LIGHTS OUT PHILLY INITIATIVE

LIGHTS OUT PHILLY INITIATIVE

Subject :Intenational Events

Context : Bird Safe Philly announced the Lights Out Philly initiative, a voluntary program in which as many external and internal lights in buildings are turned off or dimmed at night during the spring and fall.

Concept :

• Lights Out Philly is the result of a collaborative effort led by the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, Audubon Mid-Atlantic, and two local Audubon Society chapters — Valley Forge and Wyncote.
• In addition to the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Sustainability, the Bird Safe Philly initiative is endorsed by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Philadelphia and the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia.
• The first season of Lights Out Philly launches April 1, at the start of peak spring migration and runs through May 31, when most winged migrants will have passed through Philadelphia. In the fall, Lights Out Philly and peak migration will occur between Aug. 15 and Nov. 15 as birds travel south.
• Each year tens of millions of birds pass through Philadelphia during spring and fall while migrating between their breeding and wintering grounds.
• Many never complete their epic journey because they are killed when they fly into buildings and windows, confused by the bright artificial lights and glass.