4 Things You Didn’t Know About Global Light Pollution & #DarkSky

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4 Things You Didn’t Know about Global Light Pollution:

1. Plants depend on the natural cycle of day and night. Artificial light at night can throw off a plant’s response to the change of seasons. This, in turn, has implications for the wildlife that depend on trees for their natural habitat.

2. Dark skies can save hundreds of millions of insects and animals each a year. Artificial lights can disrupt the migratory schedules of insects and animals causing them to leave too early or too late in the season, missing ideal conditions for reproduction. For example, birds that navigate by moonlight and starlight can wander off course and millions die every year by colliding into needlessly illuminated buildings.

3. Humans evolved with the rhythms of the natural light-dark cycle of day and night.   Like most life on Earth, we adhere to a circadian rhythm — our biological clock. Natural light is an important cue that helps us set our clock to Earth’s 24-hour rotation period. Exposure to artificial light at night disrupts this process, increasing our risks for cancers and other diseases.

4. 30 percent of all outdoor lighting in the U.S. is wasted, mostly by lights that aren’t shielded or misdirected. That adds up to $3.3 billion in wasted electricity and the release of 21 million tons of carbon dioxide per year! To offset all that carbon dioxide, we’d have to plant 875 million trees annually.

Every month, on the evening of the New Moon, when the sky is the darkest, we turn the lights down low for an evening of candlelight in the lobby to reduce our impact, raise awareness for global light pollution, and honor the celestial cycles of our planet. 

At both 1 Hotel South Beach and 1 Hotel Central Park, the lights will be dimmed, with candles placed throughout the lobby to provide the ambiance and light for our guests.

Last month at 1 Hotel Central Park, we had #RockstarShaman Aly Charles, join us to provide intention setting, and tarot card reading for guests and the team. Don’t worry if you’ve missed it as this is an on-going initiative at both South Beach and NYC properties! Join us each month on the night of the New Moon.