Last night Chicago participated in Earth Hour 2008, a global campaign to raise awareness of climate change. For one hour, cities around the world asked citizens and businesses to turn off unnecessary lights to encourage people to start thinking about ways they can reduce their impact on the environment.
In anticipation of the event, I was in position at 7:55PM local time at Water Tower Park near the top of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, to watch the city fade to dark. Hoping for something between the strip’s usual luminance and a darkness that encourages looting, the results of Chicago’s first Earth Hour were certainly mixed.
At 8:00, the lights at the top of the John Hancock center went black, leaving the red warning lights at the top of its antennae hanging in the sky. The ancient sign announcing the Allerton Hotel’s “Tip-Top-Tap” faded out. And that was about it from my vantage point. Perhaps 25% of the businesses on the storied street joined the event. Various hotels darkened their lobbies; some handing out glow lights to their guests. Banana Republic, for example, darkened their signage and display windows. But an overwhelming number of retailers, from Sak’s Fifth Avenue to the Apple store to Nike Town were operating business as usual. So, from street level, it was pretty difficult to notice any difference if you were not looking for it in advance. I’m hopeful that in coming years Chicago’s participation, no matter how symbolic the event may be, will rise to a level that truly makes a statement.
Around 8:15, the floods illuminating the stone and mortar Water Tower finally went dark. Even an “Earth 45 Minutes” is a start.
In anticipation of the event, I was in position at 7:55PM local time at Water Tower Park near the top of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, to watch the city fade to dark. Hoping for something between the strip’s usual luminance and a darkness that encourages looting, the results of Chicago’s first Earth Hour were certainly mixed.
At 8:00, the lights at the top of the John Hancock center went black, leaving the red warning lights at the top of its antennae hanging in the sky. The ancient sign announcing the Allerton Hotel’s “Tip-Top-Tap” faded out. And that was about it from my vantage point. Perhaps 25% of the businesses on the storied street joined the event. Various hotels darkened their lobbies; some handing out glow lights to their guests. Banana Republic, for example, darkened their signage and display windows. But an overwhelming number of retailers, from Sak’s Fifth Avenue to the Apple store to Nike Town were operating business as usual. So, from street level, it was pretty difficult to notice any difference if you were not looking for it in advance. I’m hopeful that in coming years Chicago’s participation, no matter how symbolic the event may be, will rise to a level that truly makes a statement.
Around 8:15, the floods illuminating the stone and mortar Water Tower finally went dark. Even an “Earth 45 Minutes” is a start.
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