I agree with the writer. Based on solely my observations lately when I've driven by in November, December and now January, "The Bridge" is lit up all night in Ames. It probably has 40 to 60 lights on the walking portion to light it up for pedestrians (perhaps more) and then it has the vibrant red lights in the two towers. It serves absolutely no purpose other than aesthetic. These lights use energy, which comes from burning fossil fuels (the City uses natural gas and also burns waste at the Resource Recovery Center). That's pollution that goes into the atmosphere which we all breathe. I'm not going to write a mini-novel on this message board to educate some of you guys on greenhouse gases, and the fact that we've also continued to lose the natural systems such as rainforests in Brazil or central Africa, that stabilize weather patterns and suck up CO2, provide biodiversity, etc., but this kind of behavior when the University professes (at least some within the University) to care about our footprint on this planet and what we're leaving to our children, is very wasteful. It's sad to see new projects like this be so wasteful and on all the time at night at a time when we know about the continuing build up of CO2 and other harmful gases on this planet that threaten our atmosphere and life itself. There's also a ton of light wasted and coming from the new athletic performance center, too. I'm talking about 2 am in the morning when nobody is reasonably in there (at least the one time I drove by late at night) where they have these video boards and other lights running all night. He's also right about the science behind light pollution confusing and disorienting birds. That's a risk and could not saying it will, but could , lead to unnecessary bird deaths. It would be one thing to me if the Bridge served a utility and purpose that was functional, but as far as I can tell there are no people walking the Bridge at night and it is entirely aesthetic. As someone who despises waste and inefficiency, that's sad to me.
As an Ames resident, I hope the AD tones this bridge's lighting down as well. That's coming from a Cyclone fan who enjoys the look and aesthetic of the Bridge / lighting, thinks they did a great job, is a contributing season ticket holder, ISU alum but also thinks we should do better. Sure, have it on on gamedays, special occasions, etc. because people now enjoy it, but it should be on a fraction of the amount of time it is on right now. That's the responsible thing to do.
