Empire State Building Going Dark to Save Migratory Birds

Photo: TreeHugger.com

TreeHugger.com

August 19, 2010

By: Michael Graham Richard

The Lights Out NY Campaign

Just in New York City, about 90,000 migratory birds die each year by colliding with buildings. The Lights Out campaign, which started in Chicago and is organized by the Audubon society, aims to save migratory birds by dimming the lights of skyscrapers during the peak migratory season each Fall. This year many iconic NYC buildings will participate, including the Empire State, Chrysler buildings, Time Warner Center, Rockefeller Center, and the Worldwide Plaza. Read on for more details about Lights Out and how you can sign up your building.

What you can do to help save birds this fall (from September 1 to October 31st)

Tall buildings (40 stories or more):

• Turn off decorative lighting on the upper stories by midnight and leave lights off until daylight.

• Tenants on the upper floors are encouraged to turn out lights or draw blinds by midnight.
  
  

Low buildings (with extensive glass exteriors along Hudson River and East River):

• Turn off exterior lighting by midnight and leave lights off until daylight.

• Turn off interior lighting or draw blinds by midnight.
  
  

Added bonus - Energy Savings!

• For a building with 2.5 million square feet of floor space, turning off the lights after midnight would conserve more than 750,000 kilowatts and save approximately $120,000 this fall.