[WisJim]

I received the following email from a friend whom I trust, and am passing it on verbatim. Other than some confusion over 5 minutes or 15 minutes, seems like maybe a good idea to me. Could have an interesting effect if enough people participated.

So....Thursday, Feb 1st, 7:45 pm, everything off.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dear Friend,
Just imagine, if we all, simultaneously followed the following invitation, what an impact that would make! So, let's join in:

***TURN EVERYTHING OFF***

**ON FEBRUARY 1st BETWEEN 7:45 p.m.and 8:00 p.m.**

*FIVE MINUTES, NOT JUST TO SAVE ENERGY, BUT...*

Urgent: action against climate change!

On February 1st you can participate in the worldwide greatest action against climate change!
Various environmental organizations ae asking the peoples of this planet to hold 5 minutes of silence:
Everyone should turn off all lights, electricity etc. between 7:45 and 8:00 pm
to bring attention to other inhabitants, the media and politicians about the waste of energy.
An act which takes only 15 minutes, which costs nothing but shows the governments that
climate change should be top on the agenda of world politics.

Why this date?

On February 1st the United Nations is publicizing the newest results and knowledge base
on climate change.

SO.....TURN OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'l see you there.
Together we can "move mountains" (:-))))

[MattSavinar]

I have this horrible fear. What if the grid can't handle everything shutting down and then turning back on like that? These damn hippies need think about this a bit more. Luckily there aren't that many people who are going to participate.

[seldom_seen]

There was a storm that came through the NW a few months back that turned everything off for a lot of people for almost a week. Then there were ice storms and snowstorms in the midwest that turned everything off for lots of people. Katrina was real good at turning everything off in New Orleans.

Nature is the most persuasive environmental activist. Nature won't ask us to sign a petition, keep our tires inflated, or change lightbulbs. Nature will just destroy our economy and kill us with complete indifference. I like nature because of that. There's no bullshit. Nature just takes care of business.

[grink1tt3n]

This is a dumb e-mail. What timezone?

[julianj]

The original email, which I received, did have time zones:

Want to do something simple about global warming?
Something quick and easy, that costs you nothing?

Turn off your lights, stereos, TV's, computers and other electrical appliances for five minutes on February 1st.

The call to action comes from Alliance for the Planet, who ask that people all around the world join forces to create five minutes of electrical rest. This isn't just about saving five minutes of electricity (although as Mom always said, every little bit helps). It's about sending a clear message to our political leaders, the media and each other. It's about getting attention without making a lot of noise.

Because on February 1st, 2007, the UN report on global climate change will be released in Paris. And this is how we make sure that the whole world will be listening.

While the planet is resting, why not take a micro nap or have a mini-meeting? Stare out the window with half a cup of tea, or organize the black socks in your drawer? Read three pages of a good book, or one paragraph of an inter-office memo?

Mark it on your calendar. Tell your friends. Tell your sister. Tell your boss. Tell everyone who has ever sent you one of those annoying chain letters.

When do you turn off?

Pacific Time between 10:55 and 11:00a.m.

Mountain Time between 11:55 and noon.

Central Time between 12:55 and 13:00

Eastern Time between 13:55 and 14:00

Atlantic Time between 14:55 and 15:00

Newfoundland- between 15.25 and 15:30

In London it's Lights Out time at 18:55. France, Belgium and Italy turn off at 19:55.

Here in London I'm going to turn off everything at 18.55. It'll be an interesting experiment if nothing else.

[MrMambo]

BAD BAD IDEA!!!!

If millions of people actually did this the effect would probably be to destroy parts of the electricity infrastructure because there suddenly would be too much power on the grid. This would cause a surge in the voltage at least as destructive as a sudden voltage drop.

When people try to turn on again after the demonstration there might not be a working grid and there might not be any electricity in the area you live. Who knows how long it will be before the utilities can get the system working again after such an even? Hours, days, weeks?

Think of people dependent on electricity to survive, like the old and the sick.

This reminds me of the time when Mao Zetung (famous Communist leader) wanted to reduce the problem of birds eating crops. He ordered the entire Chineese population to harass the little birds by baching on cettles, and other metallic kitchen tools whenever a bird approached. Amazingly the whole people didt this and little birds died by the millions. What happened was that instead of birds eating the crops you had an explosive increase in insect populations wich ate the crops instead. (normally the insect populations are kept in check by the bird populations). The result was a terrible hunger catastrophy where millions of chineese starved to death.'

Coordinated actions can have extreeme effects. If the actions are unthoughtful and consequenses are not predictable the results can be disasterous.

I like the electric grid. I like electricity. The transition from our unsustainable energy system of today will probably be to a electricity system based on renewable energy. So dont destroy the grid! Please!

[Bas]

I have this horrible fear. What if the grid can't handle everything shutting down and then turning back on like that? These damn hippies need think about this a bit more. Luckily there aren't that many people who are going to participate.

that's what they just warned for on the news here, that it will cause shortcircuit if too many people do it. Hadn't heard of this demonstration before the broadcast though. Still I don't think it's a bad idea, might join too... too bad if we're out of power for an hour.

[PeakOiler]

I already turn everything off in my house everyday before I go to work.

The only electrical appliances that are left on is the frig and an electric alarm clock/radio.

Why keep lights and the computer on for 50 hrs/wk if no one is around?

