Since the launch of Lights Out Philly in spring 2021, the Philadelphia community came together in a remarkable way to protect birds. The program now has 36 commercial buildings, 43 residential sign-ups, and six municipal buildings that have agreed to voluntarily switch off unnecessary lights between midnight and 6 a.m. during migration seasons, especially in a building’s upper levels, lobby and atrium

“Bird Safe Philly’s spring migration Lights Out was a resounding success with significant participation from building owners and managers and continued data collection on collisions through the coalition’s collision monitoring program. However, during fall migration, numbers of migrating birds are even higher because young birds born during the summer are making their way south in epic and dangerous migratory flights for the first time,” said Jason Weckstein, PhD, curator of Ornithology, Academy of Natural Science of Drexel University. “Under normal circumstances, mortality of these young first-time travelers is high. I am excited that our city is doing the right thing and minimizing the barriers to these birds heading south to their wintering grounds.”

“Lights Out is helping Philadelphia be more energy efficient and wildlife friendly,” said Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson (At-Large). “As Chair of the Committee on the Environment, I was thrilled to support, along with my colleague Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson, the creation of a Lights Out initiative in Philadelphia. We need these simple, efficient and effective programs to help us keep birds safe. I urge all Philadelphians to participate in this program!”

“The City is on its way to reaching carbon neutrality by 2050, and reducing energy usage is one step in a suite of solutions to lowering carbon emissions. We’re proud to support Lights Out Philly to not only make our city safer for millions of birds, but to also make strides toward becoming a carbon neutral city for us all,” said Christine Knapp, director of Philadelphia’s Office of Sustainability.

“PECO’s iconic Crown Lights messaging system continues to educate our community on important topics and events and will be used to communicate the importance of Lights Out Philly. In addition, to reduce bird deaths, our Crown Lights will feature animation as well as adjusted brightness to reduce the attractiveness to birds,” said Amy Hamilton, vice president of support services at PECO. “Anyone can participate in Lights Out Philly – residents, businesses, and municipalities – and PECO is proud to be an early participant in the initiative to protect migratory birds as they navigate Philadelphia’s night sky.”