examiNation SF: How do you feel about turning off your lights for an hour to send a message about global warming?

What a brilliant idea to turn off electric lights illuminated by clean nuclear and hydroelectric power, while lighting CO2-emitting candles made of PETROLEUM! Are we really THAT stupid?

If people in San Francisco are so concerned about their environment, why do they provide subsidies for unemployed, drug-addicted, and mentally disturbed people to come to the city where all they contribute is urine, feces, and trash in the streets? Nevermind - it's not about the "environment" - it's about making EMPTY GESTURES so they can pat themselves on the back about how MORALLY SUPERIOR they are.

Another typical San Francisco gesture, made so the goo-goos can "feel good" about "making change" without doing anything significant or constructive whatsoever...

According to the San Francisco Chronicle article on 10/21/07 and the 10/20/07 Evening news report on KNTV-News Channel 11, this event was a success. Based on the favorable press, it appears that Nate Tyler, the driving force of this event should be congratulated. Perhaps this is the start of his political career from conservation activist to the Board of Supervisors or even Mayor of San Francisco.

And since I feel so strongly that turning off my lights for an hour in observance of global warming is such a STUPID idea, I'm going to turn on every light in the house after sunset. I'm also going to drive the long way to my destinations that day. How many collared lemmings will I kill doing that? Perhaps I'll shorten the lives of 83 polar bears by 13 seconds by this effort . . . nah, I doubt it.

While I'm all for as much as possible living "green", "green" appears to have become such a marketing ploy its hard to know where "green" reality begins and trendy marketing leaves off.

While turning off "unnecessary lights" is always a good thing, the idea of turning off lights and then lighting candles (much more polluting than the lights themselves) is just plain idiocy.

Lord. What a bunch of angry people, scared people. What are we worried or angry about? Scared that this current excessive way of life might possibly be disturbed or changed forever. Scared that we might have to do without? When the stock market plunges (and it will) and we don't have money for the lifestyle we now live, THEN we will be scared. We won't be able to afford bottled water (the bottles of which are an environmental problem), we won't be able to afford to turn on the lights (if you have a house at all). And we will be angry that we were so stubborn that we couldn't change our behaviors and lifestyles to avert a situation that our own egos and excesses created. The world is not an endless supplier of "stuff". Someday a price for all our desires will HAVE to be paid. Either work to decrease the problems creating this situation or deal with the much harsher reality that inaction will create. Your decision. Nothing is free. Besides, the one hour is a symbolic ges

and one more thing, i'm going to turn on every light in my house that night! i'm not into 'trendy' things.

I'm so tired of all this "Green" thing; its a catchy phrase and now every body wants to jump on the 'fashionable' Green wagon. where have you people bene hiding? Enough of catchy phrases already and besides who came up with this phrase? Did some advertising agency do a study to see what was catchy

Hello people..turning off your light at night will reduce your bill, but not cut power production. The power industry production is based on peaks, which happen during the daytime. Want to save a lot more? cut down during peak hours. you could get a bigger impact by unplugging all your wall warts and leeching remote-controlled appliances while at work, and doing laundry and dishes in the evening.

Ifeel I'm maybe a little in the dak so to speak about how turning off my lights for an hour sends a message about global warming or global climate change or the global climate crisis. Does it seem a little warm in here to you? Maybe we're all DOOMED! Is it OK to run the air conditioner during this hour dedicated to sending a message about global warming? How about taking a nice hot shower or bath while the lights are out, or would that seem contrary to the concept of raising awareness about the coming global climate change. would it be OK to perhaps call for delivery of a tasty wood fired pizza to be delivered by that guy driving the beat-up '83 Nissan Pick up that blows blues smoke out the tail pipe during this hour devoted to the ongoing global climate crsis?

Thats really a cute idea. Who ever thought of it should get a brownie. Its that same old Michael Jackson we are the would thing. Dumb!

"examiNation SF: How do you feel about turning off your lights for an hour to send a message about global warming?" - - Since I am meeting friends for drinks at a bar in Marin on Saturday, I will turn off my lights for several hours. I hope this small gesture will send a message to the power companies that I am against global warming.

Hey policyhawk, I wonder what the world would be like if you could let go of your desperate need to be "right" for even a moment. Maybe you wouldn't have to compensate for your insecurities by condemning and condescending to others.

This obviously is a symbolic gesture, not an actual attempt to stop global warming. But it is important as a way of getting energy consumers to become aware of ways to enjoy themselves without using so much electricity. Sometimes all it takes to change a habit is the willingness to try doing it differently just once. Come on, people. Let go of the political/economic analysis for just a moment and take a chance on doing something simple, just to see if it might make a difference in YOUR OWN life.

I believe this can be a CATCH-22 situation. Selling less power can lead to higher prices. Less demand can lead to layoffs and profit drop offs. Utility stocks come down in value and shareholders find themselves earning less on their investment. Bankruptcy can linger in the background. How do we all get to "green" power production without triggering the above events?

From the city that brought you plastic bag legislation and cutting costs at city hall by eliminating bottled water. In the city where we are somehow limiting enviromental degridation and utilities usage by building homes and office complexes just about as fast as we can. Exactly how does that work?

Is the power company going to shut down for that hour? Just because our lights are off, does not mean the power company will stop generating electricity. You would have to be able to stop the power company from generating the power to stop any "polution" that would alter global warming. The power company doesn't kick on when you turn your lights on. They generate electricity based on historical usage patterns adjusted for weather patterns. Not because some people may or may not turn on their lights for an hour.

If everyone can do their part, everyday, it makes a difference. Yesterday, I switched to use low-energy bulbs, and I tossed out my trans fat laden margerine, but that's a different story...

Number 1: There is no Glbal Warming, read the data not the headlines. Number 2: If you think number 1 is wrong stop using power all the time, live in a cave and eat raw meat. And, if you think number 1 is wrong and you also think man caused it you have to stop breathing, you exhale CO2. The good news is number 3: If number 1 is wrong it means more arable land when the permafrost melts. Yours till the sheep look up.

I agree with Cliff. Let's add a little candlelight, maybe turn off the TV set, turn off the heater and snuggle up in front of a fire. Mmmmm... what a great way to save the planet!

I think it would be nice to think of it as turning off our lights to save electricity, money and pollution. We can make a significant decrease in our usage of power in many ways. This seems a fun way, a romantic way to save some energy, do some good, and have some fun in the process. Of course, we may have to deal with a small population increase in a few months, but that's OK. I'm all for the "blackout" and think that, if it accomplishes it's goal of highlighting global warming and conserving energy, that the City should do it more often. We could always use a few more romantic nights in the City by the Bay. Are we cutting off out televisions also?