Earth Hour 2011 Tonight!

[BlueRanger]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mxjbip6y04&feature=player_embedded :cheers:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mxjbip6y04&feature=player_embedded)

[Zach929rr]

Hippies.

[vort3xr6]

I am going to leave my TV and every light in my house on while I head out tonight.

[BlueRanger]

Lol these are the kinds of reactions I've been getting all day to this :eek:. Not one serious comment. I moved from Australia and I remember when we'd all get together in the pitch black outside. Completely different, unbelievable lol.

[wulf]

so we should stop using electricity tonight and dance around with burning stuff for light to save the earth?

[BlueRanger]

Even if everything on the earth was off for an hour that isn't much compared to the 8000+ hours its on the rest of the year. So the one hour won't save the earth of course. You can look at it anyway you want, I see it something inspirational for people, especially children. I started my first web based company when I was 15 from scratch, took those profits and now recycle electronics and invest in alternative energy. I see Earth Hour as a positive message.

Oh yeah, for the oldies out there always telling your kids to get off facebook or stop playing video games Earth Hour is a good way to do it, and you'll get to spend some time with them.

[mastap07]

i dont think we need anymore fires around here.... looks cool though

[BlueRanger]

Is anyone else getting "Your account is temporarily unavailable due to site maintenance. It should be available again within a few hours. We apologize for the inconvenience." when trying to log into facebook? I can't log in lol.

[BlueRanger]

i dont think we need anymore fires around here.... looks cool though

Yeah it does! :up:

[bcwood]

Blue Ranger, thanks for putting that up. Its a good thing

[The Black Knight]

Best ways I can think of to help the earth(at least these are the things I do).

Use the curly cue fluorescent light bulbs(they use 13w, but produce 60w of light), turn lights off when you leave a room. They come in standard yellow and bright white.

Set thermostat(if you have a programmable one it works better) to around 62 when you're gone, have it bump to 68 about an hour before you get home and shut back down to around 62 when you sleep(same process for when you get up in the morning, have it kick on and then back off when you leave).

When brushing your teeth, don't let the water run. Only use it when you need it.

Take 5 to 7 minute showers. Also set your water temp on water heater to 150. I know Utility companies will tell you to set it to around 120 degrees. Problem with that, is 120 degrees is the perfect temp to grow bacteria in your water heater. Setting it higher, will kill off most bacteria, and produce quicker warm up times for your showers.

Use a water efficient dishwasher, cloths washer as well. Wash in cold if you prefer.

Replace outside lights, with curly cue lights and turn them on when you go to bed. Turn them off when you get up, even before you leave. I can't count how many homes I see in neighborhoods that leave outside lights on.

Irrigation Systems, don't be that dumbass that waters their yard in the middle of July at 3PM in the afternoon. You're wasting water and money due to evaporation and heat. Turf absorbs water best when cooled. Between 12AM and 3AM are optimum watering times. You can cycle your irrigation as well. If you want to give the lawn a drink after a hot day, have the system come on at 10PM, with another cycle around 2AM, giving it water for the coming hot day. Manage your zone times, and know your terrain. If you're on a slope, anything over 10 minutes(depending on heads) produces run-off, which means your turf is losing water due to saturation and won't hold the added moisture. Saving water is one of the biggest things you can do to bring your utility bill down.

Turn off electrical devices when not in use. Computers, TV, etc.

Go through and seal up all windows in your home, regardless if you feel they need it or not. Heat will find the quickest and easiest means to leave your home, don't let it. By the same token, cold will find the path of least resistance to get in, so don't let it.

The Sun, it's free light and heat. Let it in. Also back to lighting, use solar powered lights for your yard, driveway, etc. Sun's free and can power your smaller lights and give you enough light, until you go to bed and kick in the big house lights.


Some of the biggest gains(reductions in Utility Bill) have been in water management and electrical management. Gas, well you'll always need it for cooking or heat. So it gets used. Waste Water is another, that you just use and there's no way around it.

The funny thing is, I'm not even a "Green" person. But I know how to leave less of a carbon footprint, all the while lowering the utility bill. In the end, it's about "green", the green in your wallet. And if trying to keep green in the wallet, helps the environment, well then that's cool to.

:)

[vort3xr6]

http://youtu.be/CD2LRROpph0

[BlueRanger]

Blue Ranger, thanks for putting that up. Its a good thing

:up:


I'm all about trying to do some good for the environment...but there is a HUGE difference between actually doing something productive and the illusion of making a change

burning candles = saving planet :shock:




^^exactly

Like I said, the hour will not help but it will inspire. You're talking about it aren't you? Look at Black Knights post. He just shared a bunch of tips, would he have just started a random post about what he just wrote if this thread about Earth Hour wasn't started.

People leave on the lights, but an event like last night will remind them to shut it off. Children will especially remember events like that, those that are out of their ordinary schedule.

Thanks for the tips by the way Black Knight. In my opinion that's great, he does not consider himself "Green" but he does those things on the list as part of his regular schedule.


http://youtu.be/CD2LRROpph0

WTF

[BlueRanger]

http://www.earthhourus.org/

Check out some of the quotes, it gets people talking and thinking.

Google has participated in it before http://www.serr.biz/images/stories/googleearthhour.jpg

Turning the screen black doesn't really conserver energy unless you use Organic LED monitors, but they shared the message. It's an hour to inspire. I've said it before and I'll say it again lol, I believe It's especially an opportunity to inspire children.

[arawls]

I think I need to buy carbon credits!

