Boston landmarks to go dark for climate campaign

I plan to go dark for Earth Hour - I will use the time to meditate!

What, in the end, will this prove? Do they realize that power is used when the lights are turned back on and probably use more than just leaving them on? What abotu people like my wife who's vision is poor and needs as much light as possible just to navigate while walking so she doesn't fall and hurt herself?

It's a gimmick unless it becomes something regular -- such as buildings alternating weeks with or without lights. (Don't want the city completely dark all the time...)

I will be sure to turn on every light in my house

I plan to participate by not flushing my toilet all week.
Will that help?

Great idea! I think this is an easy task for everyone to take part in to truly make a difference. It is going to be small things like this that get this country back on its feet. Shut your lights off and go for a walk. It is truly not asking for a lot.

LETS FIGURE THIS OUT,THE AVG PERSON IS AN IDIOT,THIS WARMING TREND IS JUST THE EARTH GOING BACK TO WHAT IT USED TO BE DURING THE DINOSAUR PERIOD THE AVG TEMP ON EARTH WAS 140 DEGREE.SO DO NOT CALL IT GLOBAL WARMING ITS HISTORY REPEATING IT SELF.iF YOU WERE SMART AND LOOK UP THE CHANCES OF A ICE AGE IS BETTER THAN A WARM IN THE END.WITH ALL THE ACTIVITY IN VOLCANO`S,WE NEED ONLY 3 OF THE BIGGEST TO ERUPT AND WE WILL ALL BE TALKING ABOUT THE DARK AGES AND A WEATHER DISASTER

We (The Colonnade Hotel) are participating and look forward to joining the initiative. It's just as much about making a statement that we care for our environment as it is for the hour of savings. This is important and we hope that Boston as a city gets behind the Mayor's initiative. We think Boston's participation in Earth Hour will "put the city in a good light" (pun intended).

MIchelle,
"..Lights on the famous Citgo sign, Zakim Bridge, Prudential Center..."

It is the BUNKER HILL Zakim bridge...

Turning off lights for one hour is nor progressive (in fact, on a structure like a bridge it is rather dangerous). It is just a feel-good tactic. Supporting public transportation in Boston and fixing the financial problems at the T would be progressive.
Half the people working in these cities probably go to homes much bigger than they needs, that waist a lot of power for lights and heat. but hey for that one hour they were "progressive" right...

This is disgusting. Those who turn off their lights deserve to go back to the dark ages. Stop dragging those of us who appreciate life back there with you.

It is a gimmick. Turning lights off is appropriate to 1st save money and 2nd to save energy. I hope no one is stupid enough to turn off the aerial beacons.

This is disgusting. Those who turn off their lights deserve to go back to the dark ages. Stop dragging those of us who appreciate life back there with you.

kind of a gimmick? gimme a break its a joke.
listen to menino , were progressive thinkers, so w join the other 400 cities, because we dont want to be left out.
lets all trn off the street lights and crash a few cars while were at it.
ill turn ona few extra lights, all the more power for me
like last week when greenpeace was holding that big global warming raly in DC and it was snowed out. lol the last three main global warming events have been snowwed out twice and once was too cold lol. man if i laugh harder ill fall over.
the world wildlife fund, great people, so concerned about money they spent millions sueing to stop the World wrestling federation from ever using the WWF name . nice! these people are bright. just not as bright as i will be on that night.

I will be turning my lights on since:

"We are asking people to vote with their light switch,”

So that will be my vote.

Another word for "gimmick" is "symbol." You know, like the Cross, the Star and Crescent, and the Star of David. Like the POW flag and the rainbow flag. Sometimes symbols are the only way we have of declaring our values -- of letting everyone know that these values are not held only by a narrow sliver of our community.

More alarmist symbolism.

No substance.

Green is the new red.

This is a complete scam. Notice how Global Warming (GW) has morphed into Climate Change (CC). That's because it's getting COLDER. But, to the GW/CC lunatics , COLDER means WARMER. It's that pathetic. 30,000 scientists say that GW & CC are BS. But you won't hear about that in the totally controlled US media.

This is all a scam by financed by the global elites, to implement carbon taxes on every facet of your life. If they can get away with taxing you on 1 of the 4 elements needed for life itself, they can get away with ANYTHING. You'll be paying these insane taxes directly to their international banking cartel that's looting the country as I type this. Wake up.

Al Gore and all the other GW & CC loons, refuse to debate this publicly. That's because they know it's BS. Gore was offered $1 million to debate this scam. He backed down.

I've got a great idea for those fools who blindly believe this carbon dioxide danger BS. STOP BREATHING. THAT CAN BE YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE REST OF US.

Another foray into the fad de jour. I wonder what the next fad will be? I'm holding out for nudism. Then again I've seen some men and women better of clothed. By the way, turning a light on an off too much shortens its life. You want to load up land fills with burned out lights?

