Moving forward

Again, Lights Out San Francisco was a huge success, thanks to all of you! We'd also like to extend a special thank you to the photographers who took some amazing before and after photos for us.

If you liked what you saw in Dolores Park last Saturday, check out what else Teacher with the Bus has to offer.

Building off of all the positive responses we've received from folks across the country and even around the world, we're moving forward with Lights Out America. Please join us in taking it to the next level by participating in Lights Out America on March 29th, 2008!

THANK YOU!

A big thanks to all who participated in Lights Out last night! We are especially grateful to Jens-Peter Jungclaussen the Teacher With The Bus and all of our volunteers who made the event a great success. We had a good time in Dolores Park, and we hope that you had some fun in the dark too.

Here are some photos from before and during the event at Dolores:

Google Turns Out Lights In Support

Ok this is very cool...our friends at Google have "turned out the lights" on their homepage for users in the Bay Area. I can see it but some friends are not seeing it yet. It may take some time for the page to find its way to all the local servers? They have written a special page for us as well: http://www.google.com/lightsoutsf/

Thanks Google!

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT!

Turn off your lights from 8-9pm and do one of the following, or think up your own way to make good things happen in the dark!

-Treat yourself (and someone else) to a candlelight dinner at one of our participating restaurants.

-Help us out by taking photos and emailing them to pictures@lightsoutsf.org.

-JOIN US IN DOLORES PARK FOR FREE MUSIC!!!

Governor Schwarzenegger Supports Lights Out San Francisco

Yet another signal of support from our fearless leader in Sacramento. Governor Schwarzenegger shares his support for Lights Out San Francisco. He calls it an "illuminating" event!

Nancy Pelosi supports Lights Out San Francisco

We just learned that our very own, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi issued a statement in support of Lights Out. Thanks very much for the support...

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Pelosi Statement on Lights Out San Francisco

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement regarding Lights Out San Francisco, a city-wide conservation event in which organizers are inviting the entire San Francisco community to install one compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) and turn off all non-essential lighting from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.:

"Climate change presents a challenge to the survival of our planet. While there is an urgent need for decisive action to address climate change and greenhouse gas reduction nationally and globally, we must act locally as well.

"Solutions to the climate crisis must be as local as our neighborhoods and as global as the planet. By taking part in Lights Out San Francisco, each resident will be taking a positive step towards reducing green house gases emissions on a local level.

"Thank you to the visionary organizers of Lights Out San Francisco and to the many businesses, residents and visitors who will participate in turning out the lights in San Francisco and helping to reduce the energy consumption in our city."

Thanks to Craigslist

This just in.

Our good friends at Craigslist posted a link from their homepages in San Francisco and LA. Thanks guys...this will definitely help raise awareness of our event and save energy.

Help from some young friends

A big thanks to Raymond, Ryan and their friends at Holy Name School! They helped us pass out CFLs and information about LOSF at their elementary school. You guys have been a great help!

Arctic Warming

Evidence of global warming is made quite apparent by the disappearance of ice in the Arctic. Today, the New York Times ran an article demonstrating these effects: "New Coast Guard Task in Arctic's Warming Seas.

For more information on the effects of climate change take a look at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Arctic Report Card, which "indicate[s] that the overall warming of the Arctic system continued in 2007."

Not sure what to do when the lights go out?

-Treat yourself (and someone else) to a candlelight dinner at one of our participating restaurants.

-Help us out by taking photos and emailing them to pictures@lightsoutsf.org.

-Learn How to Celebrate Candle Night.

-JOIN US IN DOLORES PARK FOR FREE MUSIC!!!

Today's Press Conference

The LOSF team and some of our great supporters stood on the steps of City Hall today for a press conference. Watch for us this evening on KPIX-TV at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m, and possibly KRON-TV at 5 p.m.


Thanks also to YOUR TV20 for doing a great story on LOSF.

More humor

Thanks to Dan Piraro for giving me permission to post his Bizarro cartoon!

CFL info re-post

We've been getting quite a few emails and questions regarding CFLs. Below you will find some information that I hope will prove useful:

5 Ways to Recycle a CFL

How to live with CFLs

Sierra Club's "Mr. Green" on CFLs

In response to those of you who have asked about "dimmable" and other types of CFLs, I suggest you inquire about them at your local hardware store or search online.

Yesterday I spoke with a representative from the SF Department of the Environment about the best way to dispose of used incandescent bulbs. Unfortunately, the best way to dispose of them is to put them in the garbage. The good news is that, if you're replacing your incandescent bulbs with CFLs, you'll be saving resources in the long-run!

Lights Out Humor

Thanks so much to Michael Capozzola for creating an awesome LOSF cartoon! Click cartoon to enlarge.

Stargazing with San Francisco Amateur Astronomers

Our friends, the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers, are hosting a City Public Star Party on Saturday at Lands End (Point Lobos) beginning at sunset. There will be a lecture, followed by public viewing. For more information, visit their Calendar of Events.

