Seeing Stars March 19, 2006
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Environment, Green in the City, London, New Zealand , trackbackMiraz over on Oddity 59 has just bought herself a new set of binoculars for stargazing and it reminds me of one thing I do sorely miss in London - the stars. Even in the cities in New Zealand, on a clear night, you can see thousands of stars. Out in the countryside, away from artificial illumination, the southern sky holds millions of lights. The only time I’ve ever seen anything remotely comparable in the UK was in the far north of Scotland.
Here in London, with the lack of clear air and the enormous amount of light we pump into the sky each night, there’s scarcely a star visible. Are we really so afraid of the dark? Is it really so dangerous? It’s a primeval fear, walking home at night through a dark patch, but could we not make the street lights illuminate downwards, rather than up as well, and switch off the lights in unoccupied offices? A reflecting shade on every street light would save huge amounts of power, and help us to get our stars back.
Comments»
no comments yet - be the first?