Earth Hour: A bust?

Was Earth Hour a bust? So it appeared in the San Fernando Valley of California, as demographically close to Middle America as anywhere.

I  stood on my balcony before the witching hour of 8:30 p.m., overlooking a vast landscape of twinkling lights, illuminated apartment buildings, pizza parlors, supermarkets and suburban bungalows.

I waited. Even hoped.

The minutes ticked by. I squinted. Could I see a single light winking off in the distance?

Nope.

I glanced up the hill behind my house. Every home's lights were ablaze. The outdoor bulbs in the garden of my neighbor, a hairdresser, gleamed defiantly. A bright glow issued from the windows of the neighbor across the street, a hospital technician.

8:40 p.m. ... no change.

9 p.m....no change.

How could this be when the World Wildlife Fund and its PR agencies were churning out press releases about how from Scott Base in Antarctica to the Great Pyramids of Egypt, lights were dimming to demand that something be done about climate change?

A billion people might participate, they had claimed.

Our own Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had held a news conference proclaiming that L.A. would be one of the signal Earth Hour cities.

I woke up this morning and logged on to Google News. The Associated Press -- admittedly with a Bonn dateline -- was declaring "For environmental activists: the message was clear: Earth Hour was a huge success."

"Last night's message from the masses was loud and clear: Delay no more, real action now!" Kim Carstensen, the leader of WWF's Global Climate Initiative, said in a statement.

What masses was he talking about? Surely not the ones surveyed in that recent Gallup poll showing a major drop in U.S. concern over global warming.

Any thoughts Greenspace readers? Will Earth Hour drive climate change action? Did you turn out your lights for a whole hour? Did your friends? Neighbors?

-- Margot Roosevelt

Photo: Earth Hour spurs lights-out for monuments. Credit: AP / Las Vegas Sun / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[SPURWING PLOVER]

The EARTH HOUR is just another rediculous idea from some green wackos with too much free time on their hands

[Mr Quetzal]

If these eco-wackos were realy interested in stopping HOT AIR then might i suggest they keep their mouths ship its would realy go a long way to cut down on all that HOT AIR

[Lou]

This was not about saving energy or going back to a primative life. This was about making a statement about the need to act on climate change at a time when a strong statement is desperately needed. Was Earth Hour the answer to the climate crisis? No. Was it part of a very needed conversation about taking action? You bet.

[Still an Idealist]

I left two comments yesterday that never appeared here. I sympathize with the LAT -- I know you are understaffed and under the gun -- but it takes so long for comments to appear, and so many comments never appear at all (this is not the first time this has happened to me) that conversation is stifled and views are not heard.

I posted a comment because so many people whose comments did appear here were utterly cynical and really quite hostile to the symbolic gesture of Earth Hour. I merely asked, "Why?" and offered up some thoughts as to why -- even if you don't believe in global warming -- you can't just choose to be a good steward of this one planet that we have. I also said that even if you don't believe in global warming, you can't deny that with the increase in population, there is an increase in pollution. To wit, there is a flotilla of garbage in the ocean; it's twice the size of the US: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-worlds-rubbish-dump-a-garbage-tip-that-stretches-from-hawaii-to-japan-778016.html

My point is, no one has to believe in global warming to simply choose to do the right thing for the planet and posterity. So why be so cynical? Why turn ON the lights? What good does that do? Earth Hour is a symbolic gesture. Even if you don't agree with the cause, why can't you choose to act responsibly toward our planet and our resources? That's not a partisan stance by any means. It's just a moral one.

[jeff]

The reason Earth Hour was not a success is that most people know a load of crap when they see it. They are tired of so called enviromentalist's cramming their oh so superior attitudes about climate change and the like down our collective throats. Especially in the face of mounting scientific evidence that the planet is cooling. It wont be long before the "scientists" with their hands out to "green big business" revert to their call of the 1970s that we are headed for another ice age. Most people will not cow tow to symbolic idiocy, plain and simple. Dont get me wrong, conservation is a good thing, and should be promoted and practiced by everyone. But, when you couch such efforts in terms of cataclysmic predictions, unsupported by hard facts and science, and mix in an alarmist's message, people will tune out. Promote conservation for conservation sake, but this global warming hysteria has got to stop.

And the hypocrisy of some of proponents of this drivel is another reason why those who consciously refused to participate in the event are vindicated. Al Gore's mansion had it's lights on the whole time, as documented by more than one Nashville news source. At the time of the Earth Hour, I was watching the Nikelodean Kid's Choice Awards with my kids. Now, get this, in the middle of Earth Hour, the Kid's Choice Awards chose to honor Leonardo DiCaprio for his committment to helping our environment - on a live television show! I'll give Leo this much credit though, if what they said about him is true (that he drives and electric car and has a completely solar powered house) then at least he isnt a hypocrite like many others. But in the middle of Earth Hour, Nikelodean is giving an Enviromental savior award on live television? Come on.

