Earth Hour 2009: Ann Arbor
Looking north from the southwest corner of Main and William streets in downtown Ann Arbor at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. Can you spot the evidence that Earth Hour is taking place? (Hint: Look closely at the street lights.)
This year, Earth Hour fell on Saturday between 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., so The Chronicle decided to head downtown and see how much impact this international event was having in Ann Arbor.
It was hard to see the dark.
Street lights were off along Main Street between William and Huron (three blocks), on Liberty between Main and Ashley (two blocks) and, somewhat oddly, only on the south side of Liberty between Fourth and Main. What this seemed to reveal more than anything is how bright the downtown area is without street lights.
We covered as much ground as possible during the 60 minutes of Earth Hour, an event designed to heighten awareness of global warming. In most places, it seemed like well-lit business as usual – certainly nothing as dramatic as what some cities around the world witnessed. Here’s a chronological sampling of what we saw.
8:40 p.m.: Lights on at the Ann Arbor District Library's downtown branch on Saturday night. The library closes at 6 p.m. on Saturdays.
8:45 p.m.: This Fox News van was generating its own light as it sat parked on South State in front of the University of Michigan Museum of Art. The news crew was on hand to cover UMMA's re-opening to the public, a 24-hour event which started at 6 p.m. Saturday.
8:50 p.m.: Looking into the new wing of the University of Michigan Museum of Art. The public opening of the museum's new expansion drew lots of people – and light.
9:11 p.m.: The entrance to UM's School of Natural Resources and Environment.
9:21 p.m.: Lights on at the Ann Arbor News building at Washington and Division, and at the 411 Lofts apartment building behind it.
9:25 p.m.: Looking west down Washington Street.
By this time it was cold and drizzling rain. We headed west toward Main, then north toward Huron. Just as we were wondering how many minutes remained in the hour, the street lights on Main flashed back on – 9:30 p.m., and Earth Hour was over for 2009.
I hope someone from the School of Natural Resources sees your photo!
My guess is the janitors really don’t want to work in the dark.
Ever since we crawled out of that primordial slime, that’s been our unifying cry, “More light.” Sunlight. Torchlight. Candlelight. Neon, incandescent lights that banish the darkness from our caves to illuminate our roads, the insides of our refrigerators. Big floods for the night games at Soldier’s Field. Little tiny flashlights for those books we read under the covers when we’re supposed to be asleep. Light is more than watts and footcandles. Light is metaphor. Light is knowledge, light is life, light is light. ~Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider
Thanks for this story and the photos. Our lights were off, but wondered what others were doing in AA. Glad part of the city was dimmer. Sad that others didn’t even consider it.
Too bad so many Ann Arbor establishments remain in the dark, er, “sunny ignorance” about wasteful energy use and global warming. As I took part in Earth Hour last night, musing in blissful candlelight, I thought about how much we pollute with total carelessness and mindful ignorance. Indeed, as another post states: “. . .banish the darkness from our caves to illuminate our roads, the insides of our refrigerators.” Too bad we expend a great deal of energy illuminating our material world to the detriment of our own environment and at the cost of truly illuminating our consciousness.
It always seemed useless for all the streetlights glaring at nobody between 3 in the morning and dawn. I mean, who are we protecting? How ever did people feel safe before we blinded ourselves from the night with all the glaring light.
I noticed the city glow was a little less last night. I appreciate anything that lessens the ugly cast of city lights blocking out the night. Sometimes the light pollution is eerie. I never felt safe because of the lights. I imagine if a mugger can’t see you and you walk quietly and thoughtfully, so that you aren’t detected, you would be safer than some people who walk down the brightest lit street, making loud noises with their shoes or boots, so that muggers can hear them coming from blocks away and lay in wait for them coming down the brightly lit street.
Stupid waste of energy, which doesn’t serve us hardly at all. But I am sure the energy companies love it, the constant hum of energy being consumed and the dollars they can depend upon.
During the blackout, I realized, when I flicked a lightswitch on as i entered a room, how thoughtlessly we use most of our energy. I didn’t feel less safe on the streets, and there was a kind of peace that settled over my friends and I as we blew out the candles in the yard and just drank in the dark. It was pure sweet nectar!
i am all for limiting the use of streetlights in the downtown areas. Businesses light up the place enough and late in the night, there aren’t any people around to really benefit from the lighting up of all the streets.
Yeah, I missed Hands Across America, too.