Earth Hour

Earth Hour 2009 took place Saturday, March 28th, from 8:30 to 9:30 PM local time around the world.

Take a look at some of these pictures from the Boston Globe. I find the Las Vegas picture most striking, as the Strip is known for its extreme lighting.

Despite many of the clearly misinformed comments at the bottom of the article, this Globe piece talks about Boston's participation.

Although the power saved during Earth Hour is negligible on any reasonable timescale, the goal is not energy savings. The goal is to raise awareness on climate change and the extreme danger in which it places the Earth. Skeptics will always be skeptics, but there is an unbelievable amount of concrete evidence supporting global warming hypotheses. Thousands upon thousands of accredited environmental scientists agree that human intervention has generated climate change at an unprecedented rate in the Earth's history. There has never been an increase in the Earth's temperature in so short a time. And until new technologies are developed which will allow us to sequester carbon or otherwise begin to reduce atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, our only solution is to reduce our impact by becoming more energy-conscious and responsible. I might be from California, but I have no desire to see my home become beachfront property.

Reducing your carbon footprint by installing energy efficient devices in your home, driving fewer miles and with more fuel-efficient vehicles, and living closer to your job are all fundamental to the preservation of our global climate. Everything makes a difference, and no difference, regardless how small, is insignificant.


The Green Home

So you've been reading these posts for a little while now, but you're saying, "Hey, Marcus, look. The economy's in the toilet! I can't afford to buy fancy solar water heaters or even a fantastic ESES DX heat pump! But I still want to save money and energy...how?" Well, we've previously discussed unplugging unused electronics, as standby mode and other gimmicks make up about 8% of your energy bill. But an area where most people completely miss free energy savings is window shades.

Yes, window shades.

Much as you might put one of those big reflective accordion things in your car window when you park at the mall, the blinds in your home can have a surprising impact on your HVAC bill. Although my cat loves finding a warm spot in the sun to curl up and nap (lazy Fluffy!), the sun can heat up your home a couple degrees while you're at work. In the winter, this is a good thing, so you might want to leave your blinds open and get some free heat to take the edge off the nasty New England weather. In the summer, though, make sure to close your blinds and save a couple degrees so your A/C requires less on-time.

Simple, effective, and forces your cat into productive activities. Perfect!