Treehugger - Latest Comments in Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

Craig — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:58:33 -0000

Living in Alaska, DST doesn't make a difference. When the sun is up from 10am to 3pm, and suddenly its 11 to 4, do I really care? no. It makes NO difference in the summer, it's always light out. In fact, because of the massive dark in the winter, it makes no difference there either. AK is in the minority on the "no serious effects" boat.

It's states like MT, ID, WI, WA, NY, etc that are north, but not that north. Those mid states are affected by the shift the most, they see the biggest difference.

If someone can outline the truly practical applications of DST TODAY, not 30 years ago, I might be inclined to change my opinion. But as of now, I find it irrational.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

Kelly — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:28:29 -0000

I had to select "other", because I am not a morning person at all, but I hate DST. Or more precisely, I hate changing the time.

I don't care we use DST or Standard time, but switching between them sucks. Do you have any idea what a pain it is to write computer programs that deal with time and date correctly? Time zones, UTC and GMT (not the same thing!), the International Date Line, calendar change bounderies (e.g. Julian to Gregorian), leap years, leap seconds. It is a mess even before throwing in arbatrary things like DST.

Not to mention changing clocks, including your body's clock.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

Craig — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:44:41 -0000

I tend to agree with Bryan. The whole idea of DST is to shift our schedule of sleeping and working. DST (even if it saves energy) is only a stopgap measure, and doesn't address the real problem - that our culture stays up too late causing us to miss free sunlight and solar heating.

Why does the evening news come on at 11 pm Eastern time? Why do people tend to stay up so late? I bet people went to bed much earlier before light bulbs became prevalent.

Construction workers have a pretty good schedule, start at about 6 am and done by 3 pm.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

John — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:40:36 -0000

When Ben Franklin came up with DST, it was viewed as eminently pragmatic as lighting was done with candle and oil and a real savings could be realized.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

Laura D — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:21:44 -0000

I like having sunlight last longer but I think what really matters is that this is no longer an effective way of energy use reduction. We use more power running our air conditioners and heaters than we do lighting our houses. It has no point anymore but I like that when I poke my head out of my cubicle after 8 hours of artificial lighting and have no idea what time it is, it is still light outside - unlike in the winter months when I drive home in the dark.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

MyDogRex — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:57:38 -0000

Somebody better call the WAAAmbulance!

Is this really that big of a deal? I love how people are complaining about having to reset their alarm clocks. It must be an incredible hardship on your body when it takes several days adjusting to DST.

How many people posting live far enough North for this to really effect them? It seems like there are a lot of petty gripes getting posted. (please don't take my razzing too seriously)

Things I like about DST: Being able to better take advantage of the evening sunshine. The extra hour of drinking you get at bars when we "Fall back" at the end of DST.

Things I dislike about DST: DST apparently has been the bulk of the current US administration's energy policy. Treehugger has posted previously about how DST does not save energy, but that idea is still held by many people.

Is there anybody on TH who lives in Idaho? I have been told that only part of the state observes DST. That must be a real headache.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

Jim — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:29:37 -0000

Daylight Savings time YEAH!

I know I will find myself in the minority. I love Daylight Savings Time. I wish I could have it all year round.

I live on the eastern edge of the central time zone. I cannot stand having it dark shortly after 4pm on a winter day. I understand that the western edge of a timezone has other problems.

What we should do is make more time zones. I don't think Wisconsin, Illinois, etc should be Eastern Time. Nor should North Dakota, South Dakota be included with Wisconsin and Illinois. Also why are states spilt???

Any way we could split the difference? Go ahead a half of an hour and stay there? Make NYC and the far east coast move to 6:30 am (DST). Michigan, Ohio and Indiana stays at 7:00. Wisconsin and Ilinois could be 7:30, Minnesota, Iowa 8:00. ND, Sd could be 9:00. Wyoming, Montana 9:30. Idaho 10:00, Washinton and Oregon 10:30. There wouls still be 4 hours between costs but everyone would get more ideal daylight hours. Make it permanent and forget DST alltogether.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

John — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:45:03 -0000

Artificially changing what hour it is twice each year is one of the most irritating things our society has ever done.

