exploring electricity’s role in environmental issues
Nathan Hartmann
– Staff Writer –
Of all the modern-day conveniences the Western world takes for granted, electricity is the front-runner. It lights homes, runs our air conditioning, keeps our food cold, and even keeps certain types of cars running.
A few days without power is a desperate and torturous affair for most people, evidenced by the large blackouts St. Louis and the surrounding area have had the past few summers.
Our local power plants, mostly coal and nuclear, keep Missourians supplied with power in return for a monthly bill.
People consume a lot of power, and on March 28 a new environmentally friendly holiday called Earth Hour wants to limit it for one hour to “give the earth a break” as Esurance, an online insurance company, advertises. While it sounds like a good idea, it turns out to be counter-productive and a literal waste of energy.
Earth Hour was founded in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund, and takes place on the last Saturday of March. Sydney, Australia was the first city to attempt the event, and it spawned into a worldwide sensation for environmentalists and members of the church of Al Gore. Its official purpose is to raise awareness about global warming. Anyone with a television or a DVD player knows plenty about the issue, with the mainstream media’s doomsday forecasts and Gore’s movie “An Inconvenient Truth.” This time around Earth Hour takes place between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m., and many people along with businesses such as Whole Foods Market, even the St. Louis Arch is participating.
Like most people infatuated with environmental causes, they refuse to think before they act and take part in popular movements to feel good about themselves. It’s nothing but a worldwide “make a difference” self-esteem boost for guilt ridden westerners, quick to blame themselves and everyone around them for major problems. What they don’t seem to realize is that the amount of energy saved by turning off the lights for one hour is so low that leaving the lights on and having a two hour long city wide street party would have done a better job.
According to data from EnergyAustralia, the power company for the Sydney area, only 2 percent less power was used in the entire hour than the past four years.
Earth Hour is catching on in the United States now, and events will be happening in St. Louis.
Sadly, Earth Hour is more likely to waste energy and destroy natural resources, as St.Louis is mainly supplied by coal burning and nuclear power stations.
If Saint Louis shuts down the majority of its power, the plants will cut back on production.
The sudden burst of electric energy from people turning their electronics back on will create a surge.
Most electric objects such as computers and televisions consume the most energy when switched on.
While most homes do not have lights that will make a big difference, the larger and higher wattage products will burn a lot of energy, negating or surpassing the amount of energy saved from turning off the lights.
This March 28 leave the lights on.
There’s no point in wasting energy for a collective global warming self-esteem boost.
Get real.
