One of the rewards of blogging is knowing that, in my own small way, my work here has the potential to inspire others.
Sorry. It’s hard to type with this lump in my throat.
Kelowna, BC – before and during “Earth Hour”.
OMG is this cute or what? Is there anything more heartwarming than a child’s first private Urban Heat Island Effect experience? They’ll remember this night for the rest of their lives, Jay. You’re a great dad.
What a beautiful sight. Almost as good as Kate’s paintings.
We had company over tonight-although you can’t see my home in this particular photo, pointing the wrong direction-and we had the lights a blazin’, oven baking black current crumble, lots of coffee brewing and just living life the way it should be done.
Wanted to make sure we used the allotted electricity dedicated to our home…it is dedicated to our home, isn’t it?
I can’t see the difference….can you see the difference?
It looks the same to me. All my family is there, and only my Liberal parents might have shut off their lights, but that would be because 8:30 is their bedtime!
It’s hard to type while I’m laughing my ass off ROTF…the cats get a kick out of the rolling on the floor part. Here in Peachland it’s business as usual. No lights out this year. highly unusual.
You could’ve seen my house from downtown Calgary, 50 miles north, to-night, I even put bulbs on all the dogs and horses, just to piss off PETA along with the retarded WWooFers. Suck it up, in the dark, you self loathing lefties, when one of your patron saints, ala Bill Clinton, starts to make fun of your great God ALGORE, you should know the jig is UP! LOSERS. In the dark forever is the lieberal mindset.
Go bart go!
Ah, Kate, your inspiration extended beyond Canadian borders. Here in Wisconsin, I had lights blazing, the car idling, the appliances running, and my boyfriend and I had a delicious steak dinner which was enjoyed greatly by both of us. I go to bed tonight content that I fully celebrated Human Accomplishment to the best of my ability (and my dishwasher is still running).
Well, nothing exciting, but this was the best that we could do this year. I took solace in the fact that we live in Victoria where there are lots of hippies and just below our balcony is a very busy foot path. 😉
http://ceallaighgirl.smugmug.com/photos/821201486_USfYo-O.jpg
One of the linked to articles quotes the Toronto Star as saying “569 fewer megawatts of power were used”. Don’t these poltroons know that a “watt” is a measure of how fast energy is being used, not a measure of how much energy is used? Their statement makes about as much sense as saying “cars on the 401 used 200 mph less”.
In a related note, American newspaper ad revenues are down by almost 50% from their peak in 2000. Not a coincidence, I’m sure:
http://www.naa.org/TrendsandNumbers/Advertising-Expenditures.aspx
re the OPG power consumption graph showing a significant upward spike @2030, I can see the lefties scheming now: “hide the incline” 😉
What would warm my heart even more than these photos is seeing photos of eco-fascist hippies screwing their ugly unwashed faces into contortions of disgust.
Now seeing THAT would bring tears of joy.
Posted by: bartinsky at March 28, 2010 2:22 AM
Stop holding back bart! Tell us what ya really feel!
HAH!
An excellent time to clean the self cleaning oven as well. Well maybe not if it’s one of those electronical marvel brands that tend to roll over and die because the “thermal meltdown suicide switch” is a tad too sensitive.
Nice. But whazzup with the L.E.D. Christmas lights? It’s not as if they use much power, anyhow, and it’s obviously not the season, anyway… So the point made by those is a little, well, low-powered. Nice visual effect, nevertheless.
But who am I to judge? If people want to have Christmas lights blazing all year round, I say, live ‘n’ let live.
Lights on here and I fired up the BBQ for dinner.
Conservative and conservation are derived from the same world. It seems logical that one would want to conserve energy for many reasons including saving money (so we can export more energy to the USA). Clearly there is a group mindset going on here that defies logic. I am not one of those crazy hippies either and I think Ann Coulter is a joke and should be treated as such.
I was in a Tex-Mex restaurant having a side of beans. The cows should be getting the blame any moment now.
