The easiest way to save the earth

light that brightens the earth

Humans have been fighting darkness since ancient times. When the sun sets and darkness falls, many human activities become restricted. As a result of constant efforts to overcome this, from the discovery of fire to candles, oil lamps, and gas lamps, the light bulb was invented, and humans pioneered and conquered the unknown territory of the night. However, the development of artificial lighting led to the development of new pollution.

Light that harms the Earth, light pollution

Light pollution refers to damage to people's health and the environment due to inappropriate use of artificial lighting. A representative example of inappropriate use of artificial lighting is when street lights not only illuminate the street, but also scatter light into the air where it is not needed.

According to the Ministry of Environment's report on 'Development of guidelines for light pollution management', the luminance (surface brightness) of 41 points across the country, including Seoul, Incheon, and Daegu, was investigated and 17 points with 41.5% were 25 ㏅, which is the International Lighting Commission standard. It was found that it exceeded /㎡ (candela). If we look at it in more detail, Seoul, the largest city in Korea, was found to exceed 50 to 130 ㏅/㎡, which is 2 to 5 times higher than the international standard. In particular, in residential areas, 62.5% was found to be brighter than the standard value due to security lights, park lights, and apartment landscape lights installed for crime prevention purposes.

light that harms people

Artificial lighting created for people's convenience has had a negative impact on people. As mentioned earlier, light pollution in residential spaces disrupts human sleep. Light that does not go out causes changes in biological rhythms, as well as sleep disorders, insomnia, and migraines. Melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone secreted during darkness, is suppressed when the night is as bright as the day due to artificial lighting, which can cause insomnia, emotional instability, depression, diabetes, and breast and prostate cancer.

In fact, “melatonin also has an anti-cancer effect,” said Mina Ham, a professor of preventive medicine at Dankook University. According to a study conducted in Israel, women living in areas exposed to bright light at night had a 73% higher rate of breast cancer than women living in areas not exposed to bright light.

light that harms nature

What many people overlook is that artificial lighting not only hurts people but also the planet. Basically, the sun's light is like a clock and calendar in the ecosystem. As artificial lighting brings day into the realm of night, plants and animals are disrupting these natural signals and breaking the rhythm of the ecosystem. Migratory birds calculate their migration routes using the starlight in the sky, and it is said that 100 to 1 billion birds die every year in the United States because they lose their way due to city lights and hit buildings.

Not only can light inhibit melatonin production in fish, affecting reproduction and growth, but there is also research suggesting that coral reefs are also victims of light pollution. As a result of a study by the National Institute of Crop Science under the Rural Development Administration, it was found that most crops, including rice, barley, and perilla, are negatively affected by lights from industrial complexes, golf courses, gas stations, and street lights.

wasted energy

Shining light onto unnecessary areas with excessive light is also a clear waste of resources in terms of energy. This is because excessive lighting leads to excessive energy consumption and excessive CO2 emissions. Accordingly, many cities are replacing existing low-efficiency discharge lights with high-efficiency LED lights to reduce light pollution and increase energy efficiency. The city of Seoul reduced light pollution by 8.1% through designation as a lighting environment management area in 2015, and the city of Tucson, Arizona, reduced light emissions by 7% and saved $2 million in annual energy bills through a streetlight LED replacement project in 2018. .

Small actions, big changes

What can we do to reduce this light pollution and save our planet?

Every year on April 22nd, a lights out event is held to commemorate Earth Day. Lights will be turned off for 10 minutes, but if buildings in major areas of the country turn off their lights at the same time, 41,189 kwh of electricity and 20.3 tons of greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced. In addition, if 16 million households across the country turn off their lights for just 5 minutes, carbon dioxide emissions will decrease by 123,189 kg and approximately 100 million won will be saved through a reduction in power consumption of 266,471 kilowatts.

LOVE EARTH, SWITCH OFF (Darkness that saves the Earth)

Even if it's not Earth Day, there are ways to participate in saving the Earth.

'Love Earth, Switch Off (Darkness to Save the Earth)', which will be held at Starfield Hanam from October 13, 2021, is a campaign to save the Earth through small actions such as turning off the switch. When 10 visitors join forces through smartphones, the lights in the Media Tower turn off, and they can see the beautiful sight of nature regenerating and the Earth coming back to life.

This campaign will raise awareness that small actions by individuals can save the planet and serve as an opportunity for many people to participate.

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Closing remarks

Humans illuminated the darkness and at the same time the lights in the sky went out. I think that if we all work together to bring back the darkness, we can bring back the natural light that we have lost.