Ideal Bite

Great Idea!

Get real! The electrical demand will lessen but the power plants will still produce energy to avoid a sudden surge in demand. Savings (in terms of CO2) will be nil. Demand must be cut for a much longer period, say forever, to affect the CO2 load! I really don't know where you people get these ideas. Same with the notion of renewable clothing or anything labeled as "green". Unless the work done for the planting, harvesting and producing "green" items is entirely done by animal or human power, then it is all for nothing. Machinery that runs on oil, or gas (yes fossel fuels) are more energy efficient over a period of time than what an animal or human can produce on a lb for lb basis or an item for item basis. It amounts to the number of pounds processed or the number of items produced per given unit of energy cost! As a chemist, "green" detergents rewuire MORE processing than oil based and the net result is an increase to to consumer. "Green" detergents produce MORE waste and require MORE clean-up effort than oleo products.

Great idea in concept, but whoever set this event up clearly doesn't have small children. No way we can turn off all of our lights during heavy-duty "get ready for bed time." I can't bathe my daughter or read her her bedtime story in the dark. (And, yes, a two-year-old has to stick to her schedule, so, no, we can't just do these things at a different time.) We already turn off lights when we leave a room and use energy efficient light bulbs, so I'm not feeling guilty about not participating in "earth hour." It would be great if all those folks in the office towers turned THEIR lights off, though. Can't count the number of times I've driven past office towers in Downtown Atlanta with almost every light burning at 8:30 at night or later.

There are other benefits in turning off the lights. It's less confusing for the plants and animals. Plants determine when to bloom based on how much light they have, not neccessarily by temperature. Animals set their cycles by light. For us humans, having dark skies let's us see the stars. How many stories were stimulated by people looking at the stars at night? Astrology dates back some 4,000 years and Astronomy st least 3,00 years. Astronomers were among the first of the scientists. I volunteer at Bryce Canyon National Park every June to show people the stars, and I can't tell you how many people I've talked to have never before seen the Milky Way! See the attached website regarding Dark Skies. http://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/astronomyprograms.htm

Oops! Typo! My comment should read 3,000 years for Astronomers, and P.P. - Astrology and Astronomy shall ne'er meet!

Per above comments. It may only seem symbolic but if we can get people from all over the world to join in this,just think of the possibilities. 1 hour aliitle dark then comes the light.

Would have loved to participate (more for principal rather than actual energy savings) however didn't get the email until after the fact. Wish you all could give a little more warning for stuff like this.

JUST WANTED TO SAY, AS A RETIRED SCHOOL TEACHER, WITH A MASTER'S DEGREE IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, WE LIVE CONSERVATION , ON A DAILY BASIS. I FORWARDED THIS E-MAIL AND SPREAD BY WORD OF MOUTH, ABOUT WHAT TO DO ON THE 28TH OF MARCH, AT 8:30 P.M. I FEEL I DID "MY PART" IN CARRYING OUT , MY OBLIGATIONS, AS WELL AS INFORMING MANY OTHERS. I MUST SAY THE MEDIA DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THIS ENOUGH, NOR DID THE NEWSPAPER'S. WHY??? JANICE M. DONAHOWER

Oops! Typo! My comment should read 3,000 years for Astronomers, and P.P. - Astrology and Astronomy shall ne'er meet! adventure games games