earth hour
Earth Hour 2008 is a global initiative to demonstrate that lower energy use makes a difference and is possible at all levels, including that of the individual. The Government of Ontario has acknowledged the effort, and cities in the province have joined those all over the globe to show their commitment.
I’d like to think this will make some difference in the way people live day to day, but, even as the Northeast Blackout of 2003 fades into long-term memory, it’s evident that none of the lessons we were supposedly to have learned at that time stuck. For a time, escalators were shut down, and lights were lowered in supermarkets, government offices, the public library; does anyone even remember this now, much less bother to consume less?
I’m reading Michael Palin’s 1969-1979 Diaries at the moment in which he mentions the “SOS” (”Switch Off Something”) campaign. In 1973-74, oil prices were high and a coal miners’ dispute resulted in a national call to curtail unnecessary energy use, including enforcing a cap on motorway speeds. Two film advertisements show the Heath government’s successful attempt to persuade the populace to conserve while trying to break the strikers.
Nothing says “your country needs you” like Futura Book.
March 29th, 2008Topic: personal, www
