This is funny -- I hadn't even heard about Earth Hour until a week or so before the day of the event. Talk about fantastic marketing, though -- it's dominated news for days. As a former advertising addict, I am fascinated by how quickly this got rolling and how fast it snowballed. A success? You bet your *derriere*. Here's some of the buzz today:Atlanta, Georgia power use was down by 4%
Southern Co. reported Monday Georgia Power customers had an impact during Earth Hour on March 29.Georgia Power users in Atlanta cut electricity usage about 4 percent during Earth Hour on March 29.
Ottawa dropped 4%:
"Saturday night, Hydro Ottawa measured Ottawa's usage at 892,467 kWh between 8 and 9 o'clock, a reduction of 37,114 kWh or 4% compared to the same hour on the previous Saturday."
Chicago, Illinois cut power use by 7%:
"According to an updated report fromComEd, customers turning off lights and other appliances during WorldWildlife Fund's Earth Hour reduced electricity use by 7 percent both in theCity of Chicago and throughout its Northern Illinois service territory."
Toronto dropped 8.7%:
"At 8:36 p.m., Toronto reached its goal. The numbers hit their lowest – 2738 Megawatts – at 8:54 p.m. That's an 8.7 per cent drop."
Manila, Phillipines dropped 10.2%:
"Conservationists hailed “Earth Hour,” which saw hundreds of government, private and residential establishments turn off their lights from 8 to 9 p.m. last Saturday as an “overwhelming success.”
Victoria, Australia usage dropped 10.1%:
"The event resulted in a 10.1 per cent drop in energy use across Melbourne's CBD between 8pm and 9pm, Citipower figures showed."
Yay, World! And then...
... there's Calgary:
"According to Enmax figures, though, energy consumption increased from 1,050 megawatts at 7:45 p.m. to a peak of 1,060 megawatts 30 minutes later."
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