It doesn't seem like much but it upsets the "body clock" for several days each time it happens and there's no reasonable need for it.

It doesn't save energy because it causes me to turn on a heater to rid the pre-dawn chill that I might not need an hour later here in California where the temperature can jump more than double digits in the hour after sunrise.

I wish people who want to get up before dawn to feed there livestock, or whatever the original reason was, would just set their alarms earlier, but not mess with the clock.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

greylion — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:42:36 -0000

DST always messes with my internal clock. Sometimes it takes a full week for me to readjust.

The credit/debit card system in Denmark also has to be closed down for an hour every fall, usually at night between saturday and sunday. Very annoying for taxidrivers.

I say abolish DST, and put it in the history books with big fat letters, then (hopefully) no one will ever suggest something so stupid again.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

Bryan — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:23:52 -0000

I prefer the extra light in the evening as well. It may seem dark in the morning now, but in a couple of months it'll be mostly light out by 5:30 AM (I am in the mid Atlantic). If we didn't spring forward, that light would be arriving at 4:30 AM.

That said, I wouldn't have any problem ditching DST if my employer's office hours were flexible enough to accommodate me getting to and leaving work earlier and earlier as the days got longer. We have a limited amount of flexibility now but I don't think my employer would be too happy about me arriving at 6:30 AM and leaving at 3:00 PM - which is what I'd want to do in the summer if there was no DST. I think a lot of people are in the same boat.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

Earthsaver — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:53:44 -0000

I prefer the evening light. Not sure yet about morning darkness, given I live and work in pretty much the same place (at a retreat center). However, Dad asked a good question over the weekend. He said, "Tonight we lose an hour to Daylight Savings Time and just a week ago a leap year gave us an extra day. Could they have been combined and we would have netted 23 hours all at once?"

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

Chris — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:43:51 -0000

no DST in arizona! hahaha

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

Jonce — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:26:19 -0000

Now that the time has changed I will be able to bike around with my family after work to either go out to eat or run errands. When it get's dark at 5:30 we have safety issues in regards to crime and bad drivers that keeps me off the streets on my bike. I look forward to the time change every year.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

Thoria — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:54:34 -0000

I'm a night owl, and it sucks, because I have to get up in the dark, and my body fights that. Ditch it.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

josh — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:32:34 -0000

If I had it my way, I would be at the office from 3 AM to 11AM. I'd play outside from11AM to 8PM and I'd sleep from 8PM to 3AM. (well, you get the idea)

I LOVE my job, but there really is no requirement other than convention why we have to spend the bulk of the daylight hours working indoor jobs.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

Emily — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:25:47 -0000

I need that hour of sleep.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

Emily — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:22:55 -0000

I'm ambivalent -- I like that it's lighter longer in the evening, but I miss the sun when I wake up for work. Plus, it's annoying to shift all the clocks and it messes up everyone's internal clock. So until someone can tell me the practical benefits of DST, I think we should ditch it.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

lara — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:18:28 -0000

I live in Indiana where DST was adopted a couple years ago. We seem to have a terrible case of "be careful what you wish for." Many people I talk to really wish we could go back to the days without DST! I can't stand it either, it was just beginning to lighten up when I drove to work, no I'm plunged back into the darkness.

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

Rosie — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 08:58:42 -0000

I don't live in the US so all it does is confuse me about when it's ok to Skype my family back home... Ditch it!

Re: Survey: Do You Like Daylight Saving Time?

Terra Verde — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 08:41:13 -0000

For me it's always dependent on the actual day of. Like today I popped out of bed an hour early, no problem, but last year it was miserable. So I was kind of halfway between the first and second options. Independent of my personal sleep deprivation-related issues, I do wish it were better in regards to energy efficiency, or that it had a practical purpose I could decipher period.