Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Why doesn’t Honolulu conserve energy/water?
by Larry Geller
Driving along Nimitz Highway past City Mill you can get a free car wash at certain times of day. The sprinklers waste a great deal of their water on the cars.
That’s not only our tax money, but a waste of water. There are other places where water simply drips into the streets, you may have your favorite spot. It’s something that can and should be fixed. (Along with the potholes and sidewalks, of course…)
Sitting up here in the condo, looking out at the city, I see bright lights directed up at the sky from several city parks. Right up into the sky. Not only do the lights not illuminate the playing fields below, but they contribute to light pollution. I don’t know if that affects migratory birds in Hawaii the way it does at certain places on the Continent. But it’s a massive waste of energy that is easily avoided.
‘Way back, two previous lives ago, I won an award for a lighting design in a student lighting competition. I designed efficient lighting for a large swimming pool using off-the-shelf components including reflectors. Light was reflected downward and across the pool, with a little illuminating the covering dome.
If the city used reflectors that spread even lighting across the field while still illuminating the ball in play, they could make do with fewer fixtures and save us taxpayers a bundle. Looking down from above there should be no glare to see, since the light is all directed where it is needed, not wasted lighting up the moon and stars.
Just my two cents on the need to conserve.
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