Does anyone really enjoy cold, dark winter afternoons?
It’s question worth asking as the Western hemisphere plunges further into the darkness of mid-to-late fall and winter.
According to a recent report from Bloomberg, Daylight Savings Time does not actually reduce electric demand, as it was created to do.
It also has the potential to wreck delicate sleep schedules, which in turn creates economic losses of upwards of $400 million each year according to the article.
It has also been linked to traffic accidents, heart attacks, Seasonal Affect Disorder, commuting problems, and more.
Cartographer Creates Maps Without Daylight Savings Time
Recently, cartographer (mapmaker) Andy Woodruff created a series of maps showing that the effects of Daylight Savings Time are not consistent across the United States.
His maps also show how terrifying things could be for people who wake at 7 a.m.
Where should you live, assuming you enjoy sunsets after 5 p.m.?
The maps below provide a snapshot of the situation for each area of the country during this time.
As you can see in map #1, the entire eastern part of the country, in this case east of the Mississippi, have serious issues when it comes to sunrises.
The amount of days with reasonable sunrise time is extraordinarily low in he 7 a.m. or earlier range, meaning that lots of people are going to work when it’s pitch black outside.
Combine this dark landscape with the lack of sleep that usually comes with people working early morning jobs, and you can imagine how it could be a recipe for disaster on the roadways.
If daylight savings time were abolished, things would immediately brighten up for much of the United States, especially the eastern part of the country including New York City, New York state, Pennsylvania and other places.
The number of days with a sunrise would increase dramatically.
Now, let’s take a look at how the country would look if Daylight Saving Time were always in effect.
As you can see from the map below shared by Bloomberg from Woodruff’s collection of maps, the entire country would become a lot brighter if Daylight Saving Time were done away with.
The whole country is shown with nearly 365 days of reasonable sunset time.
Another major takeaway is that Hawaii is the place to be if you’d like to see more sun in your life.
Aside from that, these maps clearly show that a lack of Daylight Saving Time helps considerably in allowing for more sunrises, without affecting the amount of sunsets drastically.
For more information, check out Woodruff’s interactive blog on the subject here, and be sure to let us know what you think about the potential change in the comments section of this post.
‘Til next time, Green Living Tribe!
