If you live in North America, have you recovered from that hour of sleep you lost last weekend when we sprang forward to Daylight Savings Time? Welcome to week 11 of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a sustainable living tip for the week. This week, I wade into the great Daylight Savings Time debate.
Also this week: equal opportunity parenting in the bird world, the death of the Dead Sea, and the benefits of air drying laundry.
The Sunday Spark – Week 11
On my mind this week: The power of an hour – The great Daylight Savings Time debate
Last weekend, most areas of North America changed our clocks to spring forward an hour to Daylight Savings Time. When I lose that hour of sleep in spring, I admit to feeling a bit groggy for a few days. After that, I carry on with life.
Twice a year, the debate about stopping this twice-yearly time change carries on. The time switch has been linked to an increase in heart attacks, traffic and workplace accidents, and even miscarriages. (Source: TimeandDate.com)
The movement to stop the time change is gaining momentum. Some people are proposing we stay on Daylight Time year round. To me, that’s the wrong solution. If we’re going to stop the time change, we should remain on Standard Time year round. Don’t get me wrong—I’d miss the extra hour of daylight in the summer evenings. But from a safety point of view, I’d prefer darker summer evenings to having our kids going to school in the dark for four to five months in the winter time.
Standard Time was the time before Daylight Savings Time was implemented over a hundred years ago. If we’re going to stop the time change, we need to go back to Standard Time in the fall and stay there.
Honestly, it baffles me that losing an hour can have that big an impact. Since we’re talking about changing laws, perhaps we should ban all travelling across time zones because that must pose the same risk.
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Three highlights of the week
It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:
- Last Saturday, I had a nice lunch and catch up with a couple of friends that I hadn’t seen in a while.
- Friday was St. Patrick’s Day. My mum is Irish so it’s a day I always enjoy. I had a wonderful lunch with my mum and my sister, and I enjoyed a Guinness—something I only drink once a year.
- I repaired my Skechers walking shoes. I love these shoes but the metal in the heel had started poking through and hurting my feet. The rest of the shoe is in great shape so I didn’t want to throw them away. After some online searching, I found a heel repair kit on Amazon. I’m hoping I can get another season or two out of them.
Two things I learned this week
Another busy week for me, but I jotted down two things I learned this week:
Some bird couples take turns incubating their eggs
I had always assumed that it’s the female bird who sits on the nest to incubate the eggs. I was interested to see this post from Mike Powell where he mentions that eagle couples take turns sitting on the nest. After doing a little research, I learned that it’s not only male eagles who are equal opportunity dads. It turns out most birds share incubation duties. (Source: Stanford)
The Dead Sea might actually be dying
I’ve never given much thought to how the Dead Sea got its name until our priest mentioned it last week during his sermon.
I vaguely recall learning in school that the sea has such high salt content that no living creature or plant can survive there. This week I learned that the sea is so salty because it has no outlet for the water. Water flows into the sea from the Jordan River and stays there until it evaporates. When the water evaporates, it leaves the mineral salt behind.
Sadly, thanks to human intervention in the form of pipelines, dams and reservoirs, water levels are decreasing. The Dead Sea is on track to disappear by 2050. (Source: How Stuff Works)
Sustainable living tip: the benefits of hanging laundry to dry
With spring arriving this week, one of the things I’m looking forward to is drying my laundry outdoors. It will probably be a few weeks before the blanket of snow in our back garden melts, and temperatures warm up enough for me to put up the clothesline, but drying that first load of laundry outdoors is a highlight of spring for me.
I love the fresh smell of laundry that has been dried outdoors but there are other benefits to shunning the dryer in favour of air drying laundry. First, you’ll save a lot of energy. Clothes dryers are among the biggest energy hogs of all household appliances. In addition, air drying makes your clothes last longer by reducing shrinkage and snags.
If you can’t put up an outdoor clothesline, consider getting a drying rack or hanging your clothes to dry indoors. You won’t get that fresh air smell, but you’ll realize the energy savings and protect your clothes. In the winter, I air dry a lot of our clothes indoors.
(For more laundry tips, check out Simple tips for zero-waste laundry.)
I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.
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Since I live in Arizona now, I got to experience not changing the clocks for the first time in my life, as Arizona does not do Daylight Savings Time. I am in favor of stopping it altogether, as the shift makes things altogether too complicated and is an adjustment more and more people are beginning to feel is just strange. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! xx
Yes, I remember when I visited Arizona a few years ago being confused because I didn’t know what time zone they were in. Interestingly, Arizona stays on standard time year round, whereas the proposed change for everyone else is to stay on daylight time year round which isn’t the right solution in my opinion. If we’re going to stay on any time, it should be standard time or we’ll be out of sync with the rest of the world. We’ll see what happens.
Such a great post! We haven’t have our clocks move yet, I think it’s next Sunday. I cannot wait for lighter evenings and mornings.
Thank you for sharing.
Lauren
Thanks Lauren. Yes, more daylight this time of year really lifts the spirits.
Lots of good stuff here Michelle! This time switch was the hardest one I’ve ever experienced. I am just now finding myself back in a normal groove. It has never been this hard before. I know there are pros and cons on which time is better based on health, lifestyle…or just because for some. I don’t necessarily care which one wins but I emphatically do not want to change anymore. Washington passed a permanent DST bill in our legislature but Congress has to do it’s part and that is going nowhere.
I remember my mom hanging laundry on a big clothesline when I was young. It all smelled so wonderful and fresh, although I never could get past the stiffness of denim jeans that had been hung out. I need to check into a drying rack since I have no outside space that is my own. My jeans however will continue to go in the drier 😉
Ultimately, here in Canada, we’ll have to follow what the US does. If we do go to permanent DST, I will be VERY glad I don’t have kids in school any more. My daughters had to leave for the bus at 7:30 a.m. when they were in high school. They literally would have been walking 10 minutes to the bus stop in darkness 4 months of the year if we stayed on DST year round. People haven’t thought of that. Even though we live in a good neighbourhood, I would be concerned for their safety.
Yes, jeans dried outside aren’t the greatest, although it depends on the brand of jeans. I have some that I dry outside and they’re okay.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Deb. I wish you a wonderful week ahead.
What an interesting post, Michelle. I didn’t know that about the dead sea or the egg incubation so I feel smarter. And the time change debate – what a fascinating observation about traveling between time zones! Cap that all off with your inspiring reasons to dry laundry and it adds up to a great post. Thank you!
Thanks Wynne! I love sharing these little nuggets of information.
I think the difference between time changes for travel is people voluntarily choose to travel, whereas the time change is something where they don’t have a choice. And, if we’ve learned anything in the last few years, it’s that people will resist anything if they feel they are being made to do it by someone else.
I’m one of those people who remains unaffected by the time change. I seem to be in the minority because I’m amazed at how many people react to the time change twice a year as if it’s a huge problem.. I know they’re feelings are real, so I don’t want to be dismissive, but it’s hard to relate as it’s a non-event for me. Like you, I’ve wondered if people are equally affected when they travel into a different time zone.
I suppose when people travel to a different time zone, they do it voluntarily, whereas the time change is done to us which automatically gets a lot of people’s backs up. Unfortunately, there is no perfect solution so there will always be something to grumble about. Thanks for reading and commenting, Pete.
Another interesting collection this week, Michelle. I find the time changes easier now that I am retired and don’t have a schedule. I do like more light at night.
Thanks Judy. I’m a morning person so the lighter evenings don’t have the same appeal for me. In the winter, I’m often awake for several hours before it gets light. I find that difficult.
I understand. My husband is like you. It takes me awhile to get going.