One thing I love about my street in Plainfield is that their are no street lights and most residents leave their outside lights off.
Aside from one guy who is too happy to turn on his floodlight and a new renter who thinks his outside lights should be on 24/7, it's really nice. We can see the sky, enjoy visits from nocturnal creatures and not have to shield our eyes if we have to run out to the garage for something.
On Saturday, I hope the world will get to enjoy that feeling. From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, businesses and residents all over the world are encouraged to turn off nonessential lighting as part of the World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour.
Consider adding your approval by flicking off those outdoor lights, that lamp you leave on just because and other non-essential lighting. And while we're at it, lets talk about what "essential" means. If you don't live in the White House or the big house, you probably don't need a flood light on your house. If you think your lights are the only reason you're not being robbed every night, your street better come up in our police blotter a lot or you're just kidding yourself and exposing your neighbors to unneeded light pollution.
You won't be alone if you opt to turn them off. Lockport's city council approved a resolution supporting Earth Hour, and Homer Glen has planned a week of activities tied into Earth Hour. Many are astronomy related since light pollution tends to block out our view of the stars. Homer Glen's environment committee even went door to door to encourage businesses to turn off their lights during Earth Hour.
If you've visited a local McDonald's, you may have noticed a sign up saying they will participate, too.
Yeah, it's big enough to turn off the golden arches. More than 1,500 cities are signed on, including Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, Rome, Dubai, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Mexico City, Moscow, Sydney and Tel Aviv. Find me another event where Dubai and Chicago are on the same page.
Among the icons going dark are the Sears Tower (which I will not call by its new name), the Strip in Las Vegas, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, the Coliseum and the New York Public Library.
Officially, the event lets you demonstrate concern about climate change. But it can also tell your neighbors that you care about the planet, that you don't want to spend more money on electricity and that you actually like being able to see the stars.
In Chicago and the surrounding area, Earth Hour 2009 is presented by ComEd,
and is a partnership of the World Wildlife Fund, ComEd, the City of Chicago,
and Leo Burnett.
Last year, more than 2.7 million people in the Chicago region turned off their lights for Earth Hour 2008. According to ComEd, that saved 7 percent or 818-megawatt hours of normal electric use, the carbon equivalent of - the carbon emissions equivalent of 1.3 million pounds of carbon dioxide.
Homer Glen has been pushing Earth Hour in a big way. They even got Dominicks and other big businesses to cut the unneeded lights last year.
"Earth Hour is a global event to bring awareness to climate
change. And in Homer Glen we agree with that premise, and also we
want to bring awareness to light pollution," said Debra Norvil, coordinator
of the Homer Glen event.
It's no huge surprise from a community lauded nationally for it's progressive policies on cutting light pollution. I love you, Homer Glen.
I, unfortunately, will be working Saturday night, so I won't get to sit in my backyard and hope the glow from the village of Plainfield doesn't go quite as far into the night sky. And I won't get to see if the renters actually turn off those porch lights for the first time since they moved in. But I'll be sitting here, in the dark, hoping.
For more information about Earth Hour, visit www.EarthHourUS.org/Chicago. For Homer Glen's events, visit www.homerglen.org.
Julie Todd is the night editor at The Herald News in Joliet. She and her
husband are looking to cut the chemicals and get back to basics -- minus the
granola and hemp clothing. They live in a home they bought last year in
Plainfield, where they're making changes to create their own little patch of
utopia.
I observed Earth Hour by turning on every light in my house for that one hour. My only regret is that I don't live in the city so my actions were minimal. While all the other lemmings were following like lambs to a slaughter I was being bold, innovative, and independent. I chose to think for myself and not fall prey to the global warming hysteria that is sweeping the country. And, when the hour was up, when everyone else was powering back up, I was turning everything off!!! I will NOT fall for the lie being told to the public that we are destroying the planet. The earth belongs to God and it it the height of arrogance for man to think he can destroy that which the Lord created simply by using the resources that God gave us( But, we're not supposed to bring God into it, according to liberals,are we?) Whatever the liberals and govt says to do I will do the opposite!! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go burn some tires!!!
"The earth belongs to God and it it the height of arrogance for man to think he can destroy that which the Lord created simply by using the resources that God gave us( But, we're not supposed to bring God into it, according to liberals,are we?)"
Sorry but you're wrong.
The height of arrogance for man isn't that he "thinks he can destroy that which the Lord created" but rather for man to think that he can be equal with God. But this is the least of the problems with your argument.
I'm going out on a limb and assuming that when we talk about God we're in the Christian realm of things, in which case, it makes our goals even clearer as God tasked mankind as having dominion over the earth. And if this is true then our goals become even clearer.
We can kill it or make it better.
And if this is the case the parable of the talents is certainly a perfect example of what we should do rather than what we shouldn't (each servant was given a certain amount of money to care for and was then judged by the result of their care).
Of course, then there's the brash arrogance of the "course" you took to demonstrate that you're "not a follower". Would this be something God would want you to do?
Does God say "hey folks, when you disagree with someone go out and do the exact opposite with such arrogance and rebellion as to prove them wrong and...oh yeah...ramble about Me for a while to justify your 'actions'". I should say not.
"he can destroy that which the Lord created simply by using the resources that God gave us"
Yes we can and we have. God made atoms and we managed to turn those atoms into something that can kill millions. God made lead and we make bullets. God made the compounds that ended up in Agent Orange only it was man who put them together to do so. I could go on but I hope you see my point.
Regardless of which, it's obvious that the "green movement" has a lion's share of liberals but what of it? If we are truly "independent" then we are free to pick and choose as we see fit never trusting completely that any one cause is always right all of the time. To reject completely something that has elements of truth without learning those elements is to proceed in darkness and ignorance.