Press update

LOSF and Lights Out America are popping up all over the local and national media. Over the past few days, we've been featured in or on abc7news, CBS 5, Inside Bay Area, Flavorpill SF, Flex Your Power Energy News, Marin Independent Journal, SFist, San Francisco Sentinel, KCBS, and Curbed SF.

We've also appeared in the following blogs: The Sundance Channel Blog, Adventures in Urban Living, National Geographic Traveller's Intelligent Travel", SOS Live Earth, Metroblogging San Francisco, The PosiPeople Blog, and a new us.

For the most updated news coverage of Lights Out, you can search Google News to find out who's covered us.

Weather report

Hmmm. Things are looking cloudy for the 20th. Keep your fingers crossed and hope for clear skies.
Report

Nate

Thanks to volunteers, press update

Thanks so much to all the great folks who joined us yesterday on Peter’s vegetable oil-fueled bus to help spread the word about LOSF! Pictured: Friends of the Urban Forest Executive Director Kelly Quirke and his daughter Calliope hand out Lights Out SF info and free compact fluorescent light bulbs in Noe Valley.

Recent Press: Thanks to Scott Beale from Laughing Squid for including us in his Blog and to Kevin, who included us in SF City Dish.

Eater SF wrote about Saturday’s candle light dinners, and The Examiner covered our Bus Tour.

An interview with our own Brian Scott aired this weekend on Sierra Club Radio. Listen here, and an interview with Nate also aired on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.


Also, watch for interviews with Nate and Brian on tonight’s news! ABC7News, CBS 5, and NBC Channel 11 all came into our office today to inquire about Lights Out.

For an updated list of news, stayed tuned to our website.

A post for Blog Action Day

In honor of Blog Action Day, I'd like to point out an article the SF Chronicle ran on Sunday. Cities throughout California are setting up solar-powered parking lots. According to the Chronicle, “[a]lthough the demand for electricity peaks on days when the sun shines brightest, solar power accounts for less than 1 percent of California's total electricity supply”. Wouldn’t it be great to harness more energy from this life-giving star at the center of our solar system? For more information, read “Solar-powered parking lots”.

Help us out and have fun too!

This Sunday, join LOSF and the Teacher with the Bus get a free ride on the coolest buses in town and help promote energy conservation at the same time!

We need to spread the word about October 20th to everyone in San Francisco. That's where you come in. On this Sunday, October 14th at 10:30AM the plan is to transport friends and volunteers all over the city in both of Peter's veggie-oil buses in order to pass out CFLs and info, and paint the city with posters. You are all invited to join us. Please pass along the info below to your friends. We'll meet at the LOSF office at 2548 Mission St. (between 21st & 22nd), where there will be a brief orientation. Afterward, we'll head out to see how much of the city we can cover. If you'd like to attend please RSVP to
volunteer@lightsoutsf.org by the end of the day October 13th.

You may stay as long as you like, but there will be occasional drop-offs at public transportation stations if you'd like to leave before we stop. There will be music and water provided, but please feel free to bring food and libations. If you choose to drink, we trust you will do so responsibly, as you will be representing LOSF. This is a fun opportunity to combine fun and activism. We hope to see you this Sunday! Again, if you'd like to attend please RSVP to
volunteer@lightsoutsf.org.

Also, reserve between 5-9pm on October 20th in Dolores Park for a LOSF celebration with DJ Mancub, Beatropilis & a surprise unamplifed contributor while the lights are out!

Eco news

According to the New Economics Foundation, "[t]he world moved into 'ecological overdraft' on Saturday, the point at which human consumption exceeds the ability of the earth to sustain it in any year and goes into the red". While it is not definite that this is the case, the article "World moves into the ecological red" includes some very scary and eye-opening facts. This one struck me as particularly poignant:

"If everyone in the world had the same consumption rates as in the United States it would take 5.3 planet earths to support them, NEF said, noting that the figure was 3.1 for France and Britain, 3.0 for Spain, 2.5 for Germany and 2.4 for Japan."



Thank you to Graham, who wrote in to alert us of an article entitled "Is light pollution killing out birds?" which states:

"Recent research has shown a reduction in the populations of moths, spiders, sparrows and amphibians, supporting the case for light pollution being considered a threat to the environment as well as to astronomers - who find the glare interfering with their observations - and householders - who complain of the visual intrusion caused by security lights and insensitive street lighting."

Visit www.lightpollution.org to download a PDF of the entire article.

Just some more food for thought.

Green Resources

It's been a while since I've posted something other than event notices and media mentions. Today I'd like to take a moment to direct you all toward a few green resources.

NRDC has a Green Living Toolkit, where you will find a comprehensive list of well-written guides, tips, and other resources that will help you live a more sustainable lifestyle.

Treehugger also has a good collection of Go Green Guides, which include everything from "How to Green Your Community" to "How to Green Your Pet."

And, even more importantly, news about pending legislation and global warming appears every day. According to an AP writeup by H. Josef Hebert, last week the EPA "examined the long-term impact of three climate change bills being considered in the Senate, each of which would cap carbon dioxide emissions from cars, industry and power plants with an goal of reducing greenhouse gas releases by 60 to 65 percent by mid-century". For the entire article, read "EPA: Competing Bills Achieve Same Goal".