[Brenda Garcia]

wow... I honestly did have a feeling that something like this would happen. We all need to be way more serious about how we are treating our planet! What is honestly so difficult about turning off your lights for one hour? It's not hard! People need to step out of their comfort zones and start focusing on other things besides themselves!

[MCB]

I honestly didnt hear about it until a couple of days before and from my 9 year old daughter. We are out here in CO (originally from SF Valley as of 2 years ago) and experienced the same thing. Alot of neighbors lights were still on. The big failure out here was I never heard about it on the news which I watch quite a bit.
I think they should look at doing this more often..monthly would be great! But not during prime time at people are to greedy to give up their TV's of course. I love that my children are so environmentally aware and hopefully this will be taught more.

[Ana Gil]

I too am from the valley and the lights were off at my place, but I am sure most of my neighbors probably didnt know or care about turning out their lights. At my school there were flyers handed out, but most people just ignored it. I was hoping more people would have participated I guess that everyones efforts are appreciated. Hopefully people continue to try to raise awareness and help the environment. I ask of some people to not be rude, if you dont believe in the cause there is no need to offend those who are trying to make a difference.

[Flu-Bird]

THE EARTH HOUR just another stupid idea from a bunch of iditotic granola munching tree hugging mindless idiots so darn brainwashed by AL GORES stupid blather they,ll beleive anything their told no matter how preposterous

[Still an Idealist]

Sorry, that Independent link about the flotilla of garbage doesn't work with a parentheses at the end. Here it is again: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-worlds-rubbish-dump-a-garbage-tip-that-stretches-from-hawaii-to-japan-778016.html

[Still an Idealist]

It is really sad to see the cynicism in the posts here. Even if you don't believe that global warming is caused by human activity -- even if you don't believe global warming is happening at all -- you cannot deny that we have only one planet to live on, and that the human population is growing, and therefore the effects of human activity on the planet are growing. And you also cannot deny that humans cause pollution, whether it's carbon emissions or plastic waste (which has formed an enormous flotilla of garbage twice the size of the US: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-worlds-rubbish-dump-a-garbage-tip-that-stretches-from-hawaii-to-japan-778016.html).

So why so cynical? Why can't we all just decide to be better stewards of our planet and our resources? It's better for our health and well-being, it's better for our kids, it's better for the earth. What can you possibly object to about that? At its heart, it's not even a political issue; treating the earth with respect is the moral, responsible choice. Even if you don't believe in global warming, you can still do the right thing simply because it IS the right thing to do.

[Allan]

Pitiful punks. This board is chock full of pitiful punks who are patting themselves on the back for their selfish arrogance and scientific stupidity.

Of course, around the world, millions of people took part in Earth Hour. Will it save the planet a little? Nahhh. Is it purely symbolic? Nahhh. It is to get people talking about conserving electricty, nothing more. But then, that only applies to thinking, reasonable people, not to people who prefer their conspiracy theories handed to them by idiots and political hacks.

Anyone like you "anti-conservation because it's all a left-wing conspiracy" jackasses -- bone-headed enough to suck the KookAid seeping out of the gaping wound where your daddy GOPher leaders like Rush and O'Reilly plug you into their enema mouths -- really doesn't deserve to live with normal people.

Heaven forbid you should be called upon to voluntarily limit your over-consumption of resources, ever! We found out your reaction to that call above. You stomp your little feet and pout, "It's not real, I can still plug into the wall and get all the 'lectricity I want, so don't nobody tell ME anything 'bout 'lectricity! Wahhh!"

You should all just crawl in your little beds, pull the covers over your heads and suck your thumbs while you cry about the mean scientific community of the entire world (except you) and about the "leftist" "communists". I just can't believe all these 'better red than dead Republican GOPhers' are so full of utter ignorance the way they despise actual education! Communists?! Is this 1955??

These slow learners are also the same jerks who think it's "funny" to waste electricity...ever.

You people are some of the stupidest mofos I've ever heard from outside of freeperville (freerepublic.com ... go check it out, maybe you'll stay there with the rest of the blockheaded who haven't learned anything from the fact that the entire nation and world has rejected you and everything you stand for, along with every single one of your leaders and ideas).

