Home
The British government are not planning to introduce a ban on street lighting in most towns and cities in the UK. The idea would see lights go out all over the country between 11pm and 5am. While some areas will remain lit for safety reasons many areas will have reduced lighting where between 10% and 90% of public lighting will be switched off.
The government will claim that environmental concerns over light pollution and energy consumption are at the heart of the plans, opposer's of the non scheme will accuse them of cost cutting by eradicating a basic public safety measure.
I don't know why I wrote this out really. I just thought, whilst trying to look at the stars tonight that it would be nice if the sky could actually be dark once in a while. Street lamps are mainly lighting up empty streets in the small hours and it's a waste of money and energy and it causes light pollution - which is continually increasing.
Then again, it's in the small dangerous hours that we need the lights most - for safety from bad men and floor obstacles. But do they need to be on - always?
If you have ever seen a proper milkyway star lit sky with no artificial lighting around, say in Canada or something or parts of Wales, you will know how impressive it is. There is something quite refreshing about it.
Maybe we should have just one night per month where all street lamps are turned off. Or even just on Sundays the lighting could be reduced. I bet it would save us millions of pounds in power, maintenance, replacement bulbs, and emissions.
If turning off my utility room light when I am not in there is supposed to save a ton of carbon emissions and £30 per year, what would it do to turn off all the lights on my street for a night per week. Or a few hours per night? And then on every street in my town. And then every town in the country. We could probably fund half the NHS off the savings.
The government will claim that environmental concerns over light pollution and energy consumption are at the heart of the plans, opposer's of the non scheme will accuse them of cost cutting by eradicating a basic public safety measure.
I don't know why I wrote this out really. I just thought, whilst trying to look at the stars tonight that it would be nice if the sky could actually be dark once in a while. Street lamps are mainly lighting up empty streets in the small hours and it's a waste of money and energy and it causes light pollution - which is continually increasing.
Then again, it's in the small dangerous hours that we need the lights most - for safety from bad men and floor obstacles. But do they need to be on - always?
If you have ever seen a proper milkyway star lit sky with no artificial lighting around, say in Canada or something or parts of Wales, you will know how impressive it is. There is something quite refreshing about it.
Maybe we should have just one night per month where all street lamps are turned off. Or even just on Sundays the lighting could be reduced. I bet it would save us millions of pounds in power, maintenance, replacement bulbs, and emissions.
If turning off my utility room light when I am not in there is supposed to save a ton of carbon emissions and £30 per year, what would it do to turn off all the lights on my street for a night per week. Or a few hours per night? And then on every street in my town. And then every town in the country. We could probably fund half the NHS off the savings.
