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BLACKOUT CHRISTMAS
4 December 2006

THE LIGHTS ARE ON, BUT NO ONE'S HOME

     Global Action Plan : Square Mile : Stern Warning
 [ A midnight survey of buildings in the City of London by the environmental charity Global Action Plan found that businesses in the Square Mile are wasting £17 million and producing 200,000 tonnes of unnecessary carbon dioxide per year by illuminating empty offices. This staggering level of emissions is equivalent to those produced by 346,000 flights from London to New York and this amount of CO2 would fill the inside of a million bendy buses with gas. A recent report by the Government’s chief economist warned of economic disaster threatened by climate change, but many offices in the Square Mile are obviously not switched on to the problem, as 44% were found to have left their lights on at an hour that employees are typically no longer in the building. It’s not only bad for the environment, it’s horrible business. This energy wastage amounts to £17million being spent to light empty offices throughout the City. Should companies decide to follow the growing trend and pay another organisation to offset these carbon emissions, this could cost a further £2million to try to repair the damage done by unnecessarily lighting up the night. ]
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=email_en&refer=uk&sid=aW2TBo8awQww

You are warmly invited to take part in the pushiest Power Party on the Planet to celebrate Pre-Christmas on Monday 4th December 2006. Switch off all your heating systems, electrical appliances and lights for at least four hours, some time during the day, and yes, that can include the fridge.

Climate Change is serious, people, and is making deserts out of forests, wiping out harvests and fresh water supplies. The habitat and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people are at risk, and Climate Refugees to the UK will include returning British pensioners from burned-out southern Spain, as well as flood victims from South Asia.

Drought, floods, extreme storms, sustained famine and disease epidemics threaten to undermine the Global Economy within a few decades, destroying natural ecological wealth. Not only is the Climate Changing, it is going absolutely wild, out of control with all the extra heat in the weather systems.

The principal cause of Global Warming is the rising Carbon Dioxide emissions into the atmosphere from the burning of Fossil Fuels : for electricity generation, transport, manufacturing, industry, space heating and air conditioning.

STOP BURNING IT UP : START TURNING IT OUT

On Monday 4th December 2006, we want you to Turn Off.

Switch out your lights, pull the plug on anything on standby, and apply the magical power of OFF to electrical appliances for as long as possible.

DO THIS AT HOME

You know where the light switches are at home. Use them.

The refrigerator can cope for an hour or so without power. It's cool. It's Winter, this time of year, so your cabbage won't wilt. Honest.

Admit it : you're addicted to electronic media. Fight that habit for a day.

And to get back some head space, why not leave the television unwatched and read a book or a magazine ?

Wear more clothes and turn down the natural gas central heating thermostat. Jump around to raise the temperature if you feel a little parky. Problem solved.

Jog instead of lounge. Get busy instead of slouching !

DO THIS AT YOUR LOCAL RETAIL OUTLET

Have you not harboured a loathing for artifical decorations half your life ? Go to your local shops and ask them to turn out the Christmas tree lights, the light ropes, the neon Christmas signs...

DO THIS AT YOUR WORK PLACE

Play dice to decide who is going to be named Energy Watch of the day. Nominate someone to turn out the lights in the whole of the office building at the end of the day.

Give someone the responsiblity for switching off faxes, photocopiers, coffee machines, water coolers, fans, space heaters, televisions, computers, computer monitors, printers, back-lit advertising displays...

Off with those workplace heating furnaces ! Off with that air con ! Off with those water boilers !

DO THIS AS YOU MOVE AROUND TOWN

We love it when people take the bus or the train instead of an aeroplane. Or even more lovely, don't go at all : make the call by telephone or videoconferencing.

We would like to ask you to walk or ride a bicycle, instead of driving a car.

DO THIS AS YOU PARTY

Instead of burning piles of Carbon on 4th December 2006, we want to invite you to party as Low Carbon Humans with your friends and family.

Throw the first pre-Christmas Supper in your street, powered only by candlelight, with Organic Mulled Wine and Vegetarian Mince Pies warmed over a tealight hot plate.

For Christmas Party Pastimes in the green positive living world : tell stories and play games all evening, instead of watching a DVD film.

DO THIS AS YOU RELAX

Go for a walk somewhere peaceful.

Write Christmas Letters to your loved ones instead of sending them a mass-produced bland card.

Cycle to the local market, tidy up an unkempt corner.

Get out to the vegetable plot to prepare for 2007 : Dig for Victory to keep warm.

Climate Change is a global risk : we are in a time of ecological stress and we have to fight energy abuse and destructive consumption.

This is personal. It's political. And it's for real.

The Climate Change disaster is playing out in real time.

