Every New Year's Eve in New York, as one year turns into another, thousands of people gather to watch an elaborately illuminated 'Time Ball' descend a 77 foot (23 meter) pole. It is also viewed by many more watching from their TV sets around the U.S. and even internationally. This year, tonight in fact, appropriately enough, the annual New York Times Square New Year's Eve party will be illuminated by a brand new Über-Ball -- I say 'Über' because it is double the brightness and more elaborately lit than any of its predecessors -- yet it will be so whilst using 95% less energy than the most recent.
The ball boasts over 9,500 LED lights, capable of producing millions of colours, and despite being the main feature light for the event, and being expected to 'wow' the crowds with a light show like never before, it will only use about as much energy as it would take to run one residential oven for a few hours on Christmas day.
This year we've made a great deal of progress as far as public awareness of environmental issues is concerned. Although this hasn't translated into determined political action yet (thinking, notably of our disappointment with the proceedings at Bali), there are hopeful signs that our planet is beginning to get appreciated for what it is -- the cradle of our survival. It is appropriate then, as the year comes to a close and a new one begins, that all eyes are turned towards this spherical symbolic representation of a brighter, greener future. May 2008 bring further advances in our understanding of natural systems and how to work in harmony with them. And, finally, may this understanding spur us, collectively, into action.
We at Celsias want to thank you all for visiting and supporting our site and our work and wish you all a very happy and healthy New Year. We all have a lot of learning and adjusting to do over 2008. When we look at the science at hand, sometimes it feels like the clock is just ticking too fast, but just as the earth's climatic systems appear to be reaching a tipping point, the tide has also begun to turn in the minds of millions of earth's residents around this world we call home. Let's look into 2008 with hope, enthusiasm and energy. Let's get the job done.
