Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
    • The Best of Reason Magazine
    • Why We Can't Have Nice Things
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Print Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

Policy

Dear Minister: What Sort of Carbon Footprint Does Burning a Cat Create?

Nick Gillespie | 3.30.2010 10:40 AM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

The best-laid Earth Hours can often go awry. Earth Hour is an annual event in which people all over the world are supposed to not use electricity as a way of showing how totally awesome they are.

But it's not an Earth Hour until the fur starts to burn. Dateline, Victoria, British Columbia:

B.C. Environment Minister Barry Penner was hoping to spark a little romance with his wife over a candlelit dinner Saturday during Earth Hour.

Instead, he accidentally set his cat on fire.

Penner, who had been urging British Columbians to forgo electricity during the annual conservation event, took his own advice and lit numerous candles for the night.

"We actually enjoyed a very romantic candlelit dinner that was only interrupted when our cat set himself on fire by brushing up against the flame, which caused some excitement."

I'm sure we're all relieved that there was some excitement. The cat, Ranger (pictured), was unavailable for comment, but was allegedly doing swell. Penner stuck to the no-electricity theme of the evening and refused to operate a fan to remove the odor (odour?) of singed cat fur.

Whole bit here.

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: Will The New York Times Now Apologize For Not Having a Comics Section?

Nick Gillespie is an editor at large at Reason and host of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie.

PolicyScience & TechnologyEnvironmentalismClimate Change
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Show Comments (106)

Latest

Brickbat: Second Opinion

Charles Oliver | 7.3.2025 4:00 AM

How the NCAA Helped Trump Score Big on Transgender Issues

Billy Binion | 7.2.2025 5:34 PM

Under the 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' Car Companies Won't Be Fined for Failing To Hit Arbitrary Fuel Efficiency Goals

Joe Lancaster | 7.2.2025 5:15 PM

The 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Keeps Most of Joe Biden's Energy Subsidies

Jeff Luse | 7.2.2025 4:44 PM

Florida Plans To Deputize 9 National Guardsmen as Immigration Judges To Increase Deportations

Autumn Billings | 7.2.2025 4:08 PM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS

© 2024 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

r

Do you care about free minds and free markets? Sign up to get the biggest stories from Reason in your inbox every afternoon.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

This modal will close in 10

Reason Plus

Special Offer!

  • Full digital edition access
  • No ads
  • Commenting privileges

Just $25 per year

Join Today!