Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Turn off the lights: Earth Hour 2009

Posted by Duncan Drennan at 16:32 Tags: , , ,
milky wayWhen was the last time that you enjoyed the wonder of a night time sky? I have fond memories of family holidays to Jeffery's Bay, and one of the things that stands out clearly in my mind is the beauty of the night sky from the beach near the house we stayed in. The richness and depth of the starry night seemed to suck you into itself.

When I look up from my home now all that I can see is a few of the brightest constellations while the rest is hidden by the haze of city lights. We have lost our night sky and we do not even know what the implications of that are (here are some). I was reminded of this by a photo essay on light pollution. The last line of the essay is particularly poignant: For all the benefits of artificial light, "we shouldn't pretend that nothing is lost."

On 28 March at 20h30 the WWF is asking us to turn out the lights for one hour as a vote for Earth and a vote against climate change. This global action will be presented to leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

This is not a vote against climate change, this is an action to win back some of what we have lost. This is an opportunity to start reclaiming our night sky. This is the chance to turn off not only your lights, but your TV, computer, cellphone and any other distraction and to spend an hour with the people you love – connecting and enjoying your humanity. This is a vote for a happier, cleaner and healthier world.

Sign up on the South African or International Earth Hour websites.



Image courtesty of Steve Jurvetson, licensed under a Creative Commons license.

2 comments :

  1. Anonymous3/26/2009 3:02 pm

    Nicely put! I often look up at the Cape Town sky wistfully, hoping to see more than the brightest of the stars... the only time I see them these days is when I make a trip out of the city to somewhere like the West Coast - and I'm always startled when I see the Milky Way.

    Here's to reclaiming the night sky and reconnecting with the things that really matter.

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  2. Colin Henshaw5/16/2009 8:40 am

    I've been to Jeffery's Bay, and can vouch for the quality of the skies in Southern Africa. However the expansion of external lighting is having a very damaging effect on the environment and human health, comparable to those of DDT and Asbestos. True, exterior lighting can be beneficial, but it should only be used sparingly, on a needs must basis, where needed, when needed, and in the correct amounts. What is also needed is zoning, with neighbourhoods divided into urban, suburban (residential) and rural. All night lighting in city centres is OK provided it is 45 degree full cut-off. In residential areas it should be subject to an 11p.m. till dawn curfew in order to allow the environment to recover. It is not acceptable at all in rural areas. All commercial and residential security lighting should be motion operated, hooded and aimed downwards. With new LED technology, even street lighting can be motion operated so the lights don't remain on all the time. They just remain on sufficiently long for the person to reach the next light. Motion operated bollard lighting may be more appropriate in residential areas as it is less intrusive. Commercial premises not functional at night should have all their lighting switched off. Once these standards and regulations have been implemented, light pollution should be less of a problem and the environment should benefit substantially.
    Colin Henshaw

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