We’ve just had the third annual waste of time known as Earth Hour where millions of people worldwide pretend to do something useful about global warming and turn off lights for an hour. For 99.999999% of those people, that’ll be it for another 365 days. End result for the Earth, big fat zero. Perhaps if we take all the energy expended by the media covering this story, we may even have a net negative?
Imagine if, instead, those millions of people went outside, dug up a square metre or two of their perfect lawns and planted some vegetable seeds? Or if they lived in an apartment in Ireland, they contacted Irish Allotments about organising patches in their locality?
Then instead of some silly hour-long nonsense they could:
- Reduce CO2 throught the action of the plants
- Reduce petrol consumption through less shopping
- Reduce fuel miles by not buying foreign vegetables
- Save money
- Get their kids outside
- Take part in Seed Saver schemes
- Eat healthier
- Get fit
We could call it Gardener’s World 
Of course taking care of this veg patch takes a wee bit longer than one hour a year and isn’t news-worthy so maybe we should just turn off the lights and keep playing mushroom instead.
March 29, 2009 at 9:47 am
There has been some coverage on the news recently about people getting allotments and also a scheme in the schools for gardening (that’s real grass roots activism), but as you say, it’s not getting international coverage. TBH I forgot about that hour as we were watching the disappointing Irish soccer match!
March 29, 2009 at 10:04 am
I never knew there was an allotment scene in Ireland until Julian Alubaidy told me about it. I always thought it was a UK or Dutch thing.
Fantastic to see it happne and maybe all those derelict building sites around the country can be put to better use than for building more future tenements.
March 29, 2009 at 10:16 am
I agree, utterly pointless. The footage on Sky News was impressively underwhelming. They showed a picture of London by night and pointed out where Big Ben would be, had it been lit up. Big Ben, of course, was the only thing in London that wasn’t lit up that normally would have been.
That’ll show them world leaders and will get them to change their policies I’m sure!
March 29, 2009 at 10:22 am
What’s even worse are politicians using this to pretend they are doing anything practical.
March 29, 2009 at 10:23 am
Hi Conor,
I agree with you suggestions but I disagree that it’s all a waste of time. We sat around and talked about living without electricity. I think a little quiet time focusing on what is the best action to take is not wasted.
My nine year old recently wrote to Mary Macaleese (sp) suggesting the whole country give up electricity and cars for a month for lent and was delighted to get a reply. She is concerned about climate change and the economy.
Yesterday we talked about the time my partner and I had both lived for periods of time without electricity in the house and some of the thing we had enjoyed about it. I think she is quite fearful about these issues and it was reassuring for her to hear something positive.
So often we are driven by fear and the media and the government (and guests often collude in their use of fear to control public action. Taking that hour out from ‘the grid’ was a powerful antidote for this family.
I certainly identify with your frustration and i know you are a man of action. Quiet time was good for us, please don’t knock it.
All the best Dave
March 29, 2009 at 11:26 am
Good stuff Dave. I’d never knock anyone who actually changes behaviour based on something like this. Unfortunately and predictably you are in a tiny minority.
Levels of carbon dioxide last year reached a global average of 384.9 ppm in the atmosphere, up 2.2 ppm on 2007, compared with a previous annual increase of 1.8 ppm.
Let’s see if Earth Hour 2009 does any better than 2008.
March 29, 2009 at 12:15 pm
I’m delighted that Thomas has made the time and has had the energy and expertise to develop and promote irishallotments.net from his and my first meeting a year ago.
There’s clearly a great deal of interest around the country in getting access to growing space. Why shouldn’t there be? It’s very close to a basic right.
I still can’t think of any very compelling reasons against providing land for people who want an allotment or similar common space for growing, yet the chief obstacles, ignorance, suspicion and apathy remain hard to overcome.
I’m personally fed up because of having to watch a three-quarters grant (not for the purchase of land but for the development of a social amenity), more than big enough to set up any kind of allotment, sail away into the mist in one North Cork town because no-one – and we banged on enough influential doors – could come up any kind of disused corner at all to lend, rent or give away.
But in general, I’m delighted that the inertia has been overcome and that we’re beginning to benefit from the consequences of more gardeners among us. The restoration of proper order, in my view.
March 29, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Do you still leave all your computers on at night? I remember a brief Twitter conversation I had with you about this. I agree Earth hour is a waste of time, and if only people turned off stuff they don’t need to have on 24/7, the world would be a better place. I definitely would never have put you in the “concerned about green issues” column based on your Twitterstream anyway.
March 29, 2009 at 3:32 pm
I didn’t realise “concerned about green issues” was a binary thing. Just because I don’t fall into the trap of pointless, zero-effect gestures does not mean I don’t care what happens to us all over the next 50 years.
Yes I do leave my main machines on 24×7 for reliability just like the machine your blog runs on. Every PC I’ve ever had die, did so during power-up. At idle they consume about the same as the hall light left on for the kids.
