Do you ever pay attention to the dozens of illumined business signs when driving after 10 p.m.? How often are you driving after 10 p.m.? Are you able to recall any of these businesses you drove by three weeks later when you may need them? At that time of night, I am tired and more focused on my driving.
So why do businesses keep their logo lights on after 10 p.m.? To improve their brand awareness and remind people of their location? I think marketing professionals would say that this “advertising” works, and so would the lighting industry.
But as a resident of Utah, one worried about our air quality and our increasingly volatile weather conditions, I question the value of this marketing approach. Using electricity to provide reminders of a brand for a handful of tired drivers seems wasteful and costly.
The IDA (International Development Association) estimates that this late night lighting costs businesses over $3 billion and creates 21 million tons of pollution. To counter this pollution, we would need to plant 875 million trees.
Recommendations:
• First, businesses can rethink their lighting approach and focus on security (not promoting a brand when no one is paying attention).
• Second, companies and organizations can make sure indoor lights are turned off when no one is around.
• Third, our state and local representatives can develop measurements and incentives to encourage points one and two above.
• Fourth, businesses (and other entities) can take actions because they are wasting money and our shared resources.
Andrew Watt, Sandy
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