“Spring forward,
fall back.” Like clockwork, we follow this humble command twice a year. But what is it doing to our health and well being?
The idea behind daylight saving time (DST) — when we move our clocks forward by one hour for the warmer months, giving us an extra hour on an autumn Sunday and losing us one in spring — is to make better use of daylight and conserve energy. A later sunset during the long summer days means less need for indoor lighting in the evening. The idea has been around for centuries. Some credit a 1784 essay by Benjamin Franklin.
Germany was the first country to adopt DST, in 1916, to save energy during World War I. Other countries quickly followed. In the 1970s, during the Arab oil embargo, the U.S. Congress approved an emergency year-long DST. In 2005, the Energy Policy Act extended the observance of DST in the United States by four weeks. Americans (except in Arizona and Hawaii, which do not use DST) now set their clocks forward on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November.
Yet academic research shows largely negative impacts on health, which have stoked controversy in recent decades and led some to question if this century-old tradition still merits support. Indeed, some countries, like Argentina and Russia, have dropped DST altogether.
The spring is most dangerous: In the first few days after we lose an hour of sleep, researchers have shown increases in car accidents and heart attacks. Those phenomena may decrease for a few days after the fall switch, when we are given that extra hour of sleep. Another study reports a mild health boost in the fall, though a 2016 study in Epidemiology found increased depressive episodes in the autumn, when the change means we are suddenly leaving work in the dark.
People with small children report higher levels of unhappiness during the spring transition, when they lose an hour of sleep. Without DST, though, parents worry about children leaving for school on dark winter mornings. Crime drops after the spring change.
As for energy consumption, in a 2008 study carried out shortly after the last federal change to the daylight saving schedule, the U.S. Department of Energy found annual energy usage fell about 0.03 percent. That may not sound like much, but it is enough to power 100,000 homes for a year. Other research found savings higher in regions far from the equator, where the length of the day varies considerably throughout the year. Yet usage near the equator, where the amount of daylight varies little, actually increased after the clocks were switched, they found.
Other resources:
A tip sheet from the Department of Energy details more history behind DST and suggests that Benjamin Franklin was joking when he proposed changing our clocks.
The Associated Press style is to use “daylight saving time,” not “savings,” without caps or hyphens. This is often known as summer time. Capitalize when speaking about usage within a particular time zone: Eastern Daylight Time, Pacific Daylight Time. In the winter, we use “standard time” — Eastern Standard Time — sometimes known as “winter time.”
The website timeanddate.com lists countries and the dates they change their clocks. Many — including China and Russia — do not change at all.
Other resources:
A tip sheet from the Department of Energy details more history behind DST and suggests that Benjamin Franklin was joking when he proposed changing our clocks.
The Associated Press style is to use “daylight saving time,” not “savings,” without caps or hyphens. This is often known as summer time. Capitalize when speaking about usage within a particular time zone: Eastern Daylight Time, Pacific Daylight Time. In the winter, we use “standard time” — Eastern Standard Time — sometimes known as “winter time.”
The website timeanddate.com lists countries and the dates they change their clocks. Many — including China and Russia — do not change at all.
Selected studies can be found here:
Support strong, vibrant local public schools… Please vote! And don’t forget the local races!
Dear friends,
I know we’re all tired of hearing about the 2016 elections.
But up until now, that’s mostly all we’ve been able to do – listen. On Tuesday, we get to have our say.
If there is one thing public school advocacy has taught me, it’s that elections matter. Our schools aren’t run and funded by magic, or by some mysterious automatic system. They are run by the people we choose for public office, from local school boards to the State Legislature and state Board of Education. If we don’t get out and vote, we’re letting other people make our choices for us. If we want change, we need to elect people who will make that happen.
So do your homework. Find out what the state and local candidates in your area have to say about our public schools, and make an informed choice about who you want writing the laws and making the budgets. A great place to start is Vote411.org, a service of the nonpartisan League of Women Voters, where you can see who is running in your area and their position on the issues. Most candidates answer the League’s issue questionnaires, and the answers are often revealing.
And don’t skip the nonpartisan section at the end of your ballot: nearly every school board will have seats up for election, and many communities will have local school proposals to consider. We may be inundated with news about the national campaigns, but choices we make at the local level are equally important.
Recent legislation:
Third grade reading: As many of you probably know, the so-called “third grade reading bill” (HB 4822) was passed by the Legislature after rushed behind-the-scenes negotiations in September. Gov. Snyder signed it into law in mid-October. While we had hope for the bill originally, since it acknowledged that schools might need new tools and resources to help struggling readers, we strongly opposed the final version. The new law relies heavily on the threat of flunking students to “incentivize” someone (the child?) to do better; it also fails to commit anywhere near the amount of money needed to fully meet the new requirements. We’re starting a research project looking at the impact of the law on schools around the state – look for more on that later.
Restorative practices bills: On the other hand, in a fit of bi-partisanship, a set of bills to soften “zero tolerance” disciplinary requirements and encourage restorative justice practices looks to be on its way into law with support from both parties. (HB 5618-5621, now waiting on the Senate floor.) We join the long list of school organizations which support these bills, which we hope will reduce the currently very high rates of out-of-school suspensions and be more effective at dealing with disruptive behavior in school. It’s a reminder that good things can happen in Lansing, if you work hard enough.
Finally, on a personal note:
My mother passed away in September, just short of being able to cast a vote in this election. She was a longtime public interest advocate, civil rights worker, and community volunteer. My mother taught me whatever I know about advocacy in service to the public, helping citizens organize to find their voice on policy issues, and how to make that voice heard in state legislatures.
As the child of Greek immigrants, nothing was more precious to her than her American citizenship and the right that gave her to vote. She spent much of her life working to ensure that every American could use that power without interference, and to help citizens make informed choices when they vote.
She will not be able to cast a ballot in this election, though she very much wanted to. So, please, on behalf of those who have gone before, and on behalf of our children, make sure you use your vote and use it wisely. Make a plan to vote next Tuesday.
See you at the voting booth!
Steve Norton, executive director, Michigan Parents for Schools
http://www.mipfs.org/
…until next time, remember: Reading + Sharing + Discussing = Learning!