Lighter Later campaign to shift the clocks forwards giving us an extra hour of daylight in the evenings - What do you think?

[JustineMumsnet]

What do we think of this campaign to move the clocks forward by an hour all year round?

10:10 LAUNCHES "LIGHTER LATER" CAMPAIGN

On the day of the spring clock change 10:10 is launching the Lighter Later campaign to brighten the nation's days, simply by changing the clocks so we are awake when the sun is out.

10:10 is proposing we shift our clocks to give us one extra hour of daylight in the evenings, all year round. In other words, the UK would shift to GMT+1 in the winter and GMT+2 in spring/summer.

If this was implemented the entire country would, overnight, be one step closer to a 10% reduction in its carbon emissions, as well as happier, healthier and better off. This is a great example of how action on climate change need not be negative, long-term or overly complicated, but rather simple, common-sensical and with multiple benefits.

Franny Armstrong, 10:10 founder and director of the climate change blockbuster The Age Of Stupid said

"Hands up who doesn't want our country to be safer, lighter, more prosperous and with less pollution? And who doesn't want to save money on their electricity bills without lifting a finger?"

This simple change would save almost half-a-million tonnes of CO2 each year1. That's equivalent to taking 185,000 cars off the road permanently.

But, as with so many of the simple behavioural changes 10:10 is recommending to people and organisations, this policy initiative has many benefits beyond the environment.

• Road Safety This policy could save over 100 fatalities on the nation's roads each year.

• Energy bills Consumers and businesses would use less energy thus saving money!

• Tourism & jobs It is estimated that, as a result of the measures proposed by the Lighter Later campaign, 60,000-80,000 jobs will be created through increased leisure & tourism, bringing an extra £2.5-3.5 billion into the economy each year.

• Prevent accidents. More daylight could prevent an estimated 1,000 serious injuries every year.

• Crime Lighter evening would reduce crime and fear of crime.

• Health. More daylight means more time for sports and outdoor activities.

These knock-on benefits mean that lighter evenings are now a more attractive prospect than ever. And people have finally started to take notice. From tourism trade bodies to road safety campaigners, and from sporting organisations to serving Government ministers, a new movement for lighter evenings is growing day by day.

10:10 is calling on individuals, businesses and organisations alike to add their voices to the call for lighter evenings all year round by visiting www.lighterlater.org

Article about it here.

As an old fart, I can remember the last time they did this, sometime in the 60's. Coming from Scotland, it's not just that it was dark on the way in to school, it stayed dark until about 10 in the morning. It was crap, sitting there whilst outside was like night.

JackRabbitBauer, I've provided two links. The simple one to the LighterLater campaign website which explains the benefits. I also provided a link to a 120 page report from the Department of Transport which talks about the possible benefits and reduction in traffic accident fatalities if Double Summer Time (as they call it) was put into place. Do you consider them to biased?

I could waste my time providing more links for people to proclaim idiotic, but I think I'll save my energy.

Bollocks to it. It will make sod all difference to the amount of daylight we have, as it will not in any way affect the position of Britain on the Earth. Therefore there is not much point in doing it, and hilarious to claim that there will be "more daylight" at any point. If people struggle so much (which I don't for a moment believe they do), then they can move to a more southerly country and their problems will be solved.

As littledawley says, the thought of standing in Greenwich but never being at GMT bothers me too! I don't see the problem in being at GMT all the time - why have we got BST at all in the first place? Dammit, we have the centre of time in our country, we should use it!

I'll come back and look at them tomorrow when my sarcasm might have worn off and you won't feel hounded for trying to convince us this is a genius idea when its not

Going home from work in hte dark is miserable, but getting to work and it still being dark is even worse.

WE are in southern England. My husband rides a m/bike to work. He can do most of his journey there in daylight, and in winter it is always dark onthe way home.

Keeping BST in winter means he will always be going both there & back in the dark. How is this safer?

Same applies to rest of family. DD2 currently walks to & form school in light, with the change woudl have to walk to school in the dark - so worse for her as well.

DS would change from dark afternoon to dark morning - so no benefit.

I also agree with previous post that Greenwich ought to have GMT for at least part of the year!