The comments for the story at the Chronicle Herald are not exactly what you would call conformist.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1174382.html
Liz cleaned the oven. We figure we helped maintain the power grid. Apparently it collapses if everyone turns everything off all at once.
To the immature adolescent troll: Have you ever considered that it’s far more important to conserve Western civilization and the enormous benefits it has brought humankind than a few kilowatts of electricity? No, I didn’t think so. That’s also why Anne Coulter is very wealthy and has to consider how many foreign speaking engagements she chooses whereas you are considering whether to work for McDonalds or Burger King.
I would suspect that the vast majority of posters to SDA are much more environmentally prudent than the latte sippers who lift their little finger in the air a few times a week.
I don’t know about other SDA readers but for this one, earth hour was a liberating cathartic experience.
As my clan and I sat in the incandescent glow of the 1000 watt floods, Gord Downy and the Hip blaring about Bobcaygeon on the stereo, and the Christmas lights twinkling like man made stars against the vast heavens, I was at peace with man made innovation. I lost my guilt for loving and using the greatest liberating technical achievement in human history. GOD BLESS HYDRO-ELECTRICITY AND MAY HE GIFT US WITH EVEN MORE GRID CAPACITY!!
We reflected upon this marvelous source of clean fully sustainable energy made by harnessing the energy nature wastes in pushing the force of water downhill. As a Prof from U of G stated; no other human innovation has liberated mankind from oppressive darkness, tedious drudgery and lost productivity. It was also time for reflection on the depth of ignorance and obsessive compulsion to forced austerity as an act of repentance to the “earth mother”, of these earth hour atavists. It takes a fairly convoluted belief system to condemn the use of a fully renewable affordable energy source whic liberates the lives of billions as some form of immorality.
When every I see these people in positions of authority I will now actively work to disempower them. Frankly, they’re insane misanthropes who they want everyone to buy into their xenophobic madness. When people like this become pedagogues and spew this madness at young impressionable minds it qualifies as child abuse in my thinking.
Of course we are Ken. We understand the value of a dollar and how hard it is to actually make them.
That is why I wear a sweat shirt through all the winter and keep the furnace as quiet as possible. It’s why the only time I have two lights on in the house at night is when I go to the bathroom.
See the photos of the Christmas lights reminded me, I forgot to plug ours in last night. Guess I can call that supporting earth hour. Everything else was running great.
One of the linked to articles quotes the Toronto Star as saying “569 fewer megawatts of power were used”
They’re probably actually using the same stupid trick I do. I only actually used about 3kWh during EA, but when I troll hippies about it, it’s more fun to use peak demand (9.9kW).
I’m willing to bet that rather than being complete idiots, they’re using some sort of minimum demand, so if they said 569MWh less was used they’d be lying.
: Scott at 9:42 AM
you missed the point
guess you forgot to comb your hair before posting
It seems logical that one would want to conserve energy for many reasons including saving money (so we can export more energy to the USA).
Electrical energy was generated by the electrical plants at the same rate during “Earth Hour” as it was before and after “Earth Hour”.
Forgoing the use of that electrical energy generated does not conserve it.
What business is it of yours how other people spend the money they have rightfully earned?
: Scott at 9:42 AM
You are confused … Ann Coulter “makes” jokes about the left and about Muslims and anyone else who take themselves so seriously that they feel the state should protect them from that evil Ann.
Ann is a provocateur and we need people like her to help the chronically stupid keep it real.
Earth day had me watching the wide screen with many lights on. Normally I conserve energy to save MY MONEY not to save the planet for a bunch of fagots who believe cave dwelling is the future.
My philosophy is simple.
Turning off lights is a political statement.
Turning on lights is also a political statement.
I limited my statement to exterior lights (some additional)……
I figure other electrical consumption is just a tree falling in the forest…..that makes no noise………
However the high point of the evening was not a visit by the cops—-that was last year….LOL
The Lord provided. A large van (young bus)drove in. The occupants, a couple with 7 kids, were some taken aback by being greeted by an obviously moderately well armed fella with 3 dogs.
