Cook during your own private earth hour, sort of

by Shayna Glick, Posted Apr 2nd 2008 @ 7:35PM

A cutting board with a knife and lots of cut up cheese.

Did you hear about Earth Hour, which happened last week? Everyone was supposed to turn out all their lights for one hour on March 29 in an effort to bring attention to global warming, and reduce their energy consumption a little. This is your chance to do a cooking version of Earth Hour, and join a blog event that can be fun and good for the planet.

Really, it doesn't even have to be about Earth Hour. This could be really fun. The blog event is called "Lights Out, Knives Out". The premise is that you turn off all non essential appliances, equipment, and lights to cook a meal, and to do this at least once a month. You can still cook with the oven/stove, of course, and anything you think is necessary.

The point is to prepare the meal using as little energy as necessary, then to share your experience with everyone else. You can get all the details here. It sounds like a lot of fun: cooking by candlelight and preparing food by hand.
It would be an adventure for those of us who are dependent on the food processor!

[Via Is My Blog Burning]

Filed Under: On the Blogs, Food Quest
Tags: blogevent, EarthHour, energy, Food Quest

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

4-02-2008 @8:47PM Nick said... Interesting idea but it's effects could never be measured. Still not a bad idea to cut back on bills a bit and also save the environment a little bit.

- The Peanut Butter Boy
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4-02-2008 @9:00PM Nick said... Oh and I can't believe I missed Earth Hour, I was totally going to do that....Oh well, I'll do my own earth hour tonight =)

- The Peanut Butter Boy
http://www.peanutbutterboy.com
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4-02-2008 @11:10PM Big John said... Turn the lights off, get the knives out... this will end badly.

I get the idea, but that's a pretty poor way to send the message.
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4-03-2008 @8:31AM LinC said... This whole thing is silly. If I use my microwave for five minutes to bake a potato instead of using my oven for 30, it saves energy. Yet these people would like me to go dig a hole in my back yard, build a fire, warm some rocks and bake my potato in the dark. Feh. The fire "saves energy" but causes other environmental problems like smoke and carbon monoxide. These simplistic solutions to complex problems are just feel-goods. Instead of asking us to turn out the lights for an hour, why doesn't the Government require the oil companies to use some of their mega-millions in profits to develop alternative energy sources?!
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4-03-2008 @9:47AM doodoolemonque said... I enjoy my own little "Lights Out, Knives Out" every time I get lazy and make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead of dinner. As often as I do this, I deserve a Nobel Prize by now, no?
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4-03-2008 @7:50PM Beti said... At my house, this is simply called a "power failure" and happens when the wind is knocking down trees, or someone hits and power pole with their car. Gas ranges rule!
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4-04-2008 @9:44AM Celine said... Hi guys

Thanks Shayna for posting about Lights Out, Knives Out (LOKO). I'm Celine, the administrator of the event, and would like to clear up any misunderstandings that have arisen.

LOKO was created because I had a wonderful time "cooking" through my first Earth Hour. I realized the ease with which I could do my prep without electricity and thought that it would be great if I could do it more often, and with more people. While the impact of this small event might not be as significant, the main aim is not to have widespread influence, nor for this influence to happen immediately - this is an event catered to individuals. The event has minimal rules and is beneficial on all levels. The idea is to do what you can and want at your own pace.

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4-04-2008 @9:46AM celine said... Nick: that's really cool! I hope you post what you made! I love all your recipes btw! PB *is* the greatest!

Big John: The title was meant to be ironic, and maybe a tad provocative. It worked - you got the idea. That's what matters. :) So are you up for it?

LilC: I agree: if you are able to use your microwave for five minutes to instead of using your oven for 30 to conserve energy, it works! And governments *should* require oil companies to use some of their mega-millions in profits to develop alternative energy sources!

doodoolemonque: you pointed out a very good point that I forgot to mention: many are already engaging in their own LOKO events, they are just not aware of it. One of the other aims of this event is to bring about that awareness - that one needs not go that extra mile to participate in conserving energy or to make themselves less dependent upon electricity. It's as easy as making a PB&J sandwich!

Beti: gas ranges do rule! so how about some of those "power failure" recipes? I hope there haven't been too many fallen trees or poles though!

I hope this clears up some of the misinterpretations of the event. Thank you for taking time to read about the event and I welcome any suggestions as to how to make LOKO better. There will be a round-up post about the event on April 30th on http://blackcealt.blogspot.com. I'm excited to see what will come of it, and I hope you'll all participate!

x
celine

for more information about the event, please visit: http://blackcealt.blogspot.com/2008/03/lights-out-knives-out.html

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