- This event has passed.
September 19, 2023 - October 19, 2023
Go Lights Out 2023 Kickoff
Mark your calendars for the 8th annual Lights Out Portland period from September 19 through October 19, a community-wide event tied to peak fall migration season when millions of birds will be passing over Oregon skies! Residential households and commercial buildings will dim their lighting in order to raise awareness about the impact of light pollution on migrating birds, about wasted energy in the form of light thrown up into the sky, and about preserving our ability to see stars from the city.
Building owners, businesses, and residents are encouraged to keep joining us from 11 p.m. to dawn each night through October 19 – the period during which peak numbers of birds will be moving through our airspace. A big thank you to participating buildings including US Bancorp Tower, Montgomery Park, Metro Regional Center, First and Main, City Hall, Portland Building (CoP), 1900 Building (CoP), Wells Fargo Tower, Oregon Convention Center, 200 Market, KOIN, Fox Tower, East Portland Community Center, Mt Scott Community Center, Southwest Community Center, Matt Dishman Community Center, Charles Jordan Community Center, 911 Federal Building, Lloyd 700 Building, Lloyd Center Tower, First and Main, OMSI, OHSU SW (CHH1, CHH2, RPV, RLSB, KCRB), 1201 Lloyd, Multnomah County Central Courthouse. Click here to see City of Portland’s Dark Skies Proclamation.
Visit CSU’s Lights Out Alerts page for Red Alert nights when we really need to take action!
Light Pollution drowns out the stars that migrating birds are using to navigate and lures them into cities where they are at risk of colliding with windows. Across the US, nearly 1 billion birds die every year as a result of hitting a window. There are also serious human health concerns about exposure to artificial light at night, which disrupts our circadian rhythms.
Building owners, tenants in residential buildings, and residential households are encouraged to turn off unnecessary lighting and then get out somewhere to see the stars!
From 11 p.m. to dawn, building owners are asked to:
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- Turn off rooftop lighting and exterior architectural lighting
- Turn off or dim lobby/atrium lighting
- Turn off interior lights wherever possible
Folks in houses, apartments and condos are asked to:
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- Turn off any unnecessary outdoor lighting
- Draw blinds or curtains in rooms where lights are in use
- Get outside to see the night sky!
