Dim the Lights For A Cause

(San Francisco Before)

(San Francisco After)

Most have heard about the Green approach which is to help the planet. People have committed to the cause by buying hybrid cars and recycling, but San Francisco has taken it to a
whole new level. The city of San Francisco has dedicated an hour between 8 and 9 on to turn all the lights in the city off, to make a statement about conserving light energy. This entails the Golden Gate Bridge, the TransAmerica Pyramid and other large buildings and dwellings across the city.

During this time the restaurants will shut off the lights and serve intimate dinners by candlelight and it wil be the perfect night for star watching. The street lights will however remain on because people are concerned about crime during this time.They are aware that the whole city will not be pitch black, and that people will not immediately shut off their lights and conserve light energy. Instead they hope that this will make a statement and act as an example of what people should be doing and make people realize the effects of wasting light energy.

San Francisco is acting as a precedent and has for decades. Since 1978 San Francisco has saved approximately $56 billion in energy costs. These Californians now use less energy per capita than the residents of any other state. More and more people are starting to take the consequences of abusing light energy serious. They see this in electricity bills, and the prospect of climates rising in temperature due to this is now beginning to scare people.

These San Franciscans are taking a stand to showcase th effect each individual person can have on this planet by conserving light energy. This movement has spread throughout the world in that there is hopefully going to be a Lights Out on March 29 throughout the country. Other areas such as the Sierra Club have encouraged people to conserve light energy by holding a competition to see which household can decrease their energy bill the most in thirty days. These movements could be successful, since they have bee n done before such as in Australia where astronomers had incredible views. An astronomical associate says that with this Lights Out they should be able to view the Milky Way, which they say is another inscentive. If Australia can accomplish the task of making a statement then the United States must try.

Turn Your lights out March 29 for one hour to show how one individual can make a difference. Go Green.