Last Saturday
night was “Earth Hour” around the world when everyone was supposed to turn off
the lights for an hour and get the candles out to save electricity.
Unfortunately, Cranbrook failed the
test.
In that one
short hour, some 121 megawatt hours of
electricity was saved in B.C. – the equivalent of 9 million LED light bulbs – but the savings
weren’t made in Cranbrook.
In fact, the Key
City really blew it because our electrical consumption actually went up during Earth Hour, which has BC Hydro
Community Relations Manager Diane Tammen scratching her
head.
“Maybe it was
cool weather or there was some major event on, but I would like to know more,”
says Tammen. “I’d like to know if there was some reason for it because if there
wasn’t I guess we’ve got some work to do.”
Province -wide
electrical consumption dropped almost
two per cent during Earth Hour with environmentally-minded Revelstoke leading
all of B.C. with a 12.1 per cent drop in electricity humming through the wires.
Pemberton was next with a reduction of 6.8 per cent in the 91 communities
measured during the event. Here in the
East Kootenay, electrical usage fell by 1.22 per cent in Fernie and 1.29
per cent in Invermere and Radium Hot Springs, but increased an embarrassing .14 per cent
in Cranbrook . No other communities were
measured in the East Kootenay.
Earth Hour is an annual global event started five
years ago by the World Wildlife Fund and BC Hydro was quick to jump aboard from
its inception. Despite the fact that Hydro is now considering building the
controversial Site C dam on the Peace River to generate more electricity, the
Crown-owned utility is serious about reducing electrical consumption. Over the
next eight years, Hydro hopes to meet two-thirds of B.C.’s
future energy needs through conservation measures and increased
efficiencies in its vast system covering the province.
Earth Hour is
just one of the many conservation measures Hydro is employing and it has to come
as a disappointment when one of these programs turns out to be an abject failure
in Cranbrook. Tammen says several municipalities around the province heavily
promoted the program, but she wasn’t sure to what degree the conservation
measure was promoted here. City of Cranbrook
Communications Officer Chris Zettel says BC Hydro notified the City
of Earth Hour last year and an
announcement was put on the City’s web page. But this year the City didn’t
receive any notification, Zettel
said.
But without
pointing any fingers, it’s clear every single one of us has a role to play when
it comes to conserving scarce energy. Yours truly got the candles out during
Earth Hour, but I would be the first to admit it was purely a symbolic act and I
don’t consider I’m doing near enough to promote a greener world as part of an
energy-hog society that is relentlessly using and abusing the resources of
Mother Earth, or Gaia, as some prefer.
I don’t buy all
the doom and gloom predictions of David Suzuki. Nor am I entirely convinced that
the alarming increase in global warming is caused entirely by man and his works.
I think natural forces are playing a role too. But I do support 100 per cent
Suzuki’s essential message that the obscene affluence of Western industrial
society has got to be curbed soon or this badly, battered planet we live on will
be overloaded to the point of system collapse and we’ll all go the way of the
dinosaurs.
So given our
dismal performance during Earth Hour this year, do the good, environmentally
conscious citizens of Cranbrook have to wait until next year to redeem
themselves? Actually no. Earth Day is coming up April 22 when more than one
billion people around the globe are expected to participate in events to promote
the sustainability of this planet, the only home we’ve got. The theme this year
is “Mobilize the Earth” and organizers are aiming to record one billion “green”
acts by individuals trying to save Mother Earth.
Check the media
for local Earth Day events in coming days and even if you don’t find one to your
liking there’s always at least one thing you can do. Get the candles out, turn
off the lights and rediscover how
invigorating an hour of contemplation is.
Some music, a
glass of wine or some other favorite beverage might help too.
Food for thought, Gerry!! But how do you plan to listen to music without electricity?
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