Dim It Campaign Sum-up
[Dim It] Dictionary
Dim ItIntonation: [dIm][It]
Meaning:[Verb] Sufficient illumination for one's needs; it should not be wasted, nor should it disturb.
[Noun] In 2008, Friends of the Earth (HK) initiated a campaign to fight against light pollution. The aim of the campaign was not to prohibit light usage per se, but to go against light nuisance and energy wastage. The campaign also aims at encouraging the public to reflect on their profligate way of living as well as the blind worship of extravagant spending upon which Hong Kong was famed as the "Pearl of the Orient".
Besides, Hong Kong currently does not have any laws to regulate light pollution. The wastage of energy and disturbance to citizens has been growing out of hand. Dim It campaign therefore urges the government to execute statutory control of light pollution.
Dim It campaign has four major objectives: (1) to arouse public awareness of light pollution; (2) to encourage businesses to use lightings in a proper way; (3) to advocate regulating light pollution and light nuisance; (4) to motivate the public to reflect upon their materialistic lives.
Motto: Dim it!
Applications: Browse our press releasesJoin our "light-catching" mission!
People who suffer from insomnia resulting from light nuisance, together with people who find wasteful lights disgusting, are deprived of a proper channel to register their complaints nowadays.
With regard to this loophole, Friends of the Earth (HK) hammers out a new complaint platform for light pollution cases: a webpage named "Light-catching". People are welcome to air their opinions on this webpage, which will hopefully generate enough public pressure for a remediation of specific light pollution cases.
Click here to enter "Light-catching" web page
6.21 Lights-out Event
142 landmark buildings and advertisement signs in town dimmed their lights for an hour on 21st June 2008. This was the first time a mass scale lights out event was successfully launched in Hong Kong
(Click here for 08 6.21 Lights Out event page)¡C. Turning off lights symbolizes an attempt to save energy, improve the air quality and ultimately reflect on the materialistic way of living in modern society. (This event was sponsored by Aviva)
2008.6.21 The Victoria Harbour after lights out
The lights-out party at Charter Garden
Little dancers created their own lights-out version of A Symphony of Lights
Friends of the Earth (HK) resumed the effort a year later, launching another lights-out event on 21st June 2009. This time a record-breaking 3,500 buildings joined forces to dim the night sky above Victoria Harbour up to 60%. That night, the Avenue of Stars at Tsim Sha Tsui was placed with approximately 100 telescopes, turning the promenade into the largest star gazing platform which eventually attracted 30 to 50 thousand citizens. (This event was sponsored by Aviva)
Visit 6.21 Lights-out Event website (Chinese only)
2009.6.21 Lights on (taken by Royston Woo)
2009.6.21 Lights out (taken by Royston Woo)
Countdown ceremony on-the-scene (taken by Vincent Tse)
Legislator Hon Audrey Eu, Managing Director of Aviva Mr. Simon Phipps, President of International Year of Astronomy 2009 Hong Kong League Mr. Leung Kam Cheung, Mr. Lam Chiu Ying, Director of Friends of the Earth (HK) Mr. Edwin Lau guested on the countdown ceremony (taken by Royston Woo)
Citizens used the telescope to look up the sky (taken by Vincent Tse)
Dim It Charter
Not only is the 6.21 lights-out campaign a symbolic event, it also initiates new efforts from business sector to use eco-friendly lightings. "Dim It Charter" invites many of Hong Kong' s corporations and social organizations to make a long-term commitment to our environment and neighbourhood. Participating parties pledged to switch off unnecessary lightings before midnight to reduce energy wastage and disturbance from 21st June 2009.
Sign up for "Dim It Charter" hereList of participating partiesSaving darkness from light pollutionBesides the harm to humans, light pollution shelters the starry skies, preventing astronomy-lovers from observing celestial phenomena and the general public from enjoying stargazing. Coincidentally, 2009 is designated as "International Year of Astronomy" by the United Nations, Dim It campaign and "International Year of Astronomy 2009 Hong Kong League" teamed up to call for the public to care about the adverse effect of light pollution upon the starry skies. The 6.21 lights-out event provided a chance for citizens to relive long-lost stargazing memories. We hope to urge the government to regulate light pollution and set up stargazing conservation zone in Hong Kong in the long run.
