is a global event. So tomorrow, March 29, switch off all your lights and unplug all appliances on stand-by from 8PM to 9PM, and help raise awareness on the energy and climate crisis. Also, sign up as for Earth Hour as an individual or company over here. If you want to know more, here is the FAQ, straight out of the official Earth Hour 2008 website (and when they say "Sydney", well, replace with your current/favorite city). I particularly like the question about which candles to use... Check out the FAQ below the fold, and join the skeptical alchemist for Earth Hour 2008! Update: folk over at ScienceBlogs are beating their drums too! My personal thanks to A Blog Around the Clock and Greg Laden's Blog for reminding the readers over at ScienceBlogs about Earth Hour. What is Earth Hour? Earth Hour, run by WWF, the conservation organisation, is a global climate change initiative which calls on individuals and businesses around the world, to turn off their lights for one hour on Saturday March 29 2008 between 8 pm and 9pm. The aim of the campaign is to express that individual action on a mass scale can help change our planet for the better. The event itself will clearly demonstrate in participating cities, the connection between energy usage and climate change, showing that we as broader community can address the biggest threat our planet has ever faced. Why do we need to act? Global warming is one of the greatest threats the world has ever faced. Our continued reliance on electricity sourced from coal-fired power stations is causing a dramatic increase in the Earth’s temperature, resulting in rising sea levels, an increase in drought and severe storms, and massive changes to the environment we all rely on to survive. For example, if the greenhouse reduction achieved in the Sydney CBD during Earth Hour was sustained for a year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year. What do I need to do on the night? The most important thing to do on the night is turn off your lights between 8pm and 9pm. There will also be events held on the night, check back later for event updates. Does this mean I have to turn of everything in my home and use absolutely no electricity? Not at all. The main point of this campaign is to show people and companies how easy it is to take action to avoid global warming. This does not mean you have to turn off your fridge, but we do encourage you to join us by switching off your lights and make a statement, as well as changing your habits in the long term. Is it correct that most large coal fired power station operate 24/7 and while there maybe less energy used on the night the power stations will still be running at the same capacity? It is correct, however…when demand changes (i.e. lights and other electrical devices being turned on/off) power generation plants regulate their output accordingly. So in the case of coal fired plants, they will have to consequently increase or reduce their coal usage (in the case of Earth Hour this would be a reduction). Other types generators, such as gas fired plants and hydro plants also have to do the same thing. In summary, the effect of Earth Hour will be to reduce electricity demand. Output from power plants will reduce (coal fired plant, gas fired plant and hydro plants). Which ones will reduce are dependent on what is operating at the time and what is determined by the electricity market(NEMMCO). Based on the time and day that the Earth Hour event is planned, it is very likely Earth Hour will cause a reduction in fossil energy power generation. Where is Earth Hour taking place? In 2008 Earth Hour will be taking place in over 20 cities around the world, and the list keeps growing. We always hoped that Earth Hour would grow into this global campaign. To start this process we focused on one of Australia’s, and the world’s iconic cities, Sydney. Thanks to the support of Earth Hour in 2007 we’ve now asked other cities, both in Australia and internationally, to join us in supporting Earth Hour. Of course, we can all take small actions everyday like turning off unnecessary lighting to reduce our emissions. And we would be delighted if you can join us by turning off your lights for Earth Hour, regardless of where you live. How can businesses participate? In Australia, if the commercial sector turned off lights when buildings weren’t in use and combined this action with other cost effective technology they could reduce lighting emissions by 70-80%. We encourage all businesses to participate in Earth Hour – to commit to turning off your lights during Earth Hour – and to tell your employees and customers that you’re taking part. We also encourage you to sign up to energy efficiency initiatives such as the 3CBDs Greenhouse Initiative to help achieve our goal of reducing emissions in your city or town in 2008. How will you ensure that lights are switched off? We are encouraging as many people to turn off the lights as possible. But we need your help. Please spread the word about Earth Hour to your friends, family and workmates – in conversation, via email, on your weblog, MySpace or Facebook profile, or other websites. The more people that participate in Earth Hour, the more successful it will be. Isn’t switching the lights off dangerous? What about public safety? We are asking people to turn off the nonessential lights for one hour – no lights that affect public safety will be turned off. We want everyone to enjoy