Friday May 16th, 2008
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Ready to Spring Ahead?
Posted by Su Avasthi on March 11, 2007 - 5:23pm.
Many Americans had to turn on the lights before brushing their teeth or stumbling into the kitchen to make coffee until the sun rose. For a lot of us, that happened well after 7 a.m.
If daylight savings time seemed to sneak up on you this year, it's because it did.
Thanks to some fine print in the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005, our clocks got bumped ahead a few weeks earlier this year. Normally, daylight savings takes place in early April, rather than the second Sunday in March. (The clocks will also get pushed back in the first week of November, rather than the last week of October.)
It'll be a while before Congress decides whether the extra month of sunshine actually translates into less energy consumption, along with less crime and traffic accidents. According to the New York Times, we don't have enough data yet to accurately predict if the switch will have significant impact. The jury is still collecting evidence.
Still, springing forward ahead of schedule has stirred up some strong feelings. The article weighs many of the pros and cons, most of which were echoed yesterday by various friends.
A good friend is outraged because he had to change 41 clocks (he counted), and sees no purpose to daylight savings time anyway. Another friend complained that he now has to walk his dogs in the dark. A woman in my yoga class griped that the early time change is messing with her circadian rhythms. And tech support people around the country have nicknamed this the "mini-Y2K" because it's mucking up the nation's computer networks.
That said, however, a lot of people are thrilled by the bumped-up schedule. Daylight savings time usually means that they get to hop on their bikes, run, hike, walk, or rollerblade after work. A lot of them are happy to start training for bike races, marathons and enjoy outdoor workouts a few weeks sooner than they could last year.
Personally, I tend to rise with the sun, which I means I'll be waking up at an almost slacker-ish 7:30 a.m. But it's worth it to get that extra hour of light, even if you're more likely to find me enjoying it on an outdoor patio rather than on a hiking trail. And maybe this switch will have a real impact on energy conservation in this country.
What do you think about getting an extra week of daylight savings time? So you think it will make a dent in climate change and global warming -- or is it essentially just a waste of time?
Topics:
- Planet
- climate change
- daylight savings time
- energy conservation
- global warming
- spring
- springtime
- time change
Maybe people will be doing more outdoor activities in the evenings and won't be using their cars to drive to the local mall, that might prove good for global warming?
I basically just think that it puts people in better spirits to have some light at the end of the day and if that proves to be a health benefit, so be it. I too will be curious to find out what the statistics are when this is all said and done.
Of course, daylight savings doesn't actually give us an extra hour of sunlight. It just forces us to pretend it's noon when it's really only 11am.
It's like those folks who set their watch 15 minutes ahead so that they're never late. That never works for me... I'm not delusional enough to trick myself into thinking it's actually a different time.
This change just goes to show that our society is willing to change practically anything, except our energy consumptive habits, in the name of a green facade.
Changing our clocks, isn't going to affect anything substantially. Our energy is used in three main areas: Transportation, Industry, and Residental.
People are still going to be transporting themselves in hordes of automobiles (but, props to the few Americans who are going to bring our the bike for the evening commute, hope you have a bike light and for the morning one though). But, you'd be suprized to know how many people wont' be able to utilize this opprotunity because they have forgotten or never learned how to ride a bike. It's really sad.
As for Industry and residential energy uses. The majority of these facilities are designed in ways which do not utilize the sun's light to replace indoor light, so the lights will still be burning. If anything, as aluded to in the article, lights will be turned on earlier, thanks to the darkness our government just woke us up to.
This is a very weak attempt at trying to conserve energy. As have been all attempts thus far.
A green economy is still energy and resource intensive. Sure, new these new green commodities have a lower operating energy input. But, new manufacturing plants, equpiment, and the massive distrubution of these new 'green' commodities weighs against the little energy saved during the items operation. (Question: Is the Toyota Prius really the answer to our immense environmental problems?)(Be sure to consider all the energy connected to the car.)
We don't need a different clock, or green commodities/economy. This is just a modern futile expression of the predicament we are in. We need an entirely different lifestyle where the energy flows and infrastructures are minimized and locally attainable.
A clock change of 1 hour for one month, is not going to reduce the 25% of the consumption of 5% of the earths people.
Definitely barking up the wrong tree.
with a lot of the points Mikey makes. This probably won't change our basic habits.
A (somewhat cynical) friend of mine remembers when daylight savings time started during the Nixon era and he believes that it's really just the government's way of side-stepping the real issues and problems. In other words, this may appear to be a positive step for the environment, but he thinks it's just for show.
Still, as someone who cheers up in the sunlight, I really did like having an extra hour of light yesterday evening.... even if I had to put on a winter jacket to enjoy it.
We were always taught that Benjamin Franklin invented Daylight Savings Time.
I do happen to agree with many of the points mikey expressed, however cynical they might be. I do think this whole daylight savings time is a bunch nothing. I doubt that it is the solution to the many problems we have on earth, and I don't think that it claims to be the answer.
Global warming, alternative gases, overpopulation, starvation etc. aren't going to be helped by an extra hour of light, but why not be in a better mood when trying to come up with an answer.