Apparently they were passing and the brain-washed wife and kiddies insisted coming to spread the eco-message.
I cannot claim any converts but made serious inroads on their indoctrination.
We discussed the purpose of Human Achievement Hour. The reality of Polar Ice and the demographics of Polar Bears. My favourite is tide-water glaciers……
WUWT, SDA, BCF provided the material to refute much school/media balderdash. The kids made good use of pen and paper to note web-sites to further their research—-curiosity is such a wonderful thing about kids.
As I said I can’t claim any converts…but reasonable doubt is a start.
I read my meter……missed a few days….my daily average was still 10kwh/day….
I figure other electrical consumption is just a tree falling in the forest…..that makes no noise…
~sasquatch
The government was measuring actual energy usage during that hour and is thinking about using it to derive a maximum necessary energy usage yardstick from it.
It will be used to draw a line and determine at what level punitive taxation should kick in for usage above a certain amount.
They’ve already done that in Europe.
Whether the energy output from the various generating plants is used or not is irrelevant to the fact that the government will whack energy users with the yardstick to get more taxes out of them.
What the neighbours saw isn’t important compared to what the government was looking for.
ahh, scott, you are an example of the brainwashed recent graduate from school, totally lacking in critical thinking skills, and trapped in the fog of relativist rhetoric.
Let’s look at what you wrote.
Because a word is etymologically similar, does not logically mean that the two words mean anything similar. So, ‘being politically conservative’ does not mean that one ‘conserves’ or saves a system in an intact state.
The etymology of ‘liberal’ is the Latin ‘liberalis’ which means freedom and thus, openness, unbiased, but liberal people and parties (Democrats, Liberals) are hardly involved in either behaviour.
You are a groupie, someone who follows a group-based emotional rather than individual a critical and rational mode of behaviour. So you actually believe that turning out your lights for one hour saves enough energy to send to the US.
Ever heard of the guilt trip, where people feel that if they ‘stand in the corner’ for an hour, they’ll absolve themselves of their guilt over bad behaviour and will end up purified? That’s what Earth Hour is really all about, but you are unable to think critically and are mired in that emotional hubris.
Equally, your view that Coulter is a fool is your view. It’s hardly anything to boast about; it just shows that you are more comfortable in the herd and aren’t yet able to examine reality in a critical and objective manner.
I was typing out a response to Scott just after he posted.
Then I figured ET would be along.
Always leave professionals to do their work I say.
🙂
Wow, Sasquatch, really? You were visited by passing eco-fascists? And had conversations?! And is this true, that last year you were visited by unionized state-agent monopoly protection service providers?
No noise or anything here, but every light in the house on, full on, on all 3 levels and all outside lights on. Very cheering and cheerful!
My wife, a natural rebel, but historically not a sh&t disturber, but who has been dipping into my mulifarious and dangerous anarcho-capitalist readings of late, was surprisingly co-operative. She’s a bit of a dimmer-addict, dimmers everywhere even on the outside porch light. But last nite, every single light up full at 20:30 hrs. In the garage, she asked me if I should back the car in and leave it running with the lights on. LOL. But here I demurred.
“Human Achievement Hour” is a masterstroke. We need a lot more of this — take away the left’s monopoly of “nice language”.
Me No Dhimmi, I had a similar experience with my wife.
She got very excited by participating and even had some creative energy usage ideas.
We had all the lights on and were literally dancing around the house with all the blinds and curtains open during that hour.
It was exhilarating.
When the hour had passed we were reluctant to start turning the lights off.
They’ve already done that in Europe.
Oz
[…..Whether the energy output from the various generating plants is used or not is irrelevant to the fact that the government will whack energy users with the yardstick to get more taxes out of them.
What the neighbours saw isn’t important compared to what the government was looking for.]
