Online energy campaign urges America to unplug

By Richard Stenger
CNN

(CNN) -- Fed up with rising utility bills and melting ice caps? Turn off everything in your house Thursday evening and let Washington know you won't take it any more. At least, that is the suggestion of a fast spreading Internet crusade calling on Americans to protest the Bush Administration's energy policies.

The campaign, circulating among countless e-mail lists and online discussion boards, urges readers to "roll your own blackout" between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. local time on the first day of summer, June 21.

The text changed slightly as it diffused through cyberspace. But the appeal essentially hoped to create a symbolic rolling blackout across the country and beyond.

IN DEPTH Energy Crunch     MESSAGE BOARD How should the U.S. deal with the energy crunch? What issues most concern you about the current energy situation? Is there a balance to be found between fossil, nuclear, and renewable energy sources? Discuss the issue

"It's a simple protest," read one popular variation. "Light a candle, make love, tell ghost stories, or whatever you want to do, instead of watching television. Have fun in the dark."

The missive said the action was to oppose White House energy policies that lack emphasis on efficiency, conservation and alternative fuels.

President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, who both have strong ties to the oil industry, have come under fire from critics at home and abroad for promoting expanded fossil fuel development, despite growing evidence of global warming. Several administration representatives did not return phone calls for this report.

'It's not an organized thing'

Internet users across the United States and other countries reported receiving the note, sometimes repeatedly. Virtually all the forwarded e-mails lacked an original address, leading to much speculation about the source.

"I got it in my e-mail about 50,000 times," said Chip Giller, editor of Grist Magazine, an online journal of environmental news and humor. "What's cool is that is sprang up out of nowhere. It's not an organized thing."

Some online chat conversations note June 21 is the longest day of the year, not the best time to notice darkened homes. And utility representatives said even 1 million participating homes would not measurably drop national power grid levels.

But the cause has gained steam. After the e-mail began circulating in April, several Web sites sprang up to support it, including www.rollyourown.org and www.rollyourown.com.

Two Californians are credited with launching the chance campaign. David Aragon, an engineer in Oakland, coined the phrase "Roll Your Own Blackout" and later started www.rollyourown.com.

But artist Monica Rex of Los Angeles is the author of the original online note that spread throughout the world, Aragon said.

In Seattle, Washington, Giller said he planned to "go lights out," but with mixed emotions about the campaign.

"I think it's a good idea, but I do have concerns that it's not going to enroll new people. And it could be used by enemies of the environmental movement. They will say, "look, environmentalists like to sit in the dark."

Giller suggested that critics might launch their own campaign. "How about 'Burn Your Own Coal Day'?"