IF most people do turn there lights out tonight. There will be a lot less light pollution. Stick your head outside between 8 and 9 PM. The stars should be better than normal.

JDL
RHON

Ya, its a great idea, thats for sure.
My wife and I already have our candles and playing cards ready for tonight!!
(And a 12 pack of Corona)
LOL


Cheers,
*Jamie

Me too....I have camping candles ready.

Just have to go out soon to replace the bottle of gin from last night!


Bo

My wife and I don't need candles or cards to enjoy an evening. -Jester

The providers ( e.g. electric companies) if they don't
cut back their generation and unlikely they will for such a short period
of time as an hour will still be generating but it won't be used

Better everyone should go camping in AP for a week ( and preferrably
not the weeks I go ) as that would cut back on generated polution

So how many are in fact not really using electricity! tonight

No email, no web and NO TV for you HOCKEY addicts


Just my two cents, Wish I could somehow get off the grid
but for now I'll stay with my escapes to AP and minimize
my consumption.

SMART meters will definately help at peak times as it's the continued
peak usage that is the concern as well as the growing baseline usage needs

Just think, If we all had horses and wood stoves instead of
cars and furnaces how much Horse dung that would need to be recycled
as well as smoke pollution seeing how many woods stoves are not
very efficient

My 2 cents

Its a nice symbolic gesture but ask all to follow the three R's religiously
and I'm sure you would not find as many keeners


Rac n

We will be lights out tonight as per my nine year old twins orders. Any step in the right direction is a step in the right direction, regardless of how little impact this will make.

Think I'll turn off all the lights and go sit in the hot tub! No jets of course!

Actually Racoon, power plants will only produce what the load demands, otherwise the grid frequency would become unstable. However, lights are such a small overall load relative to everything else in homes and businesses, that it will only be a minimal dip. But on the bright side, that dip in useage would certainly come out of coal or gas fired plants because they are more expensive to run than greener options like hydro and nuclear and wind.

Ironically, if every home and business did unplug at the same time, the shock to the grid would likely result in a blackout... so stock up on those candles! LOL.

Happy Earth Hour!

TT

Hey Racoon,

That is going the extra mile, just like I am tonight.

The David Dunlop Observatory here in Richmond Hill is hosting a lecture on light pollution, a tour of the grounds and with some continuing luck for clear skies, they are setting up some telescopes for public star gazing, sure would be great to get a chance to use the big one that Dunlop used but I doubt that the public would be allowed into the observatory.

So for me all electric appliances will be off and i'll be walking down and back.

JDL
RHON

Just got back in the house a few minutes ago and thought I would comment on this Earth Day 60, or whatever they are calling it.
My observations:
Living in the 'Burbs, we are never in total darkness. The only time street lights are out is in daylight, or in a "real" power outage.
Although I was very delightrd to see no lights emmiting from any of my neighbour's houses, the street lights certainly lit up the area.
To make these observations, I had to endure temperature fluctuations from a balmy 101 degrees F, all the way down to a bone chilling 96 derees F!
Although the sky was not lit up the way I would have hoped, I was able to see the Big Dipper in the eastern sky, and the Little Dipper in the west. Other stars, that I cannot name or recognize, made their presence in the sky above as well. I would love to add more to my report, but after spending a grueling hour in the hot tub, my fingers are so badly pruned that I fear I can type no longer!
On a more "serious" note, I think this occasion should become an annual event, but IMO, they should commence at 9, and finish at 10. It was way too light out at 8 to truly enjoy the "night sky"