Only their arrogance is keeping them from blowing their own brains out from embarrassment at being so stupid and so "shown up" by all scientific facts, about EVERYTHING.

[Fabricio]

This is because unfortunately half of the people in LA don't have any idea what's going on outside of their insignificant nutshell... Am I lying?

[Bonnie L.]

hahahahahaaahaaah

[Rodger]

i never knew what time earth hour was maybe next time thy should get the word out more

[steve kindel]

Back in the 1970s, Earth Day was also considered a joke when it first began. These things take time.

[JAM]

We turned off the lights and it was a great time to talk to our kids about the simple everyday things we can do to be sustainable. I don't know if others did it, but we feel very good to have been part of it.....

Long Beach, CA

[hrob27]

Just because everybody in LA didn't turn their lights off during Earth Hour doesn't mean that we Angelenos don't care about the environment. For those from up in NoCal who have the nerve to assert that we don't "get it" when it comes to green initiatives, consider the fact that we have way more people living down here than you do. Just because you lit a few candles for an hour doesn't make you saviors of the rainforest, either. People in San Fran are so smug about their concern for the earth that they are running the risk, as South Park put it, of "disappearing completely up their own a--"

[Lindsay Bartsh]

It didn't seem as though many folks in San Francisco turned their lights out either. Last year seemed to be more successful, maybe because it was a new idea.

[Bette Noir]

I didn't participate in Earth Hour because it looked to me like just a way for the trendy to make themselves feel superior to the rest of us. I'm as green as it's possible to be in Los Angeles, home of no effective public transportation, and turning off my lights for an hour wouldn't make me any greener.

The deciding factor, for me, is that I heard that turning off the lights and appliances wouldn't be enough; they had to be unplugged. Since my home is lined with massive bookcases, covering all the electric outlets, I wasn't about to risk injury by moving bookcases to take part in a merely symbolic gesture.

[Ron]

unless it is a call to run off to some distant country to kill people, Americans, in general, aren't really inclined to participate. that is sad, but true.

[Tina]

I'm so happy to see the mix of comments here! People who read this blog that are not brainwashed by the leftist media. What I want to know from those who suggest that people shouldn't bring children or pregnant women to protests.. lol.. is who exactly are you protesting for? You're trying to 'save' the planet for what? The sake of the planet itself? Idiots. This planet has been here for an unimaginable amount of time. The period that people exist on it is a relative blink of an eye. There is nothing we can do to genuinely injure her, and nothing to genuinely help. It is the epitome of narcissism to believe otherwise!

[m]

I had the lights and most everything else using electricity off for quite a few hours - not just from 8:30-9:30 and I live in the San Fernando Valley. This actually wasn't too difficult - my first year of college here in California we had our power out every single day due to "rolling blackouts" courtesy of Enron. That was an easy item to deal with while being a Computer Science major.

I get frustrated when people lash back at events like this by being as wasteful as possible. On one hand, that's find with me, I'm not paying your electricity bill, so have fun. I don't find pleasure in paying larger than normal bills. At the same time I don't understand being wasteful simply to be wasteful. I don't even care about the arguments for or against global warming. How about we stop generating outrageous amounts of trash and pretending it is day time in the middle of the night? When you throw things away they don't really go "away". They go to landfills that have a large amount of overhead and that must be dug from giant lined pits that are only under control of the original company making the pits for a certain amount of time. After 30 years or so those landfills are the responsibility of the public to take care of, so if they are seeping into our water sources, WE need to deal with them. How about we start by slowing down our accumulation of waste in these landfills? Is it really fun to be wasteful? I don't see it as such. I can save money by not being wasteful, I can help others by not being wasteful, I can help myself long term by not being wasteful. It may take a tiny bit more time, but really, it is a small price to pay.

I personally got angry when the gasoline prices went wacky after Katrina (that's when they first shot up to $3 a gallon) and I stopped driving to work from that point forward. I see huge weaknesses in the system we have adopted for fueling the vehicles we depend on and I really don't appreciate being a pawn in someone's money making plan. From people's actions, many Americans enjoy that role. So for me it isn't a question of whether global warming does or does not exist. It is a question of whether we are using the resources we currently have available in the most optimal, least wasteful manner that considers the short and long term health of our population and the plants and animals around us. The way most things are done today, I'd say the answer is no.

[danny]

Oh my god, how cynical the majority of you Los Angelinos are. The event started here in Sydney three years ago and it is acknowledged as a symbolic start; a way of generating awareness - not a solution to the problem as a whole.

If i know one thing it's that thinking that the whole thing is a 'joke' and that nothing will ever change will result in just that - nothing ever changing. It's not such a surprise that hardly anyone turned their lights off in LA if everyone is as cynical as you lot. How sad.

