Earth Hour Photos Highlight Problem of Light Pollution

There’s been a lot of disagreement, even among environmentalists, about how effective Earth Hour really is in sending a message about the need to fight global warming. But regardless of whether you feel it’s an important and powerful symbolic act or think it does more harm than good, one thing is clear when viewing the dramatic Earth Hour photos from around the world: light pollution is out of control.

Boston.com has an incredible series of images depicting cities from Hong Kong to Las Vegas going dark, showing before-and-after photos that make you realize how alarmingly bright most cities are. And, most of these lights aren’t necessarily adding to safety – they’re simply for looks.

When you click on the images on the Boston.com site, you can see the difference between the city being fully lit and when a number of key lights were turned off during Earth Hour. Check out how much the sky darkens when the lights are turned off.

Light pollution isn’t just a nuisance for our eyes; it’s an environmental issue. National Geographic explains:

We’ve lit up the night as if it were an unoccupied country, when nothing could be further from the truth. Among mammals alone, the number of nocturnal species is astonishing. Light is a powerful biological force, and on many species it acts as a magnet, a process being studied by researchers such as Travis Longcore and Catherine Rich, co-founders of the Los Angeles-based Urban Wildlands Group. The effect is so powerful that scientists speak of songbirds and seabirds being “captured” by searchlights on land or by the light from gas flares on marine oil platforms, circling and circling in the thousands until they drop. Migrating at night, birds are apt to collide with brightly lit tall buildings; immature birds on their first journey suffer disproportionately.

Light pollution has disturbed precisely timed biological behavior, affecting migration in some species and causing others to sing at unnatural times. Nesting sea turtles are confused by artificial light, and nocturnal animals have become more visible to predators.

And yet, Earth Hour has proven how easy it is to remedy these problems – with the flip of a switch. Why should the Syndey Opera House be fully illuminated at all hours of the night? Why must so many street lights be designed in such a way that they light up the sky instead of the ground? Reducing light pollution doesn’t mean we all need to sit around in the dark. It’s just about smarter use of illumination.

I can’t put it any better than National Geographic’s Verlyn Klinkenborg:

Living in a glare of our own making, we have cut ourselves off from our evolutionary and cultural patrimony—the light of the stars and the rhythms of day and night. In a very real sense, light pollution causes us to lose sight of our true place in the universe, to forget the scale of our being, which is best measured against the dimensions of a deep night with the Milky Way—the edge of our galaxy—arching overhead.

Link [Boston.com] via [Ecorazzi] + [National Geographic]

Times Square Getting its First Green Billboard

If you’re going to be in Times Square for New Year’s Eve this winter, be on the lookout for a brand-new eco-friendly billboard that will be powered entirely by sun and wind. It’s the first of its kind in an area known for dazzling, power-guzzling light displays. Construction on the 35,000-pound sign will begin this month across the avenue from the building where the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.

From MSNBC:

Powered by 16 wind turbines and 64 solar panels, the sign is expected to save $12,000 to $15,000 per month in electricity costs. Ricoh, an office equipment and document storage supplier, estimates the sign will also keep 18 tons of carbon out of the environment.

The billboard will be lighted by floodlights rather than light-emitting diodes. It won’t have a backup generator, so it could go dark during a long period with little wind or sun.

“The point is that there are ways of being environmentally friendly to the planet, even on a billboard,” Potesky said.

A lighting ceremony for the 126-foot wide, 47-foot tall sign is scheduled for Dec. 4.

NYC has really been picking up the pace with green initiatives and programs lately! Last week we learned that they’ve been dimming the city’s legendary energy-sucking lighting at night, and over the summer they successfully closed off streets to traffic so pedestrians could enjoy smog-free strolling. Nice leadership – can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

Link [MSNBC]
Photo credit: Times Square NYC

NYC Reduces Light Pollution, Saves Energy with Efficient Lighting

The New York City skyline is a little dimmer as of late, a result of more energy-efficient lighting that saves money, reduces consumption and keeps light pollution to a minimum – at least, as minimal as it can be in such a large city. Office buildings, apartment towers and other structures in NYC are using motion sensors to ensure that unoccupied rooms aren’t being lit for no reason, and dimmers soften overhead lights that would otherwise burn bright all night.

From The New York Times:

Gone are the days when cheap electricity, primitive lighting technology and landlords’ desire to showcase their skyscrapers kept floor after floor of the city’s highest towers glowing into the night. Now, rising energy costs, conservationism, stricter building codes and sophisticated lighting systems have conspired to slowly, often imperceptibly, transform Manhattan’s venerable nightscape into one with a gentler glow.

Instead of tower after tower shining at all hours — the World Trade Center stayed aglow long after its occupants went home — the skyline is becoming a patchwork of sparsely sparkling buildings decorated with ornamentally lighted tops.

Unshielded traffic lights, neon signs and illuminated billboards once made NYC one of the most light-polluted cities in the country.  Though some people might mourn the loss of NYC’s formerly dazzling, glitzy display of city lights, this is a great development. Imagine how much electricity is being saved, especially compared to just a few years ago when everything was constantly ablaze!

Link [The New York Times]

Light Pollution Wastes Energy, Disturbs Wildlife

Civilization has long since evolved past going to bed at nightfall and rising at dawn, or sitting around in the dark.  We need lighting for safety in homes, parking lots, sidewalks, roadways and other areas.  But, the majority of lighting is a total waste of energy and a disturbance of wildlife, because improperly designed lighting often shines skywards and extends far beyond the area that needs to be lit.

Learn more about light pollution and how you can reduce it in your home or business lighting fixtures at The International Dark Sky Association.  You can also check out a stunning collection of light pollution photos by Jim Richardson at National Geographic.  The photos have a dreamy quality and are often quite beautiful, but they illustrate just how much we’re illuminating the sky for no good reason.

Link [International Dark Sky Association]
Photo credit: Jim Richardson/National Geographic