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Earth Day is celebrated with hour of no power at various times, places
By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal
Published on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
Archbishop Hoban High School was darker on Tuesday.
To participate in LightsOut Akron, artificial lighting in all the classrooms was either turned off completely or cut in half, said science teacher and organizer Matt Bryant.
''It's not going to save a lot of money and it's not going to save the planet,'' he said. ''It's getting people to think about what the right thing to do is. . . . It's raising awareness and it's a step toward environmental stewardship.''
Hoban President Brother Kenneth Haders said hallway lighting was cut in half at the 903-student school and lights were turned off in the school's second gymnasium, which is only used for a few gym classes.
Lights in the cafeteria were cut on the side of the building by the windows, he said.
For a time, only one overhead light was on in the school's main office, with staffers relying on illumination from six windows.
That office darkness was ''a little weird,'' Haders said. ''I'd like a little light, enough to say, 'Welcome. We're here.'
'' . . . It is an awareness booster and forces us to look at our habits,'' he said of the effort.
Other area schools and offices joined Hoban in celebrating Earth Day 2008 by participating in LightsOut Akron, a grass-roots campaign backed by the Sierra Club. Most turned off lights from 8 to 9 a.m.
In addition, Summit County residents were asked to turn off lights at home from 8 to 9 p.m.
The Akron Public Schools that turned off unneeded lights were Barber, Barrett, Bettes, Buchtel, Crouse, Essex, Forest Hill, Glover, Hatton, Mason, McElbright, Innes, Rankin, Resnik, Robinson, Schumacher, Seiberling and Stewart.
Other participants included Summit County, GOJO Industries, Americhem, the Nervous Dog Saloon, Summa Health System's Internal Medicine Center, Copley High School and the Akron Beacon Journal.
At GOJO Industries, all three Akron facilities — the corporate offices, the manufacturing center and the distribution center — participated, said Angela Watkins, manager of communications and media relations. The drive ''was well received'' by employees, she said.
City spokesman Mark Williamson said many Akron employees turned their lights off from 8 to 9 a.m. and left them off if there was enough natural light in the work area.
Tuesday night, the city turned off unneeded lights in the Municipal Building, the CitiCenter, the Stubbs Justice Center and the Morley Health Center, Williamson said. Roof lights were also turned off in city parking garages.
Among the evening participants in dimming lights was rocker Chrissie Hynde's VegiTerranean restaurant.
LightsOut Akron organizers Rich Fein and Carolyn Boyce said measuring the success of the effort will be very difficult.
It's been warmly received and organizers are pleased with the support, Fein said, but relatively few people signed up online, pledging their participation, and that makes it very difficult to quantify the success.
''A lot of people are aware of what we're doing and are excited about it,'' he said. ''And that's a good start for our first year. We feel that we've accomplished a lot and can grow from here.''
Judy Mohan, an environmental science teacher at Hoban, said her school decided to mark Earth Day by doing more than just turning off lights for an hour.
Sticky notes were attached to light switches, asking staff, teachers and students to refrain from turning on lights for the whole day.
The school also scheduled an Earth Day Festival, featuring organic food and reduced waste, in the afternoon.
Hoban junior Adam Hamad of Cuyahoga Falls called LightsOut Akron worthwhile. It was a chance to show individuals that their actions can make a difference, he said.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.
Archbishop Hoban High School was darker on Tuesday.
Get the full article here.
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