Sunday, March 30, 2008

What if they gave an Earth Hour and nobody cared?

The Post: "Denver hardly plugged into 'Earth Hour'":
The well-known guitar over Denver's Hard Rock Cafe went dark Saturday night, as did ornamental lights strung in trees along the 16th Street Mall, but most businesses remained brightly lit during a global effort to dim lights and raise awareness of climate change.
I can see downtown from my office, and there was no difference at all during EH. Good going, Denver. But still a few dimbulbs turned out to witness the spectacle, such as it was:

Steve Hulsberg, 29, of Aurora, eagerly waited outside the Hard Rock for the moment.

"I especially came down here so I could see them turn off the lights," Hulsberg said. "It's good to see a global presence and I'm glad to see Denver's a part of it."

Hulsberg, an information technology worker, attended the Denver International Auto Show at the Colorado Convention Center before walking over to the mall to see the lights dim. He's looking to buy a hybrid Ford Escape or Toyota Highlander, he said, in the interest of being "green."

The Hard Rock dimmed lights inside and out. It was joined by the Virgin Megastore and Lucky Strike Lanes, which turned off their huge neon signs.

Ol' Steve must have crapped his pants at that.

Meanwhile, the marquee of the nearby Paramount Theater shone bright.

The Paramount wasn't alone, as businesses up and down the mall, both big and small, kept lights blazing, operating in the metaphorical dark when it came to Earth Hour.

Metaphorical dark? Ridiculously late to the story as the Post was, they did play a little catch-up with such unoriginal fatuousities as ideas about "how to live 'Earth Hour Every Day' by conserving energy at home, school and office"; "10 ideas for things to do with your hour of darkness [suicide, anyone?]"; and a reader thingie, "tell us what you'll do during Earth Hour."

The Rocky managed another squib. Neither paper has mentioned the Denver Newspaper Agency's alleged participation in the event.

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