Experimental or Inevitable?
Salt Lake, San Francisco Go Dark
By Sharon Fisher, 9-29-07
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Turn out the lights.
A number of cities around the world, including Sydney, San Francisco, and Salt Lake City, have or are planning events that encourage everyone to turn off non-safety-related lighting for an hour at night, primarily as a symbol of energy reduction.
Sydney’s is an annual event in the spring, while San Francisco’s is scheduled to occur on October 20th. Salt Lake City’s event, Wednesday night, was reportedly less than successful, with Utah Power reporting no measurable decrease in energy use.
Even under the best circumstances, turning out the lights for an hour on one evening is not going to make a huge difference; it is intended primarily as a symbolic act, the organizer of the San Francisco event is saying—perhaps saving 15% of the energy usage on that evening. Detractors are scoffing at any potential energy savings, while predicting crime waves and damage to the electrical system an hour later when everyone turns on the lights.
Meanwhile, a similar but unrelated effort is encouraging cities to reduce unnecessary lighting so that people can continue to see the stars. Two Idaho cities, Hailey and Ketchum, designated themselves in 2003 as “dark sky” cities, requiring developers to use certain kinds of lighting to reduce light pollution.
The International Dark Sky Association is promoting such efforts, including providing sample legislation and codes to make it easier for cities to implement such policies. The group has been working for a number of years, and has been getting more publicity recently, including coverage in the New Yorker.
Without such efforts, some astronomers fear that it will become increasingly more difficult for the average person to see the night sky. The World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness provides a stark image.
Idaho, actually, is luckier than many states, but light pollution is increasing even here. The Bruneau Observatory, at Bruneau Dunes State Park east of Mountain Home, features many “star parties” to introduce people to the night sky, as well as presentations on the value of reducing light pollution.
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Comments
Thanks for pointing out the issue of light pollution. As the New West friendly neighborhood astronomer-in-residence, I can't emphasize enough that our society wastes so much money and resources on needlessly lighting up the night sky. Proper shielding of outdoor lighting, proper usage of blinds and curtains to limit the spread of indoor lighting and just turning off lights when they aren't being used are all incredibly simple options that can reduce energy bills and decrease the excess consumption of electricity we routinely engage in as a society.
As for me, the last time I turned on my outdoor lighting for more than a few seconds was last Halloween so that I could properly greet neighborhood children who were trick-or-treating. Indoors, I rarely turn on more than a single light fixture at a time. It just isn't necessary.
I have two of those old fashioned lights that Idaho Power promoted back in the 1940s, so I'm as guilty about it as anyone, but I'm also a single woman with no houses for half a mile around me, so I use them for safety. But yeah, in the house I basically just light the room I'm in.
Incidentally, I'm taking a remote sensing class this term and I'm hoping to do something on Idaho light pollution for my final project.