Today's press

Today (actually, tomorrow...) we were featured in The Sydney Morning Herald.

We were also reviewed on Yelp!.

Hop on board the bus with us again this Sunday!

We'll be at it again this Sunday, October 14th. Our friend Peter, the Teacher with the Bus has graciously offered not one, but BOTH of his buses for us to use this Sunday. His buses are big, grey, and hard to miss.

This time we plan to fill both of Peter's buses with friends and volunteers in order to pass out CFLs and info, and paint the city with our posters. We’ll start at our office in the Mission, and then head out. It's a blast, so
e-mail us and join in. Or, track us down and get your FREE energy-efficient light bulb!

Thank to all those who supported us by coming to Medjool!

It was great seeing you all on Medjool's Sky Terrace last night! Many thanks to Gus for offering up his space.

Thanks again to our Castro St. fair volunteers!

A big thank you to Richard, Eileen, and Jenna who volunteered with us at the Castro St. Fair on Sunday. What a great day! We distributed over 500 CFLs, along with lots of brochures and posters.

Do you want to help us out this weekend? We will be at Oktoberfest at the Fort Mason Center on Saturday and on Sunday we will continuing our famous bus tour around the city. Drop us a line at volunteer@lightsoutsf.org and let us know if you can give us a hand!

LOSF (and Nate) on "Living on Earth"; today's blog shout-out

Nate had the opportunity to talk about LOSF on NPR's "Living On Earth", which aired this weekend. I think the segment turned out well. Check it out.

Thanks go to Michael and Scott, for including us in their greenerImpact blog.

Fun times on the bus, success at the Castro St. Fair, and more fun times at Medjool tonight!

Thanks to all those who joined us yesterday on Peter's bus to help us spread the word about LOSF!


Brendan reported that tabling at Castro St. Fair was a success. Approximately 500 CFLs distributed, along with lots of brochures and posters. Lots of comments to the effect of "Yeah, I've heard about you guys..." Go Brendan!

Also, please join us tonight at 6:30pm at Medjool from 6:30-9:30pm. Medjool is located at 2522 Mission St.--the LOSF team will be on the rooftop. We're looking forward to seeing you all there.

PG&E plans to give away 1 million CFLs

Yesterday the Lights Out team visited the Energy Star bus at Safeway in the Marina. PG&E was present there as well, and they announced that they have made a deal with Safeway to sell CFLs at a discount as well. PG&E also plans to give away 1 million energy efficient light bulbs. PG&E estimates over the lifetime of the 1 million bulbs - if they're installed in California homes - will save more 400,000 megawatts of electricity and eliminate 200,000 tons of greenhouse gases.

Thank you to Michael, for adding us to his greenerImpact blog.

Today's Blog Mentions

Thanks to Hallie McClave, who wrote about us for Flex Your Power’s e-Newswire and Blog Archives.

Repell-em Blog, Heart of Green, and mom go green also blogged about us today. Thanks, fellow bloggers, for helping us spread the word!

More green publicity

Today we made it into The Daily Green, as well as TreeHugger.

And more to come, I'm sure!

Turn Off The Lights

How much energy do your appliances use?

A friend asked me if even her flat iron uses electricity if it's plugged in, but not in use. While I was unable to find out about flat irons, I found a helpful website that explains electricity usage. Generally speaking, anything with a display will draw a charge even if it is off. Appliances that run off transformers also draw a charge. Learn more.

Reminder: Fundraiser at Medjool on Monday, October 8th

Here's the Evite.

Lights Out hits the streets!

Keep an eye out for us around the city this Sunday, October 7th. Our friend Peter, the Teacher with the Bus has graciously offered not one, but BOTH of his veggie oil-fueled buses for us to use to spread the word about LOSF.

Our plan is to transport friends and volunteers in order to pass out CFLs and info, and paint the city with our posters. We’ll start at our office in the Mission, and then head toward the Haight and Golden Gate Park. Track us down and get your FREE energy-efficient light bulb! If you miss us this weekend, we will also be out and about on Sunday, October 14th.

More info to come…

Lights Out on TV!

Nate appeared today on national news! Check him out on Fox News.

Inhabitat has also featured us on their website.

Lights Out America!

We’re excited to announce the launch of our nationwide effort. For more information, stay tuned to lightsoutamerica.org.

Rolling right along...

According to PG&E, by handing out 100K lightbulbs we will prevent the release of 18,600 tons of green house gases into the air. This is equal to the removal of 2,600 cars off the road permanently!

In other news, MSNBC featured the AP article about LOSF.

The Sydney Morning Herald Sydney Morning Herald reprinted the LA Times write-up about Nate and LOSF.

Over the past few days, Lights Out LA appeared in several papers and online publications. For more info, please visit lightsoutla.org.

For an interesting look at the “life cycle” of a white board marker and it’s impact on the earth, have a look at Cradle to Grave.

Thanks to a friend, I’m now aware of a low-energy Google search engine. Check it out.