Earth Hour!

Earth Hour 2009 is coming up on March 28. At 8:30 PM, you are supposed to stop using electricity!

I like the concept but I have a few comments.

Last year, I believe, they had this and instead of everyone doing it at 8:30 PM at their local time, they had one time for the whole world, so the time for the east coast in the U.S. was something like 2:00 AM. Now, I guess they wised up and will make everyone enjoy no power during prime time.

When I first heard "Earth Hour" was coming up (thanks for the email, Firefighter), I thought "Oh, it must be on April 22, Earth Day." I mean, it would make sense, right? Let's have Earth Hour on Earth Day! But, alas, no, they didn't.

Then I started thinking, could I survive a whole DAY with no electricity? First thing in the morning, alarm clock. Can I get a hand-crank alarm clock? Yes, they have those. But I wonder if it's loud enough to wake me up?

What about the refrigerator? Even if only during Earth Hour, should I unplug it? Or better yet, why don't I just switch the main breaker off?

If I were to go without electricity, what about my computer? Can I get enough solar power from a solar panel to run my Dell Hybrid, super energy efficient computer? Those panels are expensive though, can I make my own?

I already have fluorescent bulbs in all my fixtures, I have the energy efficient computer, I have all Energy Star appliances (except my stove). I think I'm going to strive to reduce my dependency on electricity even further!

Can I do more? I need a wind turbine and solar panels!