Mark your calendar for the 4th annual Lights Out Portland, a one-night event in which residential households and commercial buildings dim their lighting in order to raise awareness about the impact of light pollution on migrating birds, about wasted energy in the form of light thrown up into the sky, and about preserving our ability to see stars from the city.
Light pollution in Portland, photo by Thomas Hawk
RSVP here to let us know that you’re going Lights Out with us!
Light Pollution drowns out the stars that migrating birds are using to navigate and lures them into cities where they are at risk of colliding with windows. Across the US, nearly 1 billion birds die every year as a result of hitting a window. There are also serious human health concerns about exposure to artificial light at night, which disrupts our circadian rhythms.
Building owners, tenants in residential buildings, and residential households are encouraged to participate by turning off unnecessary lighting and then getting out somewhere to see the stars!
From dusk to dawn, building owners are asked to:
Turn off rooftop lighting and exterior architectural lighting
Turn off or dim lobby/atrium lighting
Turn off interior lights wherever possible
People in houses, apartments and condos are asked to:
Turn off any unnecessary outdoor lighting
Draw blinds or curtains in rooms where lights are in use