Fall is upon us, dear denizens of Stouffville. And what a fall it has been so far! We have gotten up to so much this season, it’s making our heads spin. We’ve gone to pumpkin patches, we’ve walked down trails where we can see the leaves changing color, we’ve spent so much time in this comfortably chilly season that we’re sad it’s almost over. But Sunready, we hear you cry, it’s only October, the beginning of fall! Well, for those of us who don’t live in places like Stouffville, there’s a season that comes right after fall. Some say it even comes right after Halloween.
Yes, we’re of course talking about the winter. Long gone will be the days of going to pumpkin patches – those farms will be nothing but frozen dirt and snow. Forgotten are the days of walking down trails where we can see the leaves changing color – those leaves will be gone and the trees will be barren. And as for comfortably chilly? Forget about it – the nights will become long and the days will become freezing. Yes, it seems that winter is right on our tail dear denizens of Stouffville.
If only we had something to look forward too. Something that comes right before the winter really hits us. Something full of light, something full of hope, something full of, well, joy. If only there was a time of the year that we called “the most wonderful” because of all the happiness and color it spread.
You can see where we’re going with this, Stouffville. Yes, we are of course talking about the holiday season, one of the best times of the year. Gone are those weary feelings about winter, gone is the dread we fear about launching into the coldest darkest season, gone are those crushing feelings of despair due to all the death around us. Instead, they are replaced by some of the happiest feelings one can feel during the year – joy, happiness and most important, brightness. All around Stouffville people will be putting up decorations, giving gifts to one and other, but most importantly they’ll be spreading holiday cheer.
And what is the best way to spread that aforementioned holiday cheer? With Christmas Lights of course! Sometimes known as outdoor holiday lighting, these lights are one of the biggest reasons that we personally enjoy the holiday season. Yes, we would feel festive if it weren’t for these twinkling balls of concentrated delight, but there’s something about outdoor holiday lighting that really makes us revel in the holiday cheer. The way they light up streets, twinkling their rainbow firework displays for the whole town to see, it’s enough to make even the scroogiest of men well up with triumphant joy.
So today, we’re going to talk about outdoor holiday lighting. This article in particular is going to talk about which lights are the best for the environment. As we are all most likely aware, the environment has been a bit of a hot button issue for the last couple of years. Most people are doing their best to help repair our damaged ozone layer, and so with this article everyone who reads it will be able to do their part. So, without further ado, let’s talk about the best holiday lights for the environment. Always remember though – for those who don’t want to risk themselves or their families putting up outdoor holiday lighting, let the professionals do it!
How Can Outdoor Holiday Lighting Be Bad For The Environment?
When we think about things that are bad for the environment, we tend to think of big factories bellowing out long smoke stacks into the atmosphere. We tend to think about big piles of garbage. Tons of plastic floating in the ocean. So when we see that the title of an article is “the best holiday lights for the environment”, we probably scratch our heads and ask the question: “are our outdoor holiday lights even bad for the environment? How can that be possible?”
The short answer, in general, is yes. Not only do these lights contribute to light pollution, not only do they tend to confused nocturnal wildlife, but most importantly they use up a lot of power. A lot of power means a lot of wasted energy, so in the long run it’s going to be bad for the environment.
So how can we mitigate this use of power? Well, we can of course switch to a more energy efficient way of powering our lights, of course! There are two options we can go with here, and one is probably a little more efficient than the other.
Solar Lights
Some out there may have heard that in recent years, there have been some solar lights going up in some neighbourhoods. That some companies out there have been selling these lights powered by the sun to the average consumer. This is true, however solar lights come with a couple of caveats. Sure, they sound great, but Stouffville tends not to get a lot of sun in the winter months, so solar lights may be hard to power. Which is why everyone should most likely go with…
LED Lights
The LED light is the environmentally conscious person’s light. Why? Well, like we said before, outdoor holiday lighting can be a big contributor to “wasted energy”. However, according to organizations like Globe At Night (an organization that raises awareness about light pollution) “[LED Lights] use 75% less energy”.
And while that may not be the whole problem solved (we’re still contributing to light pollution and we’re still confusing the heck out of those poor nocturnal animals) at least using LED lights would be better than doing nothing. And for those out there who are concerned about price, LED lights have become much more affordable in recent years, so much so that the average consumer can buy them for their own home. Or, for those who don’t want to put up their own lights, make sure to ask any local companies that one may be hiring to use LED lights on their outdoor holiday lighting display.
