Fresh Loaf

By Philip Shone:

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Earth Hour, Saturday night’s voluntary power-down that covered cities around the world for 60 minutes of darkness, did reduce electricity usage. But only by a bit.

Georgia Power says:

ATLANTA - Georgia Power customers in Atlanta decreased their electricity usage by nearly 4 percent during Earth Hour on Saturday night, March 29. The average reduction during the hour was 7.05 megawatt-hours, or enough electricity to serve 1,750 homes.

The downtown Atlanta grid saw the 4 percent reduction at the midpoint of the 8-9 p.m. ET hour, when the majority of interior and external building lights were off.

The results were based on usage data from previous similar time frames.

That’s far less than the 10 percent reduction Sydney boasted during last year’s event. And this year, there’s an angry Aussie chap awesomely named “Andrew Bolt” who says the event was unsuccessful.

But hey, even if we didn’t have 60 minutes of energy-free bliss, the occasion gave many celebratory drinkers and people looking for a reason to party to turn off the lights and play beer pong by candlelight. And that, my friends, is what counts.

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By Janisse Ray

Taped next to a light switch in my house is a photo of an Appalachian mountain that has been mined for coal by blowing off its peak. That photo reminds me to keep the light off as much as I can.

This week we have a chance to shut off lights together, to create a massive blackout that NASA will be able to document.

The event is called Earth Hour.

At 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, people around the world plan to join together to raise awareness about how human actions affect the planet. Not only does our use of electricity tear down old mountains, it causes global warming and other climate disruption.

Even as we search for alternatives to fossil fuels, we must reduce the kilowatts we consume and get efficient in our use of power.

The world is too bright. It’s ablaze. Terrible things are happening.

Sydney, Australia, organized Earth Hour 2007, when millions of Sydney-ites shut off their lights and consequently reduced power consumption by 10 percent.

This year, the event, organized by World Wildlife Fund, is going global, and including Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, and cities worldwide. In Atlanta, the list of participating attractions and businesses that will darken is long: the IBM Tower, the Varsity, the Georgia Aquarium. Even Turner Field plans to turn out its lights! Word is that Georgia Power will monitor consumption during the event.

To sign up to participate, go to www.earthhour.org.

Better yet, simply turn out all light in your home at 8 p.m. on March 29 and leave them off for an hour. Turn off all inessential appliances. Turn off computers.

Don’t just turn off appliances. Unplug them and leave them unplugged. Many appliances use a small amount of electricity even when switched off, for indicator lights or remote-control signals.

While the lights are out and the television is off, think about ways you can reduce electricity in your life. Replace incandescent bulbs with LED lighting. Turn down your hot water heater thermostat. Turn your washer setting to cold.

If you can see what you’re doing, use the time to plant a shade tree — I’ve been told that each hardwood tree absorbs an average of 25 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air annually.

Together we can make next Saturday night powerfully dark.

Janisse Ray is a writer, poet and environmental activist from Appling County, Georgia. Her latest book is entitled Pinhook: Finding Wholeness in a Fragmented Land

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The World Wildlife Fund has organized Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco as well as cities across the world to participate in its first global Earth Hour on March 29. For one hour at 8 p.m., major buildings and landmarks in participating cities will go dark to raise awareness about global warming and the impact our daily lives have on the environment. Essential lights, such as street lamps, will remain humming.

The list of participating businesses and landmarks in the city is long, and includes much of the city’s notable buildings such as the Bank of America Plaza and the Equitable Building. Other participants include AT&T headquarters, the Wachovia Building, 1180 Peachtree, Colony Square, Coca-Cola World Headquarters, Hyatt Regency, Turner Field, the Westin Peachtree Plaza and the Georgia Dome. (Full list of participants follows after the jump below.) Hell, even the Varsity is going dark.

Georgia Power will measure changes in the city’s energy consumption during the event and word is that NASA will be taking photos of the United States cities that have volunteered to switch off the lights. The WWF urges all residents and businesses to participate at home and turn off all non-essential lights to do their part and help raise awareness about global warming.

More than 2 million people and thousands of businesses participated in the organization’s first Earth Hour last year in Sydney, Australia. The WWF says power consumption dropped 10 percent during the event.

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