It was good again!
One year ago, in my blog Earth Hour – Was It Good For You Too? I wrote:
“If they’re still doing it next year … and civilization hasn’t dissolved completely by then … I think we’ll do it again.”
Civilization hasn’t dissolved yet (although the Tea Partiers are doing their best to make that happen) and they’re still doing it. So we did it again.
I have to admit that we were a few minutes late flipping the main power breaker to get completely off the grid this year. I was doing a huge download from Microsoft (Office 2010 beta – 617 MB!) that I had started that afternoon. It’s not my fault that the crummy Verizon 3G Internet connection I use was only cranking along at 30 kbps! I wish I could get a better broadband connection up here!
But once we got the power off, it was good again. An hour in the dark with quiet conversation was good for the soul.
The news reports suggest that this is a growing trend. But just like last year, nobody else in Springdale seemed to be aware that it was happening. Even “glitter gulch” in Las Vegas turned off their lights. Why not Springdale?
I was attending a MoveOn “party” where we watched Michael Moore’s movie “Capitalism: A Love Affair.” The party started at 7:00, the movie started about 7:30, so, no, I didn’t participate in Earth Day because we really couldn’t turn the power off for an hour under those circumstances. As far as I know the MoveOn parties across the US all started at 7:00. Not good planning on their part because that cut all of the party attendees out of being able to participate in Earth Day. Oh, well, the other MoveOn events I attended (helping get Obama elected) went off without any glitches at all as far as I could tell. – But I did participate last year in Earth Day and, as Dan said, if we’re all around and functioning next year, I’ll participate then. – As far as your question “Why not Springdale?” As a Springdale City insider (the head of the Planning Commission), I think you should ask that question and do what you can to make it happen there next year. Did Zion’s participate in any way?
“Not good planning on their part because that cut all of the party attendees out of being able to participate in Earth Day.”
Earth hour … Earth Day is in April. But at the risk of being considered religious, let me add my “A-men” to that! But as Michael Moore might say, an event with money potential trumps a purely symbolic gesture any day.
“Springdale City insider”
You vastly overestimate the importance. Planning Commissions are basically mandated by state law. The Town Council would do the whole thing themselves, but state law makes that impractical. So they have to find suckers … uhhh …. “public spirited volunteers” to suffer the slings and arrows of outraged developers in a separate meeting. The Town Council still has the last say on anything important. (We can actually approve things like “signs”.) The biggest problem is finding enough “public sprited volunteers”. In the last election, I calculated that there were only a few more than 500 registered voters so the pool isn’t large. Most of them have done a turn in the ducking pond already and know the score. It’s not like it’s a great honor or anything.
So I guess I was projecting ahead a year or two to when we may be REQUIRED to turn off our lights for one day because of lack of resources. -Could very possibly be.
And since you did that “got’cha” on me, my “got’cha” back at you is that Springdale is SUCH a great place (as you always point out, but I heartily agree); instead of having a dunking pond, as other cruel cities do, Springdale has a ducking pond! How cute! I do so love ducks! What an environmentally friendly place Springdale truly is.
And again, did Zions take part in Earth HOUR in any way?
As far as I know … no, nobody else I know did a thing.
That’s what you get for not paying attention. Buckingham Palace was darkened. Lena
You know the people at Buckingham Palace, Dan? I had no idea your reach extended so far!
We’re an elite group here in Springdale.
More so than I had heretofore realized, it seems. On future visits, I’ll attempt (now that I’ve been enlightened) to be more gentle.
By the way, if all of these messages I write are increasing the royalties you are paid for writing this rag, I want a cut of the profits!
The postage to send it to you would cost more than your cut.