Turning out your lights for an hour seems a simple enough statement of support for sustainable living and surely wouldn't attract criticism from anyone other than the power company representatives, but it surely does!
It's usual for some hard-bitten conservative commentators to deride the practice, labling the practitioners 'luddites', claiming that it does 'no good' and crowing how they'll negate the actions of the 'light-savers' by 'turning on every light in the house' etc. How amusing they are and how we laugh at their witty ways!
Naturally enough, the Luddites of Riverton (there's a lot of us!) celebrated Earth Hour with not one, but two hours with the electricity turned off. That'll show the Oncelers! There were around 40 of us, celebrating the harvest with a feast at the (old, country) town hall. We did burn candles though (It's not easy being green - sometimes you just have to do the best you can.) We had music to get us through the dark hours - unplugged acoustic of course, and singing. Even a dancing girl. It was a merry time indeed. The right-wing naysayers who loathe such merriment would have been infuriated by the fun we had. There was wine, beer and cider, punch too and acres of food.
When I got back home I found I'd left the bathroom light on, don't tell anyone (there were more moths on the ceiling than I've seen all year - I guess with all of Riverton's lights turned off, they came like moths to a ...)
Sunday, March 27, 2011
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18 comments:
Your freedom to regress to a time prior to the stone age, thankfully, does not interfere with my freedom to act as though Earth Hour doesn’t exist or even to throw on all my light switches in celebration of the marvel of living in the modern world.
Julie Kirsten Novak
Indeed Moist, it does not and we are all celebrating that.
However, turning off the lights can hardly be described as 'regressing to a time prior to the stone age' and is in fact part of every day (or rather every night) life in New Zealand.
You won't be surprised to know that the lights burned brightly at the Inventory whare last night Rob. It wasn't a protest against Earth Hour per se; rather just it was a protest from one whanau against an earth which has thrown too much crap at its inhabitants over the last wee while. And d'you know what? It might have been a futile gesture, but it let a bit of steam off!
Not sure that I can follow your reasoning there Inv2 but I'm pleased to hear that you've de-steamed.
rather just it was a protest from one whanau against an earth which has thrown too much crap at its inhabitants over the last wee while.
Earthquakes are how God made New Zealand invent, God also called is creation "very good" I think that means he likes it.
I think Inv2's blaming 'mother earth', not 'god the father'. That must tell you something Shunda.
It's a funny thing Robert, I was around some ex church friends after a funeral recently, and they had a very similar attitude.
I have to wonder how such a contempt for the Lords creation is really compatible with having "a fear of the Lord".
Surely the 'creation' is where the evidence for the character of God is most abundant?
That's where I'd expect to find it Shunda (is there anywhere else?)
Woa dude!
That's deep!
And in a related matter, how would you deal with tenants that kept trashing your property?
I thought Ruaumoko was responsible for the quakes in NZ rather than Papatuanuku or that late comer Judeo/Christian guy ;-)
What killed the people of Christchurch? Poor buildings and shoddy engineering - not the earthquake.
What caused loss of life in Japan? The choice to knowingly settle land at sea level, right atop one of the largest plate boundaries on Earth - not the earthquake or tsunami.
Stupidity is an elemental force for which no earthquake is a match.
Tenants eh!
Ungrateful sons of ...God!
I'd leave them to their own devices. These things have a way of sorting them selves out. There's bound to be one or two amongst them with a moral compass and an acerbic tongue - they'll eventually take charge and put things to right!
When you consider, wildcrafty, that Ruaumoko's an unborn child, you'd have to expect Papatuanuku to take some responsibility for his behaviour :-)
Haumietikitiki and Rongomatane are my favourites.
Or Nick, the continually growing number of people ki runga i te whenua. Swamp, coast and high-rise dwellers would probably like to be living somewhere wiser, but those sapces are filled with you-mans.
Moist von Pigwig you weren't free to 'act as though Earth Hour doesn't exist or even throw on all [your] light switches', the power company kept charging you for the energy you used being wasteful and the environment kept paying for your selfish choice.
Ha!
Why does the infantile name-calling of Bioneer not surprise me?
The tiny fiscal penalty I accept with delight. A small price to pay compared with the 'wrath of Gaia.'
The Australian Greens on election night were duly respectful to their holiest night of the year. At 8:30 the organisers turned off the lights for Earth Hour, although the TVs stayed on so everyone could still watch the election coverage. Soon it was clear that the Greens did well, but not well enough to garner a seat.
Gaia hates compromise.
I don't know Moist, why does the infantile name-calling not surprise you?
I've a question for you - why does the cheap-shot, nonsensical claim that turning off the lights for an hour equates to returning to a pre-stone age time, as you claim, not surprise me?
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