Go to www.earthhour.org. First year was 2007, when about 2.2 million folks in Sydney switched off their lights for an hour, then 2008 saw 50 million switching off their lights. This year the goal is one billion. I think there are only about 8 billion people in the world, so a figure of one billion people being aware of Earth Hour is rather impressive.

Earth Hour is not some small gesture. When the lights go out in the Sydney Opera House and the Golden Gate Bridge...and in 74 countries around the world...it's an environmental statement that can't be overlooked. I am wondering how much more energy efficent the builder homes constructed in the last five years would be if they were constructed in the next five years.

Thanks for reminding us. I will turn my lights out, definitely! But can I leave my TV on?

I think Earth Hour is a bunch of baloney - as is Global Warming . . . We may turn on every light we pay for the use of, if we think about it. (Yes, I do go rabid on the Global Warming subject.)

No need to insult someone just because their views are different from yours. That's what makes life interesting. Barb is a respected member of this group and is entitled to her opinion just like anyone else.

Thanks, FL Agent! If you had asked "why" I feel this way, SellsMdHomes, I would have taken it to pm and explained. You don't have to agree with me.

"I think Earth Hour is a bunch of baloney - as is Global Warming"

I don't think the global warming debate is as important as cleaning up our environment and conserve and utilize our natural resources with less waste.

Well, I turned on 22 lights, 5 tvs, the dishwasher, the washing machine, and since we were both doing BPOs we had 2 computers up 'n running. It was almost impossible to leave those lights on for an hour -- I'm the one who's always saying, "If you're not going to be in there, please turn off the light & the tv!" to the rest of the family & son's friends who are hanging around.

Totally agree with you, Pikes Peak -- we reuse, use up, use less, and recycle everything we can around here.

I am looking forward to finding some kind of a re-cap of the exercise to see how successful it was judged to be.

If I had been home at the time Barb I would have been right there with you. We were at a friend's house in downtown San Jose CA where it did not appear that the nightlife or the lights of downtown was affected at all by "Earth Hour" I'm pretty sure we drove right by San Jose City hall during that hour with their lights a blazin.

I have to say, I have my doubts about the effectiveness of Earth Hour. It is clearly more of a symbolic gesture as the overall savings for the hour are minimal at best (not to mention the carbon released in burning of candles and many other factors). It prime goal is not to reduce the impact from one day as people seem to think. It is to bring awareness.

While I think it is important to bring awareness to global environmental issues, I have my doubts about a campaign where people will overconsume prior and preceeding it. If it is encouraging people to go out and purchase gimmicky darkness novelties or adding extra waste through its promotion and marketing, it can hardly be called a success. I like the idea though, and hope that people will see past the campaign to the real point: As humans we are wasteful, and that needs to change.

I think that separating environmental issues from the global warming issue is important if you want to get people on board. People can try to deny global warming all they want, but if you can show them the savings or other sensibilities, I think we will have more success. If we continue wasting in the manner we are, we will have no planet left-- not because of global warming, but because of resource wars and environmental devastation that will make our planet toxic to us. Our current consumption levels are disgusting and incredibly damaging to the rest of the world. They are causing wars and death all over the place, all so we can live in luxury. That's ridiculous in my opinion, and it has nothing to do with global warming or even environmental issues. It's all related. We are wasteful all over the place.

Think of your parent's and grandparent's way of life. Did they save the things they used? Did they use them wisely? How much do you throw out that is perfectly useful? How much stuff do you have that you never even use? Energy and electricity are just one of the ways we waste.

I find it unfortunate that some people think that it would be comical or even advantageous to turn on extra lights and appliances as a form of protest. What did you accomplish by doing this? Who even noticed? What was the point? I just don't get it.

That's funny- I was thinking the same thing about all the people who sat in the dark for an hour.

While I've already stated my opinions above on what I think the point was, and what it really accomplishes; it definitely was noticed worldwide.

Perhaps it wasn't as big in the US as elsewhere (which can be expected), but there were at least 100,000 Canadians signed up online alone to participate and millions more expected and polled to be participating in Canada. And I read something in the realm of 58% of adult Austrailians participated... Worldwide, hundreds of millions of people participated. I'd say quite a few people noticed.

SellsMDHomes post was removed for personal attack.

Here is an interesting POV on it:

http://skepticssa.wordpress.com/2008/03/31/earth-hour-stupidity/

Thanks, Perky! That's a good link.

Really got a kick out of the square wheel on that tricycle.

What's interesting about it is that the author is not a right-wing GW Bush loving "dolt" - as many people like to categorize people who are not on board with the Earth Hour thing. It's a person who is very much concerned about climate change/global warming, and I'll bet he's even a democrat to boot.

I saw other blogs that had charts showing that there was no change in energy used, no change whatsoever, in California during Earth Hour.

I liken Earth Hour to those "Gas Outs" people want you to participate in to "drive gas prices down." The executives sit back and laugh, knowing full well that sooner or later the gas is going to be purchased, whether it's tomorrow or the day after, makes no difference - we're going to use it, so a single day "Gas Out" is really pointless.

I already do what I can to conserve energy and reduce waste - I don't need some goofy "Earth Hour" to raise my awareness of it. :p