Earth Hour, what?

[Astrojewels]

I am sure most of you know about Earth hour on Saturday the 29th, but it seems to be getting a bit of a negative response from the metaphysical world, if I can use that term! Ok, what about those who are educated in the truth of our world.

Earth hour was quite big here in oz this year, and yes I participated, and I turned off every appliance that was not necessary and did not put on any lights for the whole night, not just the hour.  

Personally I can not say I am totally ‘green’ and I see the many wrongs of the ‘green societies’, yet experiencing the drought has allowed me to think in a totally different form, I now think about the energy that I waste, is this programming or is it becoming aware of the need to respect mother nature? I live rural, so I get to see nature everyday, and sometimes I just sit and watch with amazement on how perfect everything works. I love the fact that my daughter has environmental education in her curriculum, when I was 10yrs old, I had no idea what bio-diversity meant or what a PH level was an its importance to a creek that is filled with environmental life; which is so incredibly important to everything else.  

So what I want to ask all of the intelligent people here on this forum, what is bad about it? What is wrong with people working together to save wasted energy?

I have heard so many theories from creating us to be sheep, to doing something suspicious, so is there an alternative reason to this? Or are we beginning to actually work together for a cause that is important, because people earth is our home and what happens when she dies, and gives up the fight to all the greedy humans?

[GertrudaRose]

AJ, I honestly didn't know about Earth Hour till the next morning!  I would have participated in a big way, and included my family, but just been too ill to be aware.  I'm sorry I missed it.

For years I thought I was a voice crying in the wilderness about global warming.  Now the tables have turned and everyone else is getting on the global warming bandwagon while I'm pondering new evidence to the contrary.  But, you know, it doesn't matter whether I believe this or that AS LONG AS I TREAT THE EARTH WITH RESPECT.

As far as group efforts go, I don't think the bad beings out there are interested in picking up a group of positive, loving energy.  I don't believe they can convert it or even assimilate it.  Actually, I'll really stick my neck out here and say that I agree with Stephen Greer - the only beings using fear as a tool are our own governments.  As long as they can keep us from working together for the good of all, THEY WIN!

 

[Mercy Now]

Like GR I wasn't aware of Earth Hour until the next morning. Unfortunately too, like GR I have been too ill to pay much attention.  This was one event that I would have happily participated in. The results would have been nearly instantly visible to anyone with any sense whatsoever IMO. I don't see anything bad about it .Nor do I see anything negative about reducing our energy usage/waste whether it be gas or electric or water.Except perhaps if one owns stock in the utility or oil companies.

[Polly]

Not I.  I do this kind of thing anyway (conserve) without anyone having to plan it for me.  For fun, I try to think up ways to conserve when I am doing stuff around the house or yard.  I've been doing this for many years.

Funny, the next day an article came out about how there was little reduction in electricity usage but I did not read the article.

To each, his own.

[Mercy Now]

I do that too Polly.Thinking of ways to conserve on a daily basis nearly.
On the subject of ecology ...everyone who has an inclination FEED THE BIRDS Please!! In the northern hemisphere this is the time of year  they starve.

[Astrojewels]

Thanks everyone for the replies, I thought I might get a bit of negative, but so glad to hear you opinions, the results for us here in oz were good with the energy saved. Anybody like to share some tips on conservation, or just tips on saving energy? It is a good topic which I believe everyone should have interest in.

[Polly]

I have this tendency to create games for myself and I developed this habit of being very mindful of everything I do and what the consequences are as I go about my day no matter what I happen to be engaged in.  One of my goals is to be as economical as possible and not to be wasteful.  Actually, it is kind of a neurotic game but it teaches me about myself.  I can't finish this now.  I have to go somewhere.  I'm going to waste a bit of gas on a trip to the grocery store for only a few items.  Lol!

[PurpleParrot]

Hey everyone..

I really dont know the effects of participating in what they want us to do to reduce carbon consumption,etc. I had read about Earth Hour a long while back and I had the intentions of participating in it but I didn't mark it on my calendar and I had no one to remind me. It was only until Saturday at about 8:45 p.m. EST or so..forty-five minutes into the earth hour on the west, I had seen an article online about how many countries participated in it. I felt a little bad so what I did was I told my family(we were really busy that weekend..we had cousins and relatives over with us..and I also had my weekend workshop..so those were the major reasons I forgot!!) about it..I tried to turn off all the lights in our house for an hour..so we had just two tv sets on and the internet on ..but everything else off for about ten minutes. I felt bad that I didn't get to fully experience this. But I told myself its okay that as long as I try not to use up too much electricity each day, then thats what matters. Actually, since I was a kid, I'd always walk around the house turning off the lights in rooms that people weren't occupying so that we could fix it up. I still keep that habit up--my family sometimes gets irritated because one of them will leave the lights on in their bedroom and not be in it..when I go to turn it off, they get mad at me..and I try to dissuade them into keeping it on because of finances....thats their big concern..so if they want to save up money, they can conserve energy.