I will do this. For the people that are complaining, are you kidding me! What the hell. It is sending a message. That is all. I'll turn my lights out. Just don't want to turn my TV off. Ambient lighting :)

This 'stunt' is totally pathetic. The scientific 'consensus' on global warming is crumbling by the day. Public relations ploys like this one are a good way to keep the 'issue' on the minds of people who buy into the greatest government-sponsored, revenue-generating, freedom crushing hoax ever. It's been a record cold winter... facts are stubborn things... live activists.

To all the naysayers: On March 28th, at 8:30 pm, go outside and look at all the lights . . . in the sky. Hopefully, the skies will be clear, and we can all see stars usually washed out by the ambient glow of the city. For those concerned about cars veering off the Zakim, only the decorative lights will be off, and besides cars come standard with these nifty lights in the front and back.

This country is rapidly becoming a nation of exceedingly mean-spirited idiots if the preponderance of "climate-change-is-a-hoax" comments here is any indication. I'm damned if I know why I even bother reading mainstream media anymore where this issue is concerned.

As an energy engineer, some of these comments are downright crazy. Sure many lights use more energy when turned on than when they are on. But the amount of energy required to turn it on easily justifies turning them off because it is very low, for most no more then a second of on time energy. And the idea that by turning off our lights they will break more often and we will fill up our landfills is also just ridiculous. Sure, when you turn a light on it decreases the lifetime by a small amount but that's hardly a factor when you consider the potential gain of turning them off.

Gimmick?... I suggest those who are bashing Earth Hour take a look at the web site and see what it is all about and see the unity around the world that this is creating. It's not just about one person turning a light off. I hope on Saturday March 28th. that the City of Boston stands with all the other great cities in making Earth Hour even more successful than past years.

Kudos to Mayor Menino, Jim Hunt, and all the others who helped bring Boston into the fold of enlightened cities that are supporting this awareness-building event around our one-and-only, and seriously threatened, precious planet Earth.

As President Obama has said, the science is clear, and it has been for years.

Anyone in doubt, deniers included, need only spend a few hours doing the research. All of the oft-repeated questions have been answered many times.

"Do they realize that power is used when the lights are turned back on and probably use more than just leaving them on? "

False statement. The power surge is only slightly higher than if you keep the light on.

To those who think turning lights off won't make a difference - this is typical of the wasteful American attitude. Can't live without their lights, TV, Cars radios Blaring 24/7. Obviously you've never experienced, enjoyed, or probably paid attention to, a beautiful night time sky without light polution. You will be amazed at the many stars you can see and how PEACEful it can be (electric light energy is NOISY). It's just for an HOUR, so try it.

You people are strange. Turning the light off not only helps but it sends a message, those of you who want to be counted, it's only for one hour. Do your part

Maybe they should call this "Al Gore" day....I plan on turning on every light in my house (any maybe even running both my cars) for the hour to cast my vote. Those people who will be turning off their lights should make it a point to become "informed" on a topic before they decide....but I guess that would take to much effort...better off to be spoon fed this bogus info. GLOBAL WARMING IS NOT REAL!!!!

This is great. I most definitely will turn out my lights and anything else that runs on electricity that is not essential. It sounds like a great way to teach my children how important it is to make changes that better the earth we live on. They are not always aware of the fact that each human being contributes to the problem and therefore, each human being can make a small contribution to the solution. Thank you Mayor Menino for participating. I plan a family hour together by candlelight.

LIGHTS ON!

This green nonsense is causing even intelligent people to give credence to that fraud Al Gore (for whom I voted. Yuck!). Yes, he was awarded a Nobel, but so was Arafat...

I will make sure that I turn every light on in my house and flush my tiolet multiple times...

I am legally blind and I take offense to this article. I need as much light as possible to see. I actually have several flood lights on inside my house at all times, drive with my high beams on and carry a flash light. I can't imagine turning off lights. I wouldn't survive without light. I also have candles lit in my house at all times. What is the next step? Are these whack jobs going to make me blow out my candles? I would like to see them try. Heck, a line from my favorite song, sung by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, is "blinded by the light, revved up like a duece."

While the lights are off, i'm going to cut down as many trees as i can!
Oh and "whynot", The Bridge is the Zakim, Bunker Hill is justa place to get mugged!

Given that we can't as a people agree whether Global Warming/Colding/Change is real, is it no surprise that real conflicts between people, countries, etc. can't be solved? I was heartened by the pictures of Sydney, Australia. With so many of its lights off, one might be able to see more of what is out there at night--stars! And to those who are legally blind, or visually challenged, when the lights go out for one hour none of us can see. The bottom line: too many people on this Earth. We are out of balance.