We need the shops to turn off the lights in their Christmas display windows.
We need the car showrooms to go without custom.
We need the airlines to feel the future through a drop in ticket sales.
We need British Gas to contract its business.
We need leaky BP pipelines to close permanently.

We must learn to Cut the Carbon, and we must learn soon. We have maybe ten years to make the change. Let's start now.

The United Kingdom is directly responsible for only 2% of the world's Carbon Dioxide emissions - but we buy goods and services from countries around the world - so we are really responsible for much, much more.

On 4 December 2006, fight your Energy Addiction with the Carbon Coach and BLACKOUT LONDON.

Come Off The Black Stuff :-
http://www.comeoffit.org

ENERGY DEMAND REDUCTION IS THE FIRST AND BEST RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

So drop it.



CUT THE CHRISTMAS CARBON !

Cut the Carbon this Christmas 2006 and be squeaky green and clean.

Here are some ways in which you can Cut the Carbon. Some of them are deadly serious and some of them are earnestly fun. All of them are views from a less-stressful, less-powerful style of living, and require much less Carbon Energy than the average pursuit of freedom and happiness.

Let us know if you enjoy following the advice !


SHOP GREEN

Buy Nothing Christmas :-
http://www.adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/bnd_xmas
http://www.buynothingchristmas.org

Buy Nothing Day : 25 November 2006 :-
http://www.buynothingday.co.uk
http://www.adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_Nothing_Day

Reverend Billy : The Church of Stop Shopping :-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzVWqbtEViA

Friends of the Earth : Green Christmas :-
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/faqs/questions/green_christmas.html

Buy Green for Christmas 2006 :-
http://www.greenguide.co.uk/files/GG_Xmas_2006_Sampler.pdf

Buy Local Food :-
http://www.farmersmarkets.net
http://www.bigbarn.co.uk
http://www.localfoodworks.org
http://www.localfood.org.uk/links.htm

Eat Organic :-
http://www.riverford.co.uk
http://www.abel-cole.co.uk
http://www.alotoforganics.co.uk/cats/food.php


GROW GREEN

Plant Trees for a Carbon Neutral 2007 :-
http://www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign
http://www.treeforall.org.uk
http://www.treesforcities.org
http://www.native-tree-shop.com


TRAVEL GREEN

Replacing Your Car ? Buy A Twike :-
http://www.twike.com


CARBON ZERO : DE-CARBONISE

Buy Zero Carbon Virtual Gifts :-
http://shop.christianaid.org.uk/page/home
http://www.farmfriends.org.uk
http://www.goodgifts.org
http://www.oxfamunwrapped.com
http://www.giftsinaction.org.uk
http://worldgifts.cafod.org.uk

Go Carbon Neutral : Go Carbon Offset :-
http://www.carbonneutral.com/shop/index.asp
http://www.climatecare.org.uk


EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION

Learn & Green :-
http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/about_us/9.asp
http://www.christian-aid.org.uk/climatechange/index.htm
http://www.christian-ecology.org.uk/noah/index.htm


GREEN PROMISE

Take The Challenge : Make The Pledge :-
http://www.icount.org.uk
http://www.christian-ecology.org.uk/noah/cov.htm
http://www.greenribbonpledge.com/pledge/index.html
http://www.actionearth.org/actions-pledge.php
http://www.cred-uk.org/CentralContent.aspx?intCID=20

What You Can Do :-
36 Ways You Can Stop Nuclear Power : And Still Combat Climate Change
Ten Key Actions (Scroll Down The Page)
Top Ten Things You Can Do
Ten Ways To Go Green
Recycle Your Batteries

Cool Carbon Lifestyle :-
Trewin Restorick from Global Action Plan speaks

Detox 2007 With the Green 12 Steps :-
http://www.pressureworks.org.uk/lifestyle/step01.html


ARTFUL GREEN

News & Views : Rising Tide Climate Action :-
http://risingtide.org.uk/pipermail/rt-news


CHRISTMAS CRAFT FUN

Make Your Own Paper Chains (And Other Fun Things) :-
http://www.glynnorigami.co.uk
http://origami.kvi.nl/models/garland/index.htm
http://www.britishorigami.info/fun/sunglasses.htm

Stop Flying : Just Fold Paper Aeroplanes Instead :-
http://bestpaperairplanes.com
http://www.paperairplanes.co.uk/planes.php
http://www.glynnorigami.co.uk/Glider.pdf

Fold Christmas Trees :-
http://www.wgn.net/~nienhuis/pinebig.jpg
http://rfoelker.sites.uol.com.br/pinheiro.gif

Fold Christmas Stars :-
http://www.mathematische-basteleien.de/froebelsstar.html


e-mail us : info @ blackoutlondon . net

Cut the Carbon by 90% to Save the Future




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