Activists in France started a campaign to draw global warming.
The campaign is called “Five Minutes of Respite for the Planet,” and you can help:
The campaign urges people to shut down all lights on February 1 for five minutes between 19.55 hours and 20.00 hours [18:55 GMT] The advertisement campaign maws launched with an aim to call attention of citizens, media and policy makers regarding wastage of energy and the urgency to come into action.
Why February 1st? Because on February 2nd in Paris, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is presenting the first volume of a report called “Climate Change 2007.”
Various groups around the planet are joining in, including Friends of the Earth, BUND, and many individuals acting in concert.
The French agency SETE is going to turn off the lights of the Eiffel Tower at the appointed time. If you’ve ever seen the Eiffel Tower lit, it’s a spectacular site. It will be incredibly dramatic when it goes black.
Through the Internet, word is spreading. Citizens in Ottawa are planning their own blackout from 7:55 pm to 8:00 pm.
This message was forwarded to me through various hands from Spain:
El día 1 de febrero de 19:55 a 20:00 h, se propone apagar todas las luces para darle un respiro al planeta (la propuesta viene de Francia).
Si la respuesta es masiva, el ahorro energético puede ser brutal.
Solamente 5 minutos, y a ver qué pasa.
Sí, sí, ya sé que estaremos 5 minutos a oscuras con cara de tontos, pero recordar que internet tiene mucha fuerza y podemos hacer una cosa grande.
Y pasad la noticia!!
Ramon Puig Gimenez
Servei de Recursos Humans i Organització
Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Translation provided (I can’t vouch for the accuracy!):
On Feb 1 from 19:55 to 20:00 hrs, there is a proposal to turn off all lights to give the planet a break. The proposal comes from France. If there is a massive response, the energy savings could be amazing. Only five minutes, and we’ll see what happens. Yes, yes, we’ll be sitting in the dark for five minutes like fools, but remember that there is a lot of strength in the internet and we can do something great. Spread the word!
I can certainly sit in the dark for five minutes tomorrow. Care to join me?
I’m in. For me, that means from 12:55 pm CST to 1 pm CST. I’ll turn off everything I can.
Remembering that UTC = GMT, you can convert GMT or UTC to your local time by following this chart. (via GMT/UTC Time Zone Conversion info page.)
Right now we are in Standard Time, not Daylight Savings Time, btw.
For CST, that’s 18:55 minus 6:00 which equals 12:55pm.
(btw, Lisa, I just got my copy of Assassinations. I’m looking forward to delving into it soon…)
Woohoo! Glad you got that, Blueneck. Any questions, just holler!
And thanks for participating. I wish people planned things many months in advance to garner more participation. But with the Internet, flash activism is perhaps possible. Let’s hope!
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LOS ANGELES, Jan. 31, 2007 — It appears a new age of enlightenment is upon us, championing energy conservation.
A California lawmaker wants to ban the use of incandescent light bulbs in order to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gases which are linked to global warming.
Incandescent Light Bulb OutThe “How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb Act” would ban the use of incandescent light bulbs by 2012. Instead, compact fluorescent light bulbs (COLS) would become the alternative for California residents.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."Thanks! I swapped out my first incandescent with a flourescent, and the light is soft and very bright. Now that I’ve tried one, I’ll do the rest of my place over time.
It took me about a year to get them all, but I just replaced the last incandescent with a fluorescent at my house. I really have noticed a huge difference in just the annoyance factor of having to replace some bulb or another every few days or weeks. It’s worth it just for that alone!
Don’t I know it. I think I have bad circuits where I live – I have to replace six bulbs about every three months. Because the fluorescents are more expensive, I might just try one in one of those six sockets and see if they last. Because if they blow out just as quickly, I’ll stick to the cheaper ones there…
Beautiful – Thanks Lisa.
I love it, power to the people – “On Strike, Shut It Down.”
May it grow ever larger.
Also inspiring this morning: Howard Zinn’s column Impeachment By The People
Thanks, Alice. And I loved this, from the Zinn work you referenced:
That’s why I loved the film “National Treasure.” Before the guys steal the Declaration of Independence (before the bad guys can steal it first), Benjamin Gates, played by Nick Cage, reads that part. The writers were so not lazy. 99 writers out of 100 would have picked the ‘all men are created equal’ line, but the screenwriter(s – the Shrek co-writers did a final polish) chose instead to highlight the duty of people to abolish a bad government. Way to go, Hollywood!