Visit "International Year of Astronomy 2009 Hong Kong League" website 
This picture shows that sky glow in urban area extends to Sai Kung, marking a boundary in the sky beyond which stars can no longer be observed (taken by Hui Ho Keung)
Publications of "Dim It" and "Day Light - Night Light""Dim It" is the first local publication to investigate in depth light pollution in Hong Kong. It has been nominated the 20th Annual Best Book Award for Secondary School Students. Unlike the others, this book highlights several real stories about how improper lightings devastate people's normal lives.
Cover of "Dim It"
Proceeding with the publication of "Dim It", it came to another one named "Day Light - Night Light". The alternation of day and night is nothing more than natural. However in Hong Kong we turn the cycle upside down. Hence, "Day Light - Night Light" tries to re-define the drawing line between day and night. Starting from the design of cover, we allow the readers to flip through either from the left (day time) or from the right (night time).
Cover of "Day Light - Night Light"
Ridiculous Lightings Vote
Over 600 citizens casted their votes online to choose Windsor House, Causeway Bay as the most ridiculous lighting. Its luminance level had accounted for 10,000 lux, which is 20 times brighter than a normal office and considered to be an extreme waste of energy. Friends of the Earth (HK) later gathered a "flash-mob demonstration" outside Windsor House. We held umbrellas and wore sunglasses to avoid being "burnt" by the spotlights and to petition against this ridiculous lighting. Windsor House turned off some lighting for a time later on.
Spotlights of Windsor House
"Haunted Central?" Online Video
This video has been clicked over for more than 10 thousand times in just 3 weeks. It broke the record of what local green groups can usually achieve on Youtube. This is about a camcorder that videoed a ghost with long hair that passed by a luxurious lit-up store. Ridiculing brands in Central on the amount of energy being squandered, we doubted whether any people (or instead, only "spirits") would be attracted to the extravagant lightings at midnight. Prada and H&M have promised to turn off lights after midnight soon after.
View the clipCity Lights Tour
Friends of the Earth (HK) designed a city light tour on Nathan Road for citizens to experience themselves how it is like to live under the shadow of dazzling lights. Until now 10 tours have been held.
Uncovering the harm of wall bracket-mounted street lightsFriends of the Earth (HK) revealed that there are 1,900 street lights mounting on the exterior walls of buildings, all of which are owned by the Highways Department. Such street lights are too close to the residents and are a potential source of nuisance to them. Exposing residents to strong lights deep in the night, these street lights can be carcinogenic to humans. The Highways Department has then promised to take remedial measures within a year.
A wall bracket-mounted street light in Mongkok
Issue tackled in Policy Address 2008-09Dim It campaign was greeted with Chief Executive's promise to assess the problem of energy wastage of external lighting and study the feasibility of tackling the problem through legislation in his Policy Address 2008-09. Friends of the Earth (HK) has been lobbying the officials and legislators on some ideal regulatory models. In UK, environmental groups have spent 15 years to get light pollution under legislative control. In Hong Kong, Dim It campaign received positive response from the government soon after it has been launched. But we would not be complacent about what has been done, the campaign will move on until light pollution is well tackled in this city.
Call for Action
Light pollution is getting worse in Hong Kong. Besides wasting energy, citizens are being disturbed from their sleeps. Even though in the meantime there is no regulation of light pollution, it will not help either by not voicing out. Therefore, if you are being affected or simply cannot tolerate this anymore, please voice your opinion or complaint to the Environmental Protection Department (call 2838 3111 or
log into the complaint system). You may also talk to us and we will voice out for you (phone: 2528 5588; email: foehk@foe.org.hk).
Lately, the number of light pollution-related complaints has risen dramatically. We count on you to push for the government to do something about it.
