The Night the Lights Went Out in SB

The anti-light pollution movement – one that traditionally fights for increased visibility, in the literal sense – will experience its second publicity bump so far this month, when Santa Barbara joins Los Angeles and San Francisco with its own observance of Lights Out 8-9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20. The event aims to leave citizens in the dark, in the best possible way: namely to save energy and enjoy the benefits of a star-filled sky by simply turning off lights they don’t need. Harmoniously, Lights Out SB coincides with the end of the Great World Wide Star Count, an international movement recruiting people to observe the visibility of certain constellations as a means of gauging where light pollution is most obscuring views.

Lights in Town

A primary motivation for Lights Out SB is, of course, energy conservation. In the short term, those organizing the event posit that citywide energy use for Saturday night could decrease by as much as 15 percent if enough people participate in the event by simply shutting off all non-essential lighting. So don’t be surprised if your neighborhood happens to look darker.