Earth Power-Hour

As much as I appreciate the concept of today’s Earth Hour, it’s not really going to do alot for conservation. The whole goal is to raise awareness, and that has definitely been done. Over the past few weeks, it has been difficult to flip through a newspaper or read anything online without stumbling across at least a paragraph promoting this event. People are starting groups for it, giving each other technological-high fives for their goal of turning killing the power to the very piece of equipment they’re using to communicate.

Most notably through the Toronto Star, I’ve read about people being encouraged to turn off the lights, and use candles instead. Is it actually more energy-efficient to burn candles – which have probably been transported via a gas-powered truck – than to keep the lights on? Even the push for compact fluorescent light bulbs has its share of problems, considering that they’re difficult to dispose of due to their small amount of mercury content, which can potentially leak into the disposal site.

I’m not a true cynic. I’m excited to see the power killed on the hideous new CN Tower lights. I’ll do my part. I’m working during Earth Hour, and though I suggested I could kill the power to the server racks (which would be fine, other than taking down 6 television stations), I’ll turn off all the lights in the office, and go outside to take photos of the dark.