'Earth Hour' campaign will dim lights on Chicago landmarks -- E...

There will be dark spots in the Chicago skyline for an hour Saturday night when more than 200 downtown buildings switch off their lights as part of the Earth Hour global campaign to raise awareness about ...

[Kale]

This is a terrible article because it tells you about an event and totally neglects to tell you the date. This article makes it seem like today is the day for Earth Hour. Unprofessional.

[mathman]

Wonder how much crime will increase during that hour. Otherwise, why do all businesses leave their lights on 24/7.

[Dan]

This is just another STUPID LIBERAL charade.

Electricity is not a depletable resource.

I'm leaving all the lights on in my factor for 16 hours in REVERSE protest.

[Joe]

It's about time a grass roots movement is starting - and we need to suppport it - however we need to get one society layer below where we are to make a difference - just like did with Vietnam, but the great thing is that this is a positive movement that doesn't take much deciding - the world is changing for the ill of mankind? What else is there to say?

[VivianC]

Kale wrote:

This is a terrible article because it tells you about an event and totally neglects to tell you the date. This article makes it seem like today is the day for Earth Hour. Unprofessional.

Which part of "Saturday night" in the first sentence is unclear to you?

[matt]

You're a very bitter and hateful person, Dan. Perhaps you should turn your lights off and spend the money you save on a therapist.

[Chris]

Well, basically it appears that this whole global climate change emergency is kind of a hoax anyway, so this is totally idiotic. I will be turning all of my lights on to try to balance out the lunacy taking over this fine city....who woulda known Chicago and San Fran would ever exist in the same plane of goofiness.

[grrrrr]

awareness, awareness, awareness, we are all fricken aware already. You liberals need to go hug a tree and leave the rest of us alone.

[Tic]

If you have those Solar powered garden/walkway light are you need to turn them off too?????

[u gotta be kidding]

i'm gonna light up and live!

[SynninViemaa]

Lighten up people. Yeah I think this campaign is kind of dumb but the whole point of this stunt is to raise awareness, nothing more and it's better than ignoring the issue altogether. If it gets some people to consider their present energy consumption who would otherwise not give it a second thought, then it's productive. Is it going to change the world? Of course not. And god forbid, it might even be a little fun because I know how much "fun" is frowned upon around here.

[Kale]

VivianC wrote:

<quoted text>
Which part of "Saturday night" in the first sentence is unclear to you?

I read this article 25 minutes after it was posted and made the comment then. It was later fixed, which was the point of my comment. I support Earth Hour and wanted those reading this article after me to know when it was. Knowing that the Tribune is prompt about fixing their articles I made the suggestion. It was fixed, efficiently enough that you thought I was an idiot. Good job, Tribune.

[u gotta be kidding]

SynninViemaa wrote:

Lighten up people. Yeah I think this campaign is kind of dumb but the whole point of this stunt is to raise awareness, nothing more and it's better than ignoring the issue altogether. If it gets some people to consider their present energy consumption who would otherwise not give it a second thought, then it's productive. Is it going to change the world? Of course not. And god forbid, it might even be a little fun because I know how much "fun" is frowned upon around here.

Since I don't believe that the DREADED GLOBAL WARMING is a man made event and that those driving that train are in it for personal gain, no, I'm not gonna lighten up. It's starts with an hour, then it becomes 2 hours, a day and all of the sudden, we're back in the horse and buggy days. Yeah, that's progress.

[SynninViemaa]

u gotta be kidding wrote:

<quoted text>
Since I don't believe that the DREADED GLOBAL WARMING is a man made event and that those driving that train are in it for personal gain, no, I'm not gonna lighten up. It's starts with an hour, then it becomes 2 hours, a day and all of the sudden, we're back in the horse and buggy days. Yeah, that's progress.

Your power is not being turned off. All they are asking is for you to turn your OWN lights off and you don't have to participate in it if you wish. And if you would have actually read what I posted, I called this whole thing a "stunt", as in corporate stunt, BUT I don't see any harm that could come of it. I am all for awareness but I think that they could have used the hour to do something that actually helps the environment instead of just turning off the lights.

[DEVO]

I cannot believe a city like Chicago,(with a history of some of the highest rates in the counry)would actuallt participate in this!

Why not make it REALLY fun and start bussing in the criminal residents of Englewood, and other crime ridden areas an hour beforehand?

[x-wizard]

Dan wrote:

This is just another STUPID LIBERAL charade.
Electricity is not a depletable resource.
I'm leaving all the lights on in my factor for 16 hours in REVERSE protest.

Uh, Dan, it's not about whether we're running out of electricity or not. It's about carbon emissions and climate change. And it's about running out of the resources that are used to generate electricity.

- Electricity is generated, in large part, by burning coal. Coal is not an unlimited resource. Yes, we also have some nuclear power plants, but not enough to power the whole country, let alone the world. It also has its own drawbacks. We need more clean, renewable energy sources, like solar and wind.

- Burning coal causes huge carbon emissions. It pollutes the air and contributes to climate change. And yes, climate change is real and man-made. No reputable scientist thinks that there is any controversy about this. The only people who question it are politicians who get their campaign funding from the big power companies, oil companies, and other large generators of pollution.

[DEVO]

TYPOS CORRECTED:

I cannot believe a city like Chicago,(with a history of some of the highest crime rates in the country)would actually participate in this!

Why not make it REALLY fun and start bussing in the criminal residents of Englewood, and other crime ridden areas an hour beforehand?

[Commenter]

mathman wrote:

Wonder how much crime will increase during that hour. Otherwise, why do all businesses leave their lights on 24/7.

If you visit the Earth Hour website you will read that all street lights and security lights are being left on...for everyone's safety. What is being turned off are the lights that serve no practical purpose...the lights that are purely decorative. Nobody needs the spotlights on top of skyscrapers to be safe. The blinky lights on top of buildings and cell towers are being left on for the airplanes.

[dee dee dee]

Kale wrote:

This is a terrible article because it tells you about an event and totally neglects to tell you the date. This article makes it seem like today is the day for Earth Hour. Unprofessional.

Hey you moron, read the first paragraphs

There will be dark spots in the Chicago skyline for an hour Saturday night when more than 200 downtown buildings switch off their lights as part of the Earth Hour global campaign to raise awareness about climate change.

Between 8 and 9 p.m., Chicago will be one of dozens of cities worldwide, from Manila to Dublin, to participate in the lights-out event. The tower atop the Sears Tower, the Navy Pier Ferris wheel and all Chicago area McDonald's arches will go dark.

[Pete]

"Its largely symbolic" - that pretty much sums up the environmental movement as a whole.