So, You Want to Go Really “Green” for Earth Day? Dim the Lights, Save the Night
Make it stand out
Syracuse University JMA Wireless Dome typically turns green for Earth Year. This year, thanks to student-led advocacy, its lights will go off.
By Faraz Lotfi (ESF ’27), Elliot Messier (ESF ’28), Meredith Barges (ESF ’26), & the SU Student Government Association Sustainability Forum
Look up into the night sky in Syracuse and what do you see? A sky full of stars? What about 10 stars? Four stars? Can you see any stars? The lack of stars over Syracuse is not just because we’re constantly tormented by terrible weather. It’s the result of light pollution. Some of the biggest culprits in the city are our SU and ESF campuses.
Light pollution is the brightening of the night sky and human-built spaces caused by artificial outdoor and indoor lights. They shine all night long from buildings, billboards, car headlights, and more. In Syracuse’s case, the largest source of artificial hard light is likely the JMA Wireless Dome.
But living in a city shouldn’t mean we have to lower our expectations for enjoying a naturally dark nighttime environment. Light pollution affects more than just your view of the stars. It can also cause sleep problems and throws off your regular day-night cycle (circadian rhythm), which can cause depression, sleep disorders, impaired daytime functioning, and bring more complications. These are all health issues that most college students are already at risk for.
That’s why student organizations across ESF and SU are teaming up to address light pollution on our campuses through a new cross-campus Lights Out Task force. Our partners include the ESF Environmental Studies Student Organization, ESF Wildlife Society Chapter, Environmental Health Club, Sustainable Energy Club, the ESF Bee Club, and the SU SGA– and more! We are students who care about the night sky and the creatures who call it home. And our task force advocates for more responsible lighting practices at SUNY ESF and SU.
Every year on Earth Day, SU turns the JMA Wireless Dome tantalizingly green, to celebrate sustainability. What if the most sustainable thing to do at the Dome is turning off the lights? That’s why our Lights Out Task Force is calling on SU to turn off all unnecessary nighttime lights at the Dome. There are no events scheduled that night, so administrators could safely treat it as a much-need Dome rest day —a sabbatical for Mother Earth. It would also save SU money and protecting the environment. All that, with just a flip of the switch!
We are also calling on ESF and SU administrators to follow through on their commitments to sustainability with a few important year-round fixes. Student organization collaborators are lobbying for consistent interior lighting control like: motion sensors, timers, dimmers, and half-volume light intensities at night.
You probably notice, most indoor and outdoor lights on our campuses stay on full blast all night long. Even ESF students know how bright it can get at night, being blinded after hours by the spotlights shining from Illick Hall onto the Quad. Something that can bring ESF and SU students together is the Centennial Hall, Sadler, and Lawrinson dormitories blinded by the JMA Dome lights that never turn off.
Student safety is paramount. But studies show that simple lighting fixes – like dimming exterior lights by 60% after 11pm– can safely illuminate areas for students on campus after hours while also protecting the night sky. The city of Tucson dims their lights by 60% after midnight.
Light pollution doesn’t just affect students on campus. Starting April 1, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds have been flying over Syracuse at night! Last night, while we were asleep, 1.3 million migrating birds flew over Onondaga County. Bright lights are bad news for these travelers, who are attracted and disoriented by inside and outside lighting. Birds rely on visual cues like stars to guide their way. But each year, more than 1 billion birds die from building collisions, a problem exacerbated by light pollution.
With thousands of migrating birds flying overhead this month, searching for star light to guide their way, there is no better time than now to turn off excess lights.
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Join us on Tuesday, April 22nd, from 7:30 - 9:00pm for a “Celebrate the Night” party on the ESF Quad. There will be shared poetry, marshmallows, and enjoying the night sky, hopefully with a Dome dimmed for the night. If the Dome doesn’t get turned off, then help us make sure it happens next year!