Although...

I'm not feeling hounded, I'm feeling slightly frustrated that several people here seem to have said no to the idea simply because they don't like change. I grew up at a fairly northern latitude in Canada so I know all about dark mornings and nights. However, the time zone is better balanced there than here in the UK and therefore I can see how beneficial this scheme could be.

I still want clarification about the jobs. I can't see that claim backed up anywhere else. 80,000 new jobs is a lot. One of the leaflets claims that hours of work 'equivalent' to 80,000 fulltime jobs would be created, but that's a bit different: it means that people already in tourism and leisure could work longer hours in winter, no? Forgive me if that's a wrong interpretation.

I'm saying this as one who'd support a change: I hate it when the clocks go back.

Yep, it's long, Skidoodly. He also walks four miles there and back, so I am doubly mean.

However, he does get 23 weeks of school holiday per year to compensate (we've already done a week of the Easter break), which makes DD's 20 weeks look very piddly...

If the farmers get screwed up then there will be no meat for the late evening barbecue so waste of time.

Is this another ploy under the guise of 'global warming' to get us to use less electricity whilst hundreds of acres of windfarms are built, subsidised by already heavily penalised electricity customers and which will benefit the wealthy landowner?

No. A thousand times no.

And I agree about the Greenwich thing.

Finona Mon 29-Mar-10 17:14:11
Go for it Mumsnet - if this were to be implemented then it will bring independence for Scotland all the closer, as yet again the rules are set to benefit the South of England.

lolol so true. we can barbeque until about three am in high summer, if only those pesky midges wouldn't eat us alive.

i'm shocked at mnhq not considering the scots at all with this daft campaign.

I am amused at all your arguments response to my light-hearted comment about BBQs. Hardly the main reason I'm for the change, but hey, it's a good reason too.

If England with it and Scotland didnt would confusion not reign in the borders.

I know people who work in Scotland but live in England..can you imagine crossing living and working in different "time zones" leave work at 5.30 travel 30 mins and arrive home 8pm

In the mornings leave at 10.30am travel 30 mins and arrive at 8am

I would have to say if mn backs this campaign they will alienate a lot of scottish mummies

Some people actually like the dark evenings in Autumn. Lighter mornings are what we need not lighter evenings.
When its cold you want to snuggle up in the warm wether its light or dark outside.

I think we should have BST all year round. No need for the hassle of changing the clocks. If Scottish people are concerned about kids going to school on dark mornings then they can just start school at 10am instead. Simple!

hell no - I struggle enough in the mornings when it's dark, find it so hard to get motivated, going anywhere in the dark is shite.

I don't mind it getting darker in the evenings, at least by then I've found some motivation and got something done.

"Scottish people are concerned about kids going to school on dark mornings then they can just start school at 10am instead. Simple!"

and all the business open at 10, and the childcare arrangements changing.........

All this change would mean is that most people would go out in the dark in the mornings, instead of the light.
Most working people would still be coming home in the dark in the middle of winter.

And I for one would rather go out in the light than have to go out in the dark - dark in the mornings would be infinitely more depressing than coming home in the dark in the evenings.

My Mum still often talks about when they tried this in the 60s or 70s, she absolutely hated it.

I live in Scotland and I think lighter later is an completely brilliant idea. Dark mornings are so much less oppressive than dark evenings.

Another oldie here who remembers this happening in the 70s, as a wee one, I hated it. At school we were all given reflective armbands etc, it was horrible, scary and dangerous. Leave well alone and as for Scottish schools starting at 10am well...

why don't we just stop fucking about with time completely in order to make life easier for ourselves.

More daylight, me arse.
Leave it well alone.

What about if we leave the clocks the way they are now but change the hours people work so that they start earlier when it's light earlier etc.

I haven't read the whole thread so excuse me if I repeat others, but I think the idea is a bit flawed and blatantly favours the southern half of the country. In large areas of the north in the winter it will barely be light until 10am. Everyone knows how depressing it is to leave for work in the dark and get back in the dark and it won't do anything to change that. You'll just be shifting problems from one end of the day to the other. God help parents trying to get kids to sleep in the middle of June in Shetland!