I'm not good with water--I used to always keep the tap water off when I brushed my teeth but sometimes I'm a little lazy about that..even with the laundry machine usage..// I have a really good friend of mine who's been an environmental activist..she has a composte in her backyard for food and she is all about recycling and reusing--she tried to get the buildings she works in to do this and thats great. She's been involved with jobs that are nature related-she's one of my friends who inspires me. Anyway, at parties, she has everyone mark their paper cups with their names so that they dont get another plastic/paper cup and waste it. I think its great. I wish I could do the same thing as well. Anyway, I try to think of her when it comes to water usage--how upset she would be if I didn't shut the tap water off for her sake!!.

Do your best to recycle and reuse...like buy one of those bags that you can take to the grocery mart and use that or you can opt not to take a plastic bag or even a paper bag home! If you use plastic bags, keep them at home, use them for trash--thats what my parents do...whenever we've gotten lots of grocery items in plastic bags, we kept the bags in a storage closet and we'll use them for the smaller garbage bins in the house. Whenever you can, turn off lights and if you can, unplug electronic items that you aren't using like hairdryers,etc. Try to get items that are energy efficient--that dont use much voltage/wattage,etc. Try not to use so much water. they say you can get those light bulbs..i forget if its fluorescent or something else..

I know in India and in other parts of the world, they pour hot water into a bucket and basically use a small mug to take the water out of the bucket and splash it on themselves for showering/bathing. So thats a great way to conserve water. So if you want to go extreme, maybe instead of showering for so long and wasting gallons of h20, maybe one can keep a bucket in the bathtub and fill it up everyday with hot h20. I don't know when I'll do that here in the US though. Just keep showers to a minimum--15-20 minutes should be enough.

Water is a major concern in this world too...some river basins have dried out entirely...aquifers also are being used up..

in regards to gas and solar panels...i know in some states, they reduce taxation manifold if you require solely on the usage of solar energy to power up your home...that of course by putting up solar panels on your roof!!!

they also reduce taxes if you drive a hybrid car which has an engine that switches from gas to battery depending on the rate of speed you're at on the road..this enables it to efficiently use up gas,etc. you can try to conserve trips you take out on the road, give car pools to people...try other ways of mobilizing. i have friends who take the train or walk everywhere because the two main reasons are that they're green and the other is that having a car and the gas are both not affordable for them!! in the area i live in, there's no way, i can do that because bus stops are miles away from me and its not exactly that safe if i take a bike to work!!!

and another thing is to outpicture a better/ideal world for everyone...see if its okay to manifest more trees, a balanced earth(if this is allowed..I mean who arewe to decide how earth takes its course here?) and more importantly outpicture evolved better people who are responsible with their thoughts/actions...keep working on yourself. 

there are websites like these that are interrelated--like thehungersite.com 

peace and love

[Astrojewels]

Well said PP, all it takes is for everyone to be aware of it, just small things make a big difference, recycling is very big here, try to purchase less items in plastic packaging and yes take your shopping bag, these carry the groceries much better anyway, we are in the process of banning plastic bags or at least bring in a charge for them so people are less inclined to use them. I don’t think I would go the bucket wash, but a 15-20 min shower would use 150 -250 litres depending on your shower head, it is suggested to keep showers between 3-7 min, its not easy but you get used to it.
A quick test every person can do is take one day out of your life and evaluate the amount of water you use, take into account how many live in your home and include showers, garden, laundry, dishwasher or hand washing, toilets (depending on what type of toilet you have, you can use up to 12 litres per flush), it is always surprising to see the result. If anyone is up for it I like to see the results.

[DreamTime]

Well, I may have missed that Earth hour, but I have been doing little things for many years now. I have not used a dishwasher since before 2000. I hand wash our dishes in a small, one sink.  My showers are only between 5 and 10 minutes, and I do not take a shower every day. I have never left the water on when I brush my teeth...I can't believe that people really do that. I fill a small cup with water, brush my teeth, rinse my mouth, then turn the water on to wash off my toothbrush. We have all compact fluorescents in our house - even though they can be a toxic hazard if they should break.  So, I think, in my small way I am doing my share also.