Last night we turned out our lights for an hour, in keeping with the Earth Hour mandate. Looking out the window, it didn’t appear that many in Barrington were with us on this, although in a rural area, with street lights and public buildings (well, maybe two of those) with lights still on, it was hard to tell if anyone had joined the campaign or they were just out for Saturday night.
With the early time change, the hour started with a fair amount of light, probably only barely at the point of turning them on in the first place. I played the guitar for half an hour, while Ellen played Sudoku (battery powered, with a light—was that cheating?).
They say the purpose of the “observance” was to raise awareness; certainly it didn’t result in a significant cost saving for electricity (in Ireland they saved 1.5% for the evening), but it did provide some awareness to be sure.
Continue reading