[Matty]

What about the fact that the average person from Colorado uses 198 gallons of water a day?!?!

Resources are diminishing.... Just keep that in mind.

[Snowman]

I think dancing around an open fire is very druid of you. Just don't do it naked because none of us want to see that.

[BushyAR15]

As an amateur astronomer, the cool thing is when all the lights are off its amazing what you can see in the night sky. Unfortunately, I've never been in a location that observed this "Earth Hour" event.

Its amazing to me how many people have never seen the Milky Way.

Back in SoCal during the Northridge earthquake. Power was interrupted. No lights, nothing. 911 received hundreds of calls from people who were seeing some strange lights in the sky. People thought this strange cloud was leaking gas or something. Turns out it was the Milky Way...

[arawls]

I always thought leaving the lights on was less wear and tear on the power grid than turning them on and off constantly.

For those that haven't seen the milky way.

[BlueRanger]

I always thought leaving the lights on was less wear and tear on the power grid than turning them on and off constantly.

A lot of people do. Here's some info on that.
http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/61/when-to-switch-off-your-lights.html


As an amateur astronomer, the cool thing is when all the lights are off its amazing what you can see in the night sky. Unfortunately, I've never been in a location that observed this "Earth Hour" event.


That's cool, I'm a fan of astronomy myself. These days I just stick to watching documentaries like "The Universe." However, in high school I was out there with the telescope studying taking observation logs.




Its amazing to me how many people have never seen the Milky Way.

Back in SoCal during the Northridge earthquake. Power was interrupted. No lights, nothing. 911 received hundreds of calls from people who were seeing some strange lights in the sky. People thought this strange cloud was leaking gas or something. Turns out it was the Milky Way...

Yeah, if all the lights ever go out you can expect to see a world wide panic of killer clouds and gas lol. With all the lights constantly on, a lot of people are unfamiliar with what the sky really looks like.

[The Black Knight]

:up:

Like I said, the hour will not help but it will inspire. You're talking about it aren't you? Look at Black Knights post. He just shared a bunch of tips, would he have just started a random post about what he just wrote if this thread about Earth Hour wasn't started.

People leave on the lights, but an event like last night will remind them to shut it off. Children will especially remember events like that, those that are out of their ordinary schedule.

Thanks for the tips by the way Black Knight. In my opinion that's great, he does not consider himself "Green" but he does those things on the list as part of his regular schedule.

No problem, I think due to the work I do(Turf maintenance and landscape) I've learned many ways to conserve water. Since it's such a precious and limited resource here in Colorado(Colorado is the only state in the lower 48, that does not have water flowing into it, all of our water flows out).

Which brings me to one more tip for water conservation. Hey if it's raining or you just had a great rainstorm. Shut your irrigation system down for the night or next couple of nights.

Rain will help your turf grow and is much more beneficial for turf than just irrigation water. Rain has minerals and nutrients in it. Where as irrigation is potable water and has much of that removed from it.

I can't count the times I've seen both commercial and residential watering during a rain storm. Watering while it's raining has the same affect as watering in the middle of July in the middle of the afternoon. It wastes water and money. Plus you look like an idiot because your system is running while it's raining.

Now I'm not saying shut the system down because you got a quick 10-15 burst of rain. But if you get a good soaker rain, that lasts 30 minutes or more. Well shut your system down for the night.

Again it's about the green in your wallet. And turning your irrigation system off due to rain, not only saves water but money.

[Finklestein87]

We use way to much energy as a Nation. We really need to focus on energy management and conservation. Renewable resources is important too, but I think our usage is a HUGE problem.

[modette99]

But if I want to pay the bill its none of your business if I water 7 days a week, leave lights on, and drive a Diesel with a 40 gallon tank to buy one gallon of milk.

Should we as people be educated and do more on our own if we wish to, hell yeah. But should Government stuff shit down our throats and make us do it, hell NO.

[will-t]

NSFW: Language

2:24 is where it becomes pertinent to this discussion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eScDfYzMEEw

Never quite understood the idea of "Save the Planet"...

[modette99]

NSFW: Language

2:24 is where it becomes pertinent to this discussion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eScDfYzMEEw

Never quite understood the idea of "Save the Planet"...

Yep this might surprise you but I once had a Geology teacher that said the same thing...it surprised me I assumed she be all pro environment and trying to save the planet. She said doing things is a good idea, but us as humans will never HURT the planet....the planet does not need SAVED. One of the better classes I took.

[will-t]

I'm all for "Save the Humans" and not wasting resources where they can be conserved, but the whole scare tactic of "Save the Planet" is a little BS to me. If you want support for your cause, then accurately describe your cause.

Similarly I have zero buy in for "Climate Change" since a) it's a cyclical thing that's been happening long before humans came into the picture, and b) it started out as "global warming" until people realized it was getting colder some years and they had to change the name.

The wackos just need to tell it like it is:
Use all the oil and we can't drive anymore
Use all the coal and our houses will be cold in the winter and hot in the summer, it'll also be dark at night.
Use all the trees and we won't have any more shade, houses will be made out of concrete (which will be tough to mix without any oil powering the mixers, and fireplaces won't smell as good.
Use all the natural gas and fireplaces won't work at all (after the trees go away) and it'll get cold in the winter.
All of this amounts to save the people, or at least save their creature comforts. Not a single thing in that list is going to make the planet explode and cease to exist.

[Ricky]

I figured out I could save about $20/mo by putting my big ass computer to sleep 23 out of 24 hours of the day. But I did it for my Xcel bill, not for the planet.