While your at it PICK UP YOUR TRASH!
We should all walk around with flashlights for an hour and pick up the trash
in our streets. But hey it's america and frankly i find this board amusing,
I will participate, but granted in the next 2 days I will eat a burger which
consumes the same amount of carbon to make as driving my car five miles.
You can't win people, enjoy your life. We can all walk around like Boy Scouts
( which is a good idea) or we can walk around like the Children of the Corn
that we have become. Have fun either way.

Are we seriously turning this into some hated political mumbo-jumbo. I cannot understand why is this being treated as such a negative gesture? Are most of you being cynical just for spite or to ruffle feathers? I think it's a very positive symbol for very serious issues. I plan on using this hour to take a walk with my children, my family, my dog and reconnecting by means other than a text message. I love my t.v., my computer, my phone as much as the next person, but I'm not afraid of disconnecting every now and then. What are you afraid of? This gesture may not be at the extent of awareness these issues deserve..but we all have to start somewhere. Lighten up your minds and turn off the lights!

Wow. Some of you seem to have missed the point. This isn't Iraq, where the power is still not on much of the time. Or a blackout like the ones in California some years back, or here in 2004. It's an opportunity to think, for a moment in time.

In the one hour, my wife and two kids heard two things: first, we heard how quiet the house was, and second we heard each other. It was nice.

One of the things we talked about was why electricity in NE is 4 times more expensive than gas (even though the coal we burn for electricity is cheaper). Do you know why?

If you're thinking Earth Hour is a silly stunt, well, of course -- there's no real, sustainable value in the trivial amount of energy we stopped using for that brief time.

However, there may be some value in taking a moment to understand how much we do need electricity, as several people reported who have poor eyesight (as does my mom) reported. No one's trying to cut off your electricity or lighting, but it's worth taking a little time to think about what it would be like it we didn't have the lights on all the time.

It makes me sad to see such anger at such a simple, honest, voluntary, cooperative, peaceful, worldwide effort to make a point.

i participated tonight and felt is was a very peaceful experience to share with my family. i can't believe some commenters said they would purposefully waste energy. those people are spoiled and selfish. take one hour to think of people and things other than your self.

It never ceases to amaze me how angry and vitriolic those who are opposed to something feel they need to be. I participated and am proud of having done so (it was very peaceful) but no one is forcing anyone else to join in. Certainly in those cases where safety or real necessity are issues, the lights needed to stay on - it's ludicrious to think otherwise. The Earth Hour supporters are not stupid nor dogmatic in asking for voluntary participation. I love seeing how many big cities, major landmarks, and ordinary people have joined together in this statement. Symbolic? Of course! A mere drop in the bucket in comparison to what life style changes we need to make? Sure! But unifying in spirit and a meaningful first step!

This event is only symbolic of the need to pay attention to the earth we all share. It was not meant to be polaris as to if lights are needed or not. Where is your common sense? Many of the attitudes expressed here seem to come from the same extreamists that have stopped this world from progressing. Too bad we can't turn off ignorance! Exactly what harm came to you as a result of this event?

What a crock!! I know, why doesn't Al Bore solve Global warming with the all the money he made inventing the internet? You bunch of sheep. . . .

Earth Hour is certainly no "gimmick," resulting as it does in significant CO2 reductions, and I applaud Mayor Menino for joining in! Now, if only we could have Earth Hour every night...

Last night my "Earth Hour" lasted from 10:30pm when I turned off the light, until 6:30 am when the alarm clock went off.

I, too was alarmed and saddened to see all the negative comments; I am in PEI Canada and we turned our lights out; I had to check out what Boston was doing since I used to live there.
It was a symbol of unity you people who bashed it; Earth Hour is one of the best examples of people of all faiths and nationalities coming together for a common purpose that I have seen in years. You gotta love that! (or you probably need professional help with some issues!)
It made me feel like we might experience the sixties again, with improvements, and sustained change.

We need to have an Earth Hour every week!

Why do we have all these landmarks and skyscrapers fully lit all the time anyway? Imagine what we could save if we shut the lights off on our way out for the evening.

I turned my lights out and asked all my friends and family to participate. They were happy to have an opportunity to do something that was global. I am pleased that Boston was in the mix of fabulous cities that responded. Any action however big or small will gather collectively with other actions and move us forward. The difference between this global event and a gimmick is that a gimmick has no future, this Earth Hour does, every year it can grow. Next year I want my little town to get on board early and turn off the lights in the church towers and the town hall.

How absolutly silly. The opening sounds as if these people are praying to thier god.
BTW, those cooling towers in the first few seconds are giving off water vapor. You do know what that is, correct?
Morons.

Some people think that this is a scam or that it doesn't affect anything. The point of this is to make people realize that all it takes is turning off a switch to help make a difference. If you can't handle turning off a switch and sitting with your friends or family for a while without any electronics running, then don't. But those of us who can are obviously more aware of our power as intelligent people. If you can't participate, then we understand. If you won't participate, then we feel sorry for you lack of awareness.