Everyday Activist - The City Dark

Posted on Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 08:00 PM

Review: The City Dark

Movie Review by Everyday Activist X CalgaryMovies.com

After nearly 20 hours of daylight in Whitehorse, Yukon, coming back to the gloomy weather in Calgary has been a tough adjustment. I couldn’t sleep because I was weirded out that the sky was dark at like 10 pm, even with the gross amounts of light pollution from street lights that causes the familiar yet disconcerting “glow” Calgary has. The documentary, The City Dark, talks about light pollution and its effect on people and animals. If the name sounds familiar, The City Dark has screened in Calgary before as a short film and the extended version; courtesy of the Calgary Astronomical Society, a few years ago. On July 8th, 2015, Calgary Emerging Green Builders will show the long version. You can book your tickets on Eventbrite.

I grew up in rural Alberta, so I remember starry, night skies, especially on cold, clear winter nights. To make sure I don’t forget what they look like, I visit Whitehorse in January with its nearly 20 hours of darkness. They have street lights, but with only 25k people you can still get a good view of the Northern Lights and stars. I could just go to observatory south of Calgary, except the rapid, poorly planned expansion of the city has its light pollution affecting the telescopes. Many astronomers skip it altogether and head straight for the observatory in Vulcan.

When I watched the short version of the film at a monthly meeting of the Calgary Astronomical Society, the speaker talked to one of the points brought up in the film. To reduce polluting the night sky, focus light where we need it; instead of sending it everywhere. His revolutionary idea, of course, garnered him a reactionary response and the name “Prince of Darkness”, as people equated reduced lighting to more danger. An analogy to help explain this idea is to think of traveling on a plane at night. The reading lights are focused on specific seats so I can read, while the person next to me sleeps. If either of us has to go the bathroom, the floors are lit rather than having the cabin lights on all the time. As a city, Calgary has done well by introducing efficient lighting systems. The accolades are listed here at the City of Calgary website.

To a country girl or an astrophysicist, the importance of saving our night skies requires no explanation. City folk might need just a little bit more convincing. The City Dark talks about turtles on the beaches of Florida who navigate by moonlight and starlight. Many of them die, because the lights from the beach houses interfere with their natural navigational systems. Volunteers go out the beaches to help the turtles find the ocean again. Birds also have trouble with excess lighting. In humans, scientists are looking at the link between artificial lighting and breast cancer. It’s well known that melatonin, a hormone that helps us sleep, becomes disrupted with too much artificial light.

I’m looking forward to seeing the extended version of The City Dark. I have my ticket for July 8th and I hope to see you there.

Calgary Local Scene Event: Canada Green: The City Dark >