[Bas]

This reminds me of the time when Mao Zetung (famous Communist leader) wanted to reduce the problem of birds eating crops. He ordered the entire Chineese population to harass the little birds by baching on cettles, and other metallic kitchen tools whenever a bird approached. Amazingly the whole people didt this and little birds died by the millions. What happened was that instead of birds eating the crops you had an explosive increase in insect populations wich ate the crops instead. (normally the insect populations are kept in check by the bird populations). The result was a terrible hunger catastrophy where millions of chineese starved to death.'

that's a great anecdote...poor little birds ...and chinese people...

[JohnDenver]

This is nice, except the reporter apparently misunderstood the press release. The Green Party isn't proposing a Dark Earth Hour. They're proposing a Dark Earth, period. Definitely gives you a good feel for the Green "vision" of our future.

This holiday season, the Eco-Action Committee of the Green Party of the United States is asking Americans to observe a Dark Earth Hour from 9 to 10 p.m. tonight, the third Thursday of the month.

By turning off all unnecessary lights and appliances for that hour, we can show our understanding of the need to conserve energy as we seek to move away from destructive technologies and to wind and solar power.

Link

[Revi]

This is a really disruptive, revolutionary idea. If we turn the lights off for an hour we may find out that we really don't need them on all the time.

It's part of the green agenda and should be stopped.

We should all keep our lights on, and in fact turn a lot more on.

Run an extra generator to make more lights.

We can't knuckle under to their evil agenda.

[SpringCreekFarm]

This is a really disruptive, revolutionary idea. If we turn the lights off for an hour we may find out that we really don't need them on all the time.

It's part of the green agenda and should be stopped.

We should all keep our lights on, and in fact turn a lot more on.

Run an extra generator to make more lights.

We can't knuckle under to their evil agenda.

[3aidlillahi]

I have an hour of darkness every night. Actually, about eight hours. Occasionally, the hour from 9 to 10 will even be included.

If the Green Party really wanted to make a difference, they should propose doing it during peak hours like 8 to 9 AM or 5 to 6 PM.

[JohnDenver]

I have an hour of darkness every night. Actually, about eight hours. Occasionally, the hour from 9 to 10 will even be included.

If the Green Party really wanted to make a difference, they should propose doing it during peak hours like 8 to 9 AM or 5 to 6 PM.

If the Green Party really wanted to make a difference, they would propose a permanent shut-down of every fossil fuel burning facility in world, tomorrow.

Of course, that wouldn't actually make a difference...

In fact, the world's leading scientists agree that it's already too late to halt global warming entirely. "We can't prevent some damage," says Stephen Schneider, co-director of the Center for Environmental Science and Policy at Stanford University. Even if we were to magically end CO2 emissions tomorrow, the gases that we've already unleashed will continue to raise temperatures for another 150 years. "That's unpreventable," Schneider says.Link

... but that's what any genuine environmentalist would propose. I mean c'mon, "pro-coal environmentalist" is an oxymoron.

[3aidlillahi]

Of course, that wouldn't actually make a difference...

How would it not make a difference? That link just says that stopping everything wouldn't solve the problem completely. It says nothing about not making a difference. Yes, temps will still rise by x amount even with no more input. But with input, then temps will rise even faster than x.

You make absolutely no sense.

And who the hell is saying that they are pro-coal environmentalist? Just because you don't propose a very radical idea doesn't mean that you support the thing that radical idea would go against. They clearly want to transition from being so energy intensive to a lower energy intensive lifestyle.

[JohnDenver]

This is a really disruptive, revolutionary idea.

On the contrary, Revi. This is a completely boring, non-disruptive idea. It's not green in the slightest. Saying that you're going to turn off your lights one hour a month means that, for the other 719 hours of the month, you're tacitly in favor of belching unimaginably huge volumes of CO2 and pollutants out of satanic coal plants, and blowing off the tops of heavy metal leaching mountains for the coal.

In other words, these so-called environmentalists are hypocritical posers. They're as a pro-coal as I am, except for one hour a month. They burn as much coal as I do -- the only difference is the bumper sticker.

[frankthetank]

Doesn't solve a thing. Why don't these groups look at the real problem and that is overpopulation. Stop births today and in a 100 years all humans will be gone... The problems would be solved.

[JohnDenver]

Of course, that wouldn't actually make a difference...

How would it not make a difference? That link just says that stopping everything wouldn't solve the problem completely. It says nothing about not making a difference. Yes, temps will still rise by x amount even with no more input. But with input, then temps will rise even faster than x.

Actually, at present, we are making no difference at all. In fact, the world is grossly overshooting even the most pessimistic scenario of the IPCC, A1FI (Fossil Intensive):
Link

So yah, the Kyoto Treaty and Al Gore and his movie and the "hour of darkness" and all the current hoo-hah is having no effect whatsoever. It's making NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL.

So where are the "environmentalists"? You can't be a pro-coal environmentalist. The only way you can be a genuine environmentalist is to call for the shut down of all coal burning tomorrow. Which is going to turn the lights out on China, the US and any number of other countries. Ergo, genuine environmentalists are in favor of throwing everybody back into the dark ages. They're just ashamed to come clean and admit it publicly.

[JohnDenver]

Doesn't solve a thing. Why don't these groups look at the real problem and that is overpopulation. Stop births today and in a 100 years all humans will be gone... The problems would be solved.

There we go! An environmentalist who isn't afraid to show his spots.

Plank #1 in the environmentalist platform:
Destroy all humans.

[Revi]

I think we can live a high tech, low energy lifestyle if we start to use some of the things we have now. If we could switch to LED lights, drive neighborhood electric vehicles, live in super insulated houses and ride mass transit we could live a nice life with 1/10th of the energy we're using now.