I don't buy the Earth Hour claptrap

Freaking rant.

I initially wanted to join the whole Earth Hour claptrap until at eleventh hour the whole BS to me is just appalling when the fact struck me that event feels as hollow as celebrating Valentines Day. Most of the "celebrities" and people who are psyched by this event are probably hypocrites when it comes to doing real energy conservation.

For instance at 7.10 p.m someone I know someone from college sent me yet another SMS telling me to switch off lights at 8:30 till 9:30 p.m to "save planet earth" when this guy at college goes off to lunch everytime leaving the goddamn air-cond on in the practice room. His excuse? Cool down his instrument in order to preserve the pitch. >_>

Then I read in NST Zainal Abidin says he will switch off the lights in his house at 8:30 p.m then will spend the whole time doing BBQ with his family.

Thats like a crook saying he's giving up robbing banks and go raping women instead. You switch off lights and use CHARCOAL to fucking grill meat during the hour?

And as usual those hotels and reputable corporations are using the whole Earth Hour shit for cheap publicity, no need to deny them. Corporate responsibility my fucking ass. Announce loudly in newspapers your offices will switch off power completely or "non-essential lights" for that hour. Then rest of the freaking year your company would use 10 times more energy than a normal company would do eg: CEOs who drive petrol guzzling Jaguars, Mercedes or SUVs (hell worse, those who have private jets for Chrissakes). Companies who bulldozes forests and shoo away natives to build exclusive bunglos for the rich. Companies whose factories emit enough carbon to rival those in Beijing. List goes on.

Then shopping malls, hotels, etc are celebrating Earth Hour by inviting artists to perform in a candlelight or "low-powered", "unplugged" concert, organizing candlelit dinners, bla bla and naturally patrons will switch off lights at home and travel there with...petrol powered vehicles. Pointless exercise again unless you're one of the patrons who either take LRT, cycle or walk. Then you're getting a cookie from me at least.

You want to do your part in "saving earth"? First do watch Al gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth" regardless your political affliations or if you think Gore is a pretentious freaking liberal. Use air cond only when its absolutely necessary, even better if you're sleeping at night switch air-cond only for three hours then switch off and use electric fan for remaining night, like what I read in the paper. Minimize use of A4 papers, better use digital softcopy to submit your assignments. Try refuse plastic bags offered in supermarkets, if you do make sure they're recycled. Use containers whenever you tapau/takeaway cap fan, kai fun or whatever since polestrene is evil (which I'm struggling because polestrene is also convenient, but we all try). Whatever helpings you take in buffet, finish them or else smuggle your leftovers out for your dog to finish. The organizers will dump their foie gras, oysters, sashimis into the garbage bin anyways.

And of course, don't brag out loud to everyone you're a "green" hippy. Nobody will give you a medal for your efforts to conserve earth. Don't be like PETA hippies and make our lives miserable. Preach what you want, but don't shove them down their throats.