March 30, 2009 at 10:26 am
moan.
I hate commenting with political linkage but its very relevant.
http://trevorsargent.ie/2009/03/07/sargent-addresses-green-party-annual-conference/
his website deals with all his campaigns and such. including allotment schemes, getting kids learning how to grow food in schools and how to combat climate change through all this.
March 30, 2009 at 10:29 am
also earth hour engaged you enough to make this blog post. it is all about awareness and was originally organised by the WWF.
earth hour = win.
March 30, 2009 at 10:30 am
I imagine you are being deliberately dismissive of the Earth Hour, and you are certainly generating comment, but here in in CorcaDhuibhne I found there was support of the principles behind it by so many people.
Some, mainly the more comfortably off, will ignore or be cynical, but others are doing the ‘home planting’ – using raised beds because of poor soil, changing light bulbs – even at the extortionate Irish price of low energy bulbs (they are 50p sterling in England), composting, recycling and so much more.
CorcaDhuibhne have set up a Transition Town Group and a Slow Food Branch. Aiming to reduce energy use and be sustainable both, for the benefit of their pockets and ‘the world’. A Community Allotment has been created by Kerry CoCo for the people in landless Dingle town and they are investigating an Archimedes screw water turbine for power generation.
Broadband and the DIngle MAN will help with remote working, saving workers a 90 mile journey to Tralee or Killarney where most jobs are based.
So the publicity surrounding Earth Hour was, for me, a ‘Glittering Spike’ that opened up the chance for me to ask people I know little about, ‘Did you do Earth Hour?’
Just my Truppence worth
March 30, 2009 at 10:35 am
Fastastic things happening down there around Dingle Vic but it sounds like all of that happened before Earth Hour? Let us know how many more people get involved due to it.
March 30, 2009 at 10:37 am
Good link Stephen thanks. Where does the Green Party stand on biofuels? The more I read, the less I like the idea.
March 30, 2009 at 11:56 am
ok… you asked for it.
this is an idea that we support completely. and was put into practice by the green lord mayor of galway at the time. the idea of waste fat/grease being used as biofuel.
http://www.galwaycity.ie/GeneralNews/NewsArchive/MainBody,2267,en.html
At the green party convention 2007 there was a live televised debate on the issue. the original motion being the greater implementation of biofuels at a national level was not passed (needed 2/3 majority to pass) and the message sent out was mixed.
but to sum up.
Biofuels will never be the solution to climate change and energy problems. it effects food supplies
ref: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/03/biofuels.renewableenergy
it does not reduce carbon output.
although they produce less Carbon when used as a fuel, the Carbon created in producing the crops, processing and transporting the fuels is larger than the carbon saved.
I have also heard that the energy used in processing the crop is roughly the same as the energy output from the fuel where as the earth processes oil naturally through the heat and pressure of the underground caverns.
that was the last I heard of it on a national level from the green party.
I think at the moment its still a wait and see technology. the government are investing in renewable energy research through the SFI thanks to Min. Eamon Ryan.
ref: http://www.sfi.ie/uploads/documents/upload/SFI_EnergyStrategy_final.pdf
the guardian has a nice sum up piece on it
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/21/biofuels.alternativeenergy
and there is still research being done on it with shell focusing solely on biofuel ( but i think thats just them worrying abour affecting traditional energy supply in combustion form as opposed to electric form and affecting their markets e.g.http://www.verdeautos.com/site/index.shtml)
Just like we will debate the possibility of nuclear as an option. we will also continue debating biofuels as an option as part of a basket solution to our energy needs
March 30, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Awesome thanks! You can tell I’m reading the latest Lovelock, can’t you
March 30, 2009 at 12:00 pm
damn missing link
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/mar/17/royaldutchshell-energy
March 30, 2009 at 12:13 pm
There’s no justification for leaving pc’s switched on 24×7 – not even trying to justify it by saying it’s only like a hall light for the kids.
Telling me the computers that run my blog are on 24×7 is no different to saying the computers that run financial transactions on my bank account are running 24×7 or that the computers which keep planes from dropping out of the sky as they pass over my house on the way to Dublin Airport are on 24×7. I’m part of a technological age and, like everyone else, I have an environmental footprint. If there are specific things I can do to reduce that footprint then I’ll do it. That means turning off stuff I don’t need at night. It’s the cumulative effect of “ah sure it’s only using as much power as the kids hall light” mindset around the world which needs to change.
March 30, 2009 at 12:34 pm
So my keeping the tools of my trade running 24×7 can’t be justified but your hobby is the equivalent of a bank’s mainframe?
Have you checked what type of server your blog is on and where it is hosted? Are you hosted in a carbon-neutral datacenter? All very specific and easily doable.
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March 31, 2009 at 10:11 am
I didnt waste my Earth Hour. I turned off the lights and continued chatting with my friends.
Had a great conversation.