Earth Hour in a safe and energy efficient environment. If everyone turns their lights back on at the same time – will there be a power surge? No. We’ve checked with energy companies and authorities and turning all the lights back on won’t cause any issues. How much CO2 will be saved during the event? Last year we measured how much energy saved during Earth Hour in Sydney and achieved a reduction of 10.2% (more than doubled our target of 5%). But the main aim of the campaign is to continue to be energy efficient beyond Earth Hour, making small actions everyday to achieve our goal in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions in 2008. What about after the event? What can I do then? We all can take action everyday to help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. There are two key objectives for Earth Hour. The first is to engage as many households, communities and business to turn their lights for one hour on March 29. By creating awareness and securing engagement of the broader community, the second objective is to measure the change in our greenhouse gas emissions over the following 12 months – aiming for a reduction in the year following Earth Hour Who’s behind Earth Hour? Earth Hour started as a joint initiative between WWF-Australia, Fairfax Media and Leo Burnett for the city of Sydney. The intent is for the event to be adopted by other residents, communities, businesses and governments around the world so they too can help demonstrate that individual action on a mass scale can help change our planet for the better. Isn’t this just a fundraising event for WWF? No. WWF-Australia, Fairfax Media and Leo Burnett launched Earth Hour with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Sydney by 5% in 2007. What does the Earth Hour logo mean? The Earth Hour ‘60’ logo represents the 60 minutes of Earth Hour where we focus on the impact we are having on our planet and take positive action to address the issues we face. Aren’t you using a heap of electricity and resources to promote this event? Earth Hour is operating under our Principles of Operation, which we are happy to share with you. Earth Hour is a carbon neutral event. Won’t it still be daylight at 8:00pm? Daylight savings ends on April 6 so 8pm will be roughly twilight. What candles should I use for my Earth Hour event? If you plan on burning candles during Earth Hour, make sure you use 100% beeswax candles which are gentler on our planet – smoke free, non-toxic and non-allergenic. They are also made of natural products, not petroleum-based materials, so they are effectively carbon neutral (the CO2 they emit has already been taken from the atmosphere to produce the wax). If you’re using candles, though, make sure you take care. The Fire & Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia reports that “in 2003-04, 37 candle-related fires caused an estimated $986,000 damage to homes in Western Australia”. They suggest the following tips: Candles should only be used under adult supervision.Candles should never be left unattended.Candles should be kept away from children and pets.Extinguish candles before going to sleep.Keep candles away from flammable liquids and gas-combustible materials.Candles should be kept clear of any combustible materials such as paper, curtains, clothing and Christmas decorations.Candles should not be placed in windows as they can be blown over. Blinds and curtains can also catch alight.Candles should be placed on a stable, dry, heat-resistant surface away from drafts.They also provide this handy downloadable guide: Candles and lighters: Safety for kids in the home (PDF 370kb) Why do we need to act? Global warming is now the greatest threat the world has ever faced. Our continued reliance on electricity sourced from coal-fired power stations is causing a dramatic increase in the Earth’s temperature, resulting in rising sea levels, an increase in drought and severe storms, and massive changes to the environments we all rely on to survive. There is still time to change how our planet will look in the future. If we act now. For example, if all Australian households simply turned off unused lights and appliances on standby at the power point Australia’s emissions would be reduced by at least 5 million tonnes per annum. The greenhouse gas savings would be equivalent to taking 1.5 million cars off the road for a year. How will Earth Hour help? Earth Hour shows that, together, our small actions can make a difference to global warming. Find out more about global warming by visiting www.wwf.org.au There were two key objectives for Earth Hour in 2007. The first was to engage as many households, communities and businesses to turn their lights out for one hour. It also marked the beginning of a 12-month campaign by WWF-Australia and Fairfax Media to reduce Sydney’s emissions by 5%. This year we hope to inspire other cities and towns to take action and reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally. What to do everyday The goal of last year’s Earth Hour was reduce Sydney’s greenhouse gas emissions by 5%. This year we hope to inspire other cities and towns to take action and reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally. Participating in Earth Hour is one way that you can show your support for this, but to reach our target we need to keep saving energy throughout the year. View blog reactions

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