Sleep soundly.
According to the OHG website it seemed DEMAND SPIKED dramatically above their predicted levels…. media reports to the contrary.
The figure in the red STAR was more aspiration than reality.
THIS IS A BATTLE FOR THE HEARTS AND MINDS.
I used my convection oven to cook two egg rolls while listening to music on the plasma TV with every light inside and out blazing. You could have measured the infra-red from space.
Is there anyone else who suspects WWF and their ilk are funded by the Saudis, Iranians and Chavez?
Where could they get the money for such stupid causes?
Damn, yes, I left that out. She’s also a blinds fanatic who I’m constantly battling for LIGHT (Vancouver). Every blind was up. One gigantic (well, it’s only a 33ft lot) CANDLE was the abode of Me and Mrs No Dhimmi.
I watch almost no TV but read a lot. I found my reading much more pleasurable with all that candle power! Hmmmm.
The Red Star had this article: http://www.thestar.com/specialsections/article/786543–toronto-stays-bright-for-earth-hour?bn=1
I thought Earth Hour was a good time to fire up the new 5o inch plasma to watch March Madness.
I usually heat this house strictly with firewood. But just to celebrate Human Achievement Hour, I kicked on the 100 Amp breaker for the electric heat, and ran it to max for an hour. Good to check that everything works every now and then, so this seemed like a good time.
That’s probably 15-20 KW. About equivalent to 20 houses shutting off all their lights. Unfortunately not as visible as the photo lights, but 10 times as effective.
I closed my eyes for part of it do I get bonus points for leaving the lights on? Or is that considered hedging?
They’re still doing that Earth Hour schtick? Wouldn’t have known it from my neck of the woods. Futile yet tenacious little parasites, these greenie-weenies.
In Calgary they announced that they saved 4 tonnes of carbon emmissions. assuming that means CO2 emmissions that would be about 1.5 tonnes of coal. No offset for all those cars driving downtown to the earth hour party.
In terms of electricity its less than one scoop from the dragline at Forestburg
My favourite part of Earth Hour was all the upscale restaurants in Vancouver that turned out their lights, and put three candles on each table.The story was featured on Global B.C. last night.
I DO wonder though if they weren’t violating WCB regulations, having staff working in unsafe lighting conditions.
btw, the big dark patch in the middle of the Kelowna shot is the Lake, not a subdivision of compliant enviros.
Check it out, a poll!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
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The day after HAH! (Human Achievement Hour) I report a serendipitous finding.
We built an energy-efficient house about 25 years ago, so it takes than $100 per year to heat. But normally it’s much less than that because we mostly use wood (from the property).
Anyway, last night we went out so turned on all the lights we could think of. Trouble was, some are the lethal, green, curly, “efficient” florescents, and some are the new LEDs. Anyway, the remainder raised the house temperature from 18C when we left, to 24C when we returned. So we were gratified to know that our lights are sufficient to heat the house (~2000 sq ft) when it’s about 4C outside.
There were about 250 folks at the function we attended. Come 8 pm, the MOC announced something about that “Earth-hour” business, and they would honour it by dimming the lights. The dimmer wit managed to flick the switch long enough to be noticeable if you didn’t blink.
Yes, I think it was supposed to be 8:30 but people we talked to thought it was anywhere from 7 pm to 9 pm; nobody was really sure — nor did they care.
Which caused me to muse: When any of the supposed apocalypses finally subside, will anybody have noticed?
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I thank you for the link, Kate. Sam and Max thank you…they are already at work figuring out how to make a wood powered steam driven generator for next year’s festivities…Another fine family tradition is born. The 10KWH challenge….Good times!
I am so proud, I left my lights on in the shop last night.
Noel, using the dimmer on a light switch is an awesome way celebrate earth hour. No change in energy consumption whatsoever but maintaining a politically correct appearance for the green fascists.
Um, wrong: light dimmers do reduce energy consumption.