[Paul B]

My significant other and I turned off our lights for an hour in central Oakland, Ca. and went for a walk to see who else responded to Earth Hour. It looked like nobody did.
This action seems to have been effective in areas where people had vigils and other gatherings. People discussed climate change, held candles to show their awareness, etc. We saw nothing like this listed in the Bay Area. The action can be the begginning of a movement where people come together with neighbors to consider these issues. Maybe next year World Wildlife FUnd or other organizers can help people find interested neighbors and community
members to work and unite with.
Thanks.

[John Sims]

Maybe the Tree-Huggers of the world should have come with a cooler Catch- Phrase, like "The Lights are off, but somebody's home." That would have been more marketable than "Earth-Hour 2009"
-John Mt .Juliet, TN.

[wayne]

No Margot, Earth Hour was not "a bust". This "Earth Hour" was a public exhibition of faith for those people who have chosen to believe that we mere mortals can control the planet's global climate temperature by simply regulating our emissions of carbon dioxide. While a very large segment of the population have accepted these beliefs, there is still a large segment which have not. This is not difficult to understand, as there is still no emperical scientific data that supports the theory. At this time it is still a matter of faith among those who accept it as a belief. Just because the majority of the population doesn't show up at a Catholic Church on Christmas morning doesn't make Christmas Mass "a bust". Next year follow the advice given by previous posters and go somewhere where you will be among more believers to share in the worship ritual of "Earth Hour". After all, you wouldn't go to a casino expecting to sing hymns, would you?

[Bruce]

I think you nailed it here. What if they threw an earth hour party and nobody came? That's pretty much what happened. I was actually at a bar mitzvah at the annointed hour, where I think the band used enough electricity for the whole town. I don't know anybody who paid much attention to this. The religion of green lost out yesterday. Maybe science will start to prevail now.

[Gerty Hazard]

Those of you who feel rightoeus because you turned off the lights and lighted a candle might want to consider the carbon footprint of a candle; surprisingly higher than a light, since the flame is completely unregulated, unlike your local power plant, which is carefully monitored to burned as efficiently as possible. ans all thos eparticulates, too. So, next time, you'd do better carbon-wise by sitting in the dark. But, no heavy breathing with your honey- more CO2 that way. Better yet, hold your breath for the entire hour !

[sheila]

gee, i wonder how much the earth might have benefited if, say, the same amount of press and marketing were dedicated to getting every state in the USA a generous feed in tariff so we get paid for producing more clean energy than we use? that's a story that the LAT refuses to print, despite massive successes across the world, including the first program in Gainesville FLA which just launched with much fanfare but nary a whisper here in the LADWP Times.

what we need is good policy, not dumb stunts. anyone who cheered or congratulated themselves needs to start spending 25 hours a week working to get US solar panels and get US paid...

[Jose Culbe]

I was gung ho about Global Warming until a neighbor dared me to do some research. Unless you're closed minded check out iceagenow.com (collects articles from around the world about warming). Another is wattsupwiththat.com. Watts is a climatologist & he & his science group have torn holes in just about every argument for GW.

Don't get me wrong, I still believe in being green because it's the prudent thing to do and I disregard any attacks on Gore, etc. but after reading these guys for a few weeks I seriously doubt GW is man caused.

[stephanie]

A bit shocked at all the angry posts on here. I am used to those kind of harsh words saved for Obama, Gay people and Octo-mom. But Earth Hour? Come on people. It was a nice gesture to get people to stop using energy. Of course it didn't do anything crazy and mind blowing. The people are still going to use gas, cars, etc etc. And who cares if global warming is man made, natural cycle or a bit of both. Shouldn't you take care of earth anyways? And I know a lot of people in LA that turned off their power ( I did!). Why does everyone in SF feel the need to be pretentious and annoying. San Francisco is always talking crap on LA. Leave it alone! I do not know whats worse. Being in LA with a bunch of superficial people who don't care about anything but themselves or San Fran where they are health concious to be trendy. Get over yourselves.

[Susan Alexander Llauget]

We here in Vermont turned off our lights, although we did not check to see what our neighbors were doing.

[BurbankRes]

My husband and I stood on our porch overlooking the Valley from the Burbank Hills at 8:30PM. It was hard to tell if many lights went out. Maybe Valley residents are out of touch. No wonder newspapers are going out of business!

[Bill]

I cranked up everything electric in my house in support of the industrial revolution. My plants LOVE CO2. By me providing them with it they in turn give me oxygen. Actually I started at 2030 GMT and ended at 2200 EDT so I got a couple extra hours in to try to counter the idiots. Burn coal! Not mankind.

