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2 - Orono Weekly Times Subscriptions $38.09 + $1.91 GST = $40.00 per year. No Refunds. Publishing 48 issues annually at the office of publication. "We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs." Wednesday, March 24, 2010 ORONO WEEKLY TIMES - 5310 Main St., P.O. Box 209, Orono, ON L0B 1M0 E-mail: oronotimes@rogers.com or Phone/Fax: 905-983-5301 Publisher/Editor Margaret Zwart Production and Display Advertising - Roxanne Johnston Classified Advertising - Sue Weigand The Orono Weekly Times welcomes letters to the editor on subjects of interest to our readers. Opinions expressed to the editor and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Orono Weekly times. Letters must be signed and contain the address and phone number of the writer. Any letter considered unsuitable will not be acknowledged or returned. We reserve the right to edit for length, libel and slander. If your retail or classified ad appears for the first time, please check carefully. Notice of an error must be given before the next issue goes to print. The Orono Weekly Times will not be responsible for the loss or damage of such items. An hour not wasted We are once again being urged to power down for an hour on Saturday, March 27th from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in recognition of Earth Hour. According to the Earth Hour website, last year over 4000 cities in 88 countries officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009 the world's largest global climate change initiative. Organized by the World Wildlife Federation, the hour of darkness is a symbolic call to stand up, to take responsibility, to get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future. Of the communities serviced by Veridian Connections, Clarington had the largest decrease in energy demand during Earth Hour 2009. Veridian reported an overall decrease in energy consumption during Earth Hour last year of 4 percent. Energy consumption in Clarington was down 5.6 percent for the hour. Clarington was on top of the list in 2008 as well, when demand dropped 7.7 percent during Earth Hour. The Veridain-wide reduction in 2008 was 5.8 percent. Contrary to the worldwide participation claims made on the Earth Hour website, participation locally seems to be waning. To date we have not seen any local promotion for this year's event, other than a resolution made by Councillor Mary Novak, at Council Monday night for the Municipality of Clarington to join other communities in shutting off all non-essential lighting in all its facilities for one full hour on Saturday evening. While no one would allege that reducing power consumption for an hour each year is going to reverse climate change, it does generate a lot of awareness about the health of our planet, and that is a good thing. By turning off all but essential lights and electricity each year for an hour, we are reminded once again of how much energy we waste in the normal course of our lives. Unfortunately, our acceptance of waste is not restricted to power usage. In fact, we live in a culture built on waste. Our modern economy is built on the concept of obsolescence. In order for our current economic system to function, we must forever increase our rate of consumption. The fashion industry changes styles every season which feeds a need to be up-to-date, so clothes are replaced long before they are worn out. Manufacturers of the personal electronic devices no-one can live without anymore are continually rolling out new models that have more options and are faster and sleeker than previous models. The same holds true for the cars we drive, as well as the stuff we fill our homes and garages with. Anyone who has lived through World War II knows the value of stuff. They don't leave lights burning, they don't throw anything away that might be useful some time down the road, and they don't buy stuff they don't need. If we were not constantly replacing items we perceived as obsolete, the current economic system would cease to function. As we are all members of the world economy, everyone is a participant in the cycle of waste. This cycle will not stop simply because we power down for an hour at the end of March every year. But, just as we are all to blame for the wasteful mentality of modern society, we also have the power to challenge our culture of waste. The collective mindset of our society will only be altered by changing individual mindsets. Every time we power down we are protesting the needless waste of energy. Every time we walk or bike, we protest the needless waste of fossil fuels. By wearing your winter coat until you wear it out, you protest the needless waste of resources and a society that condones the flagrant misuse of these resources. If participation in Earth Hour results in an overall reduction of our reliance on electricity, it will have been a worthwhile exercise. If participation in Earth Hour leads to a change in wasteful existence, no matter how small the beginning, it will be worth celebrating, year after year. Letters to the Editor Waterfowl by-ll aw needed To The Editor: I was shocked and surprised to read (Orono Weekly Times, March 10) in the weekly bird column by Markus Lise, that he (one who professes to like birds) and his associate Harry Lumsden (a retired Ministry of Natural Resources waterfowl biologist) would use stale bread to feed Trumpeter Swans at the Newcastle waterfront, for the purpose of banding and tagging them. The Trumpeter Swan re-introduction program initiated by Lumsden several years ago (to foster the spread of this species) would be in serious jeopardy if more people were to do this. Surely these gentlemen are aware that feeding bread to waterfowl is the worst possible thing to do. The yeast and refined wheat products in stale bread can harbour a mould that is the number one killer in waterfowl (avian botulism). Dead and dying birds (and their feces) also contribute to water pollution, contagious infections in both humans (like Swimmer's Itch) and wildlife through the spread of enteritis bacteria and viruses. Surely tagging one more bird is not worth putting hundreds of native ducks and geese in such a precarious situation. Feeding them also encourages birds not to seek out natural foods, and this too is sad. I see in the Clarington Council minutes of March 1, 2010, that the Secretary of the Newcastle - Bond Head Ratepayers Association has written to Council to adopt a By-Law to prohibit the feeding of waterfowl at the Bond Head beach. Council would be doing a great service to wildlife (and residents) if they in fact immediately pass such a By-Law not unlike what is popular in many other progressive waterfront communities, and extend it throughout the Municipality along our lakefront. Jim Richards, Orono, ON Orphans' mascot remembered To The Editor: A recent obituary brought back memories of the early days of the Orono Orphans hockey team. It told of the passing of Mary Jane Marsh nee Found. She was the daughter of Dane Found, the founder and manager of the Orphans. Mary Jane attended the 175th anniversary celebration held in Orono in 2007. When she joined the Orphan team members in the parade, Mary Jane carried the small sweater she wore as mascot of the team. Gerald and Dorothy Robinson