Earth (Half) Hour

It was exciting to hear that the icon of the LDS Church, the Salt Lake Temple, would be apart of Earth Hour 2009. From the hills north of the city, the view is spectacular and provided a good location to see the lights go out. It was exciting to actually see the temple lights turned off in support of an important moral issue of our time. Unfortunately, from this vantage point, the temple appeared to be the only building in the city participating in making a statement about climate change. I kept waiting for the State Capitol lights to go out, but they never did. Surprising for a city signed up as a 'participating city'.



So the lights on the temple went out at 8:30pm. I was hoping that the other temple lights seen from the hill (Draper and Jordan River) would also go out, but they didn't. Heading down the hill to Temple Square to get some up-close shots, I was surprised when the lights came back on at 9:00pm. The video only partially shows this, since I had to quickly grab the camera and turn it on. So instead of Earth Hour, we'll call this one Earth (Half) Hour. But it's a great start. Maybe we'll get the full hour next year. And maybe we'll get other temples and all of Temple Square involved as well. Hopefully the Church will continue such an active and visible role in increasing awareness about global warming.
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Salt Lake Temple Going Dark for Earth Hour

Earth Hour 2009 is shaping up to be the largest yet with widespread participation throughout the world, including Hollywood, the pyramids of Giza, Broadway theaters, the Acropolis of Athens, the Las Vegas Strip, and … … … the Salt Lake Temple.

That’s right, the lights on the Salt Lake Temple will be turned off from 8:30 - 9:30 pm tomorrow (Saturday) according to LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter.

He is quoted in the Salt Lake Tribune today as saying, "Prudent stewardship and wise use of resources are principles that Church leaders have emphasized throughout the history of the Church. The Church encourages its members to join with their fellow citizens in supporting worthy programs that will make their communities better places to live and raise their families."

Happy Earth Hour! (and don't forget to turn out those lights)
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