I haven't heard of it either, but it is on Yahoo's main page.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080329/ap_on_sc/world_lights_out

Sounds like a good idea but I think it will turn out like the "don't buy gas
on this day" things they do around here.  People buy before or after,
proving nothing.  By the time they reboot PC's and restart motors what will
really be proven?  I would think trying to save a little each day would do
more good.  Lights, I can take them or leave them!!!

On Mar 29, 3:37 pm, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
<evgm...@earthlink.net> wrote:

You're correct about our TV's power consumption - over 200 watts by
one calculation. So off it goes for the hour. Why not? Some people say
that the Earth Hour is a futile excercise. I don't think so - it's
simply a reminder of resources consumption on a global scale.

Hate to tell everyone this but you *can't* turn off the appliances in your
home that draw the most energy all of the time.  They're "on" even when they
aren't actively being used.  Think stove/cooktop, or wall oven, or
dishwasher...  Of course you could always yank them out and never use them
again... ;)

Jill

This is a wonderful idea. But I'm sure it's a whole lot easier and more
fun to do when you have a "we" to enjoy the twilight and the stars and
moon, and drive out to the country.

Imagine sitting alone in the dark for an hour. Of course, if you're never
alone, then that probably sounds great. Loneliness is one of those things
that gets *worse* the more you do it. YOu don't ever get used to it, it
just gets harder and harder.

I know, because I was in a couple for 15 years. And during that time,
"time alone" was a precious commodity. And when I was first made single
(after the breakup of the 15-year relationship), I enjoyed my singlehood
a great deal. Loved going to movies by myself, hanging alone, not having
to answer to anyone. But now, 9 years later, it's gotten old. Really,
REALLY old.

I changed the subject so as not to hijack the thread. Everyone I know
who is participating in this is part of a "We". And I'm getting the
Weekend Blues again, because I tried to make plans for tonight and was
unsuccessful. So I'm going to be alone tonight, but I decided to make
the best of it this time and not sit around the house by myself all night.
That was one of the things that made me so deeply depressed last week.
I decided I was going to go out and do something tonight - go to a movie,
or hang out at a coffeeshop, just so I wasn't cocooning in my house.

It's a very precarious situation for me, because when I start feeling
like this, all I really want to do is roll up in a ball, and I could
easily end up staying in the house all night, just because I'm too depressed
to move. That just makes things worse. So I have to go out tonight. But it's
not a safe place to just go walking under the stars, so I will need to
go someplace where, unfortunately, electricity will be used...

Any suggestions??

Joyce

Eight PM, your local time.
Earth Hour is an international event that asks households and businesses to
turn off their lights and non-essential electrical appliances for one hour
on the evening of 29 March at 8 pm local time until 9 pm to promote
electricity conservation and thus lower carbon emissions. It may also help
reduce light pollution, and in 2008, coincides with the beginning of
National Dark Sky Week in the USA.

It is promoted by World Wide Fund for Nature Australia (WWF), an
environmental lobby group, and the Sydney Morning Herald. The first Earth
Hour was held in Sydney, Australia between 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm on 31 March
2007. The 2007 Earth Hour is estimated to have cut Sydney's mains
electricity consumption by between 2.1% and 10.2% for that hour, with as
many as 2.2 million people taking part. Earth Hour 2008 marks the first
anniversary of the event with many partner cities and individuals around the
world participating.