Earth Hour: The Ultimate Symbolism Over Substance

Smoke and Change ^ | 3/27/10 | Smoke and Change

[pb929]

As the worshipers of mother earth gear up to participate in one of their most sacred rituals, it’s worth noting how this like so many other liberal causes is pure symbolism with very little substance. Perhaps it makes a lot of people feel good, but it doesn’t actuality DO a lot of good.

The wise and folks who organize this event have chosen an interesting time for it. It takes place at 8:30 PM local time in each time zone around the globe. Presumably the time was set to take place when it’s dark so liberals everywhere can look out their windows into the darkness and see how their neighbors have turned off all their lights to reduce energy consumption, thereby saving the earth from the evils of industrialized society. Symbolism. What does it actually accomplish? Nothing....

[pb929]

Let's all hug a tree.

[steelyourfaith]

 

Celebrate Human Achievement Hour,
March 27, 2010 ! Force of Darkness “Earth Hour” Challenged by Power of Light “Human Achievement Hour”

CEI Announces 2nd Annual Celebration of Human Achievement

Washington, D.C., March 19, 2010—The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a leading free-market think tank, will celebrate the Second Annual “Human Achievement Hour” between 8:30pm and 9:30pm on Saturday, March 27, 2010. The one-hour celebration coincides with “Earth Hour,” an hour in which governments, individuals, and corporations will dim or shut off lights to symbolically renounce the environmental impacts of modern technology.

“Earth Hour’s creators suggest that human inventions and technology are a problem, but we see the ability to create and innovate as the ultimate resource,” says Human Achievement Hour founder and CEI Policy Analyst Michelle Minton. “Environmental challenges will not be solved by turning off our lights and symbolically hiding in the dark,” Minton added. “If anything, we should be looking to technology and innovation to help solve environmental problems.”

Just like last year, countless individuals, organizations, agencies and businesses will be celebrating Human Achievement Hour without even realizing it. Just by not shutting down their lights, operations and stores, they will be acknowledging that productive effort and the pursuit of happiness are a better alternative than sitting in the dark.

In addition to the observance of Human Achievement Hour, wherever people may find themselves around the world, CEI will be hosting a happy hour event outside of Washington, D.C.

Human Achievement Happy Hour
Saturday, March 27, 2010
7:30pm-10:00pm

Rira Irish Pub and Restaurant
2915 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, Virginia
703-248-9888

MORE RESOURCES: Watch the video “Celebrate Human Achievement Hour,” follow us on Twitter and join the Facebook group.

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CEI is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy group dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government. For more information about CEI, please visit our website at www.cei.org.

[Mich Patriot]

All set to repeat last year’s “contribution” to earth hour...every light in the house will be on, the outside lights (for the neighbors to see), and this year I plan to let my car idle in the driveway and turn on several small appliances.

The tree huggers can hug my dork.

[Viking2002]

This is tonight, you say? After I fire up my charcoal grill to BBQ some dead pig, I'm gonna start my lawn mower and let it run for an hour. With the spark arrestor off.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

The tree huggers can hug my dork.

They'll gladly hug your Congressmen!

[pb929]

It might actually be fun to go out into the liberal enclaves with some flood lights to disrupt their feeling of oneness with the earth as they sit there in the dark.

[Mich Patriot]

LOL...too funny since my rep’s name is Gary PETERS!

[exDemMom]

One of the best Human Achievement Hour suggestions I saw actually comes from a World of Warcraft forum, of all places:

It would be cool to get the lights to look like an arrow pointing at Cuba, and then above the lit up arrow, have other lights show, "I'm with stupid".

[Trust but Verify]

LOL! I heard Mark Davis (sitting in for Rush) say he was going to run his garbage disposal for the whole hour. My husband says were letting the cars idle in the driveway, too.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

It's Springtime in Massachusetts. The snow is gone and temps are moving up!

In honor of Earth Hour, I'm gonna fire up my snowblower! In addition to turning on every one of my 3000 watt halogen exterior floodlights.

[Viking2002]

It's already struggling to get to what you Yanks call 'summer' down here in Alabama - we're already seeing temps in the mid 70's, so I may have to fire up the air conditioners for an hour this evening. I'm a mid-Atlantic mountain boy and hate the heat and humidity. And since the aforementioned lawn mower has already seen action this year, the ol' Briggs and Stratton has coughed up the winter phlegm from it's lungs and is looking for a good, long wind sprint. LOL

[Arrowhead1952]

Darn. I was going to participate and just plum forgot ‘bout it. < /sarc>

[Pelagius of Asturias]

What could happen is one massive blackout if several hundred thousand people join this foolishness. When enough people start turning their stuff back on, he electrical surge could be massive. That said, I do not expect a problem because most people will see this as the meaningless gesture that it is.

[LibLieSlayer]

I will be turning on all of my electronics and will talk on my Ham rig at full maximum legal power. Eat me greenies!

LLS

[pb929]

Maybe if enough people turn everything on in protest we’ll overload the power grid and cause a brownout. Now that would be funny.

[b4its2late]

I’m turning my lights on for it!