Events Calendar
In This Section
Unusual sports bar to be sold at auction
Akron City Council OKs higher speed on I-77
Needy may get break from Akron on sewer costs
Two remarkable people enter centennial spotlight
Akron home prices rank best in college-town poll
Ex-Peninsula police chief contends he was unfairly targeted
Retired Green officer finally gets Bronze Star
Most Read Stories
Unusual sports bar to be sold at auction
Motorcyclist killed, wife injured in Stark County crash
Family found dead in Ohio home
Man says he was punched, robbed by 3 people in parking lot
Man gets 3 years in prison for having sex with horse
Bank helps more save their homes
Circle K on Brown Street robbed
Woman says clinic refused to help her get pregnant because she's not married
Blogs:
Pets:
Cats are trainable — and that's not a punchline
The Heldenfiles:
Monday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Time for Kokinis, Browns to agree and part ways
Akron Zips:
Zips tip off tomorrow
Tribe Matters:
Indians announce spring dates
Cleveland Browns:
Mangini doesn't name a quarterback
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – November 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Shaq: It’s All About Winning Championships
Buckeye Blogging:
Weekly ‘B’ Deck Report – New Mexico St.
Varsity Letters:
Walsh Jesuit’s Caponi commits to Duquesne
All Da King's Men:
If It Looks Like Islamic Terrorism…
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Dems Message To Women: Don't Enjoy The Sex
Akron Law Café:
Abortion Analogies
See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Clock Tender- Extending the Life of Collector Car Clocks
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Rumors: Akron Starbucks Closing
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Jack is looking for a trip to Southern Ohio the week of November 16.
Sound Check:
The Black Keys to perform benefit concert at Musica on November 27
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
New 'Call of Duty' could set entertainment record
Conservationists prepare to turn off lights for hour
By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal
Published on Monday, Mar 31, 2008
Rich Fein and Carolyn Boyce want lights to go out in Summit County on April 22.
They are spearheadingLightsOut Akron, a new local event for Earth Day to raise awareness of climate change.
Summit County residents, businesses and governments are being asked to turn off nonessential lights from 8 to 9 p.m. April 22.
That action is a simple, first step toward saving energy and reducing greenhouse gases that cause global warming, said Fein, 53, founder of LightsOut Akron and the energy and conservation committee co-chairman of the Sierra Club's Portage Trail Group.
''We are emphasizing that people turn off nonessential lights,'' said Fein, an Akron resident. ''It's a small step . . . but it's a very important effort.''
He said residents and businesses aren't being asked to turn off all the lights.
''You don't need to switch to candle power to be part ofLightsOut,'' he said, ''and we don't want you to do that. . . . We want you to leave one light on — the light in the room you are in. It doesn't take much effort to keep the rest off.''
Boyce, 38, a Munroe Falls resident who's the lead organizer, said LightsOut Akron is designed to rally people to the energy-conservation cause. Plans call for the event to be repeated annually.
Organizing such a campaign is ''more than a little bit daunting,'' she said, '' . . . but the excitement from others keeps me going.''
Fein said volunteers are being recruited to canvass their neighborhoods to get more people involved in LightsOut Akron.
Those interested in participating in the event or in volunteering can sign up at the Web site http://www.lightsoutakron.org.
Information about LightsOutAkron will be available at customer service desks at all Acme Fresh Market stores in Summit County. And Saturday, volunteers will have sign-up tables at six Acme stores: in West Akron, Ellet, Hudson, Cuyahoga Falls, Coventry Township and Bath Township.
''We consider LightsOut Akron to be more than a one-night happening,'' said Jim Trout, vice president of merchandising and sales for Acme Fresh Market. ''It's a simple step toward developing a long-term pro-environmental habit — night after night.''
WAPS-FM 91.3 (The Summit) is another sponsor ofLightsOut Akron.
The first LightsOut program was held Oct. 20 in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
A similar program was held the previous March in Sydney, Australia. Dubbed Earth Hour, it drew 2.2 million participants and reduced energy demands by 10.2 percent for the hour.
Earth Hour was held again at 8 p.m. Saturday in Sydney and 23 other cities around the globe, including Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, Phoenix and San Francisco.
Fein started looking into creating LightsOut Akron last fall after hearing about the California event.
Measuring the success of the grass-roots effort in Akron will be difficult, he said, but it's important to get people to start thinking about energy conservation and fighting climate change.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.
Rich Fein and Carolyn Boyce want lights to go out in Summit County on April 22.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