[John Gaffrey]

come on America! we cant let the europeans one up us! so to up the ante, i propose the greatest earth hour ever!

earth hour 2010
stop all breathing for an hour, as this is a major source of evil CO2

Save the environment and fix that pesky overpopulation problem easy!

[dmitriy]

Yes i participated by turning every single lights in my house on, including a/c. Looking out of the window, i didn't see any difference in people lights activity.

[H]

Here in my little corner of sunny California I made sure I turned on every single light and appliance I had. Next year I may carry all my lamps out to my yard and plug them in. I live on a busy street corner and I want to make sure everyone knows how I feel about this liberal garbage. The vast majority of the people in the country are NOT enviromentalist.Global Warming is a hoax.

[KDH in OC]

For a couple of reasons I found myself driving through north and central Orange County during Earth Hour. I found no sign of anything even dimming, from the faux skyscrapers of Irvine to the strip malls of Huntington Beach. The county seemed lit up like a Christmas tree. Someone must have forgotten to give OC the memo...

[dpwiener]

Here in Simi Valley, I turned every light in our house on for about three hours around Earth Hour. I figured that would compensate for several households who turned off their lights. Not that I actually noticed anybody doing so.

Admittedly it was only a symbolic gesture on my part, but I figured I could do at least that tiny bit in order to help fight global cooling and stave off the next ice age.

It feels a tad chilly. I'd better go burn another log in the fireplace...

[Neal Kaye]

Other than making you tree-hugging liberals feel good about yourselves (which is the whole point, right?) what good is Earth Hour? Or Earth Day for that matter? The Earth has been in a cooling mode for the past 10 years. CO2 a pollutant? Stop exhaling.

[cccc]

Too stupid to know? LOL Most people on purpose tunred on everyliight and appliance to show you folks that you are the diluded ones. if the worlkd is over populated perhaps YOU should off yourselves first? Dumb@$$e$ ALL!

[Patrick]

I am very depressed and disappointed by the stupidity of some of the comments - "you are a communist if you turn your lights off", "I refuse to surrender to primitive darkness" etc etc it goes on.

It's human trash like this who have gotten us to where we are now.

I turned my lights off. I care.

[abdrew taylor]

Congrats to NorthernCalifornia, your definitely the eco-hip ones. Mean time in La La land we'll live like normal people, and continue to run the 5th biggest economy in the world, a real job. This movement is just a fad, in 20years people will be screaming about how the earth is freezing over, and earth hour will be a time to turn on all the lights, and maximize your carbon footprint.

[Bob]

multiporous women? Does this mean various liquids can soak through them?

[R. Opunas]

To quote George Carlin, the earth isn't going anywhere. WE ARE!

Earth will be around a long time. Earth hour was a joke.

[David]

Why make an 'event' out of it? Have your own Earth Hour once a week, every week. Turn off everything, light a candle and read a book.

And do it at a time that's convenient to you each week, instead of when some organization tells you to.

[Frank]

I turned on flood lights in front and back of my house to make up for you idiots that turned out your lights.

[Walk The Talk]

Electricity is the greatest achievement of mankind. I've lived in primitive third-world villages without power and I'm sure you would not like it. Idiots like you would be a lot easier to take seriously if you would lead by example. And I don't mean turning your lights out for an hour per year as a weak symbol of solidarity with some "green" movement. Why don't you people sell your refrigerators, yank out your central heat and AC, crush all your light bulbs, salt your meat to preserve it, store ice in your ice house during the winter and hand-loaded the true "ice box" in the summer, gave up all vaccinations, stop using the Internet, throw away your ipods, etc, etc.

I get so tired of hypocrites like you constantly shrieking at us to change our lifestyles, but it's always "do as I say, not as I do." Start walking the talk.

[Justin]

First off, here in San Francisco, I was at the beach to celebrate Earth Hour, and it got noticably darker at 8:30 p.m. Second, I think it's a shame that efforts like this-- in which the Las Vegas Strip, the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids of Giza, Beijing, and Sydney (along with myriad other places in between) turned out-- are decried as a "failure" because some people down in the San Fernando Valley didn't turn off their lights. This event only started 3 years ago, and to the extent that cities and citizens in every time zone around the world participated, it was a tremendous success, and will continue to be in the years ahead, I hope. We need more ways to stimulate the conversation about climate change with more people in a positive way, and Earth Hour is the boldest of those efforts. The World Wildlife Fund should be congratulated for uniting so many.