Activity: Change and Consequences

Explore the influence that artificial lighting has on everyday life and the environment.

In the  Two-Burner Lamp Object Story, we briefly listed some of the reasons humans used artificial light in the early 1800s. Now let’s think about those uses in detail, come up with a few more, and weigh their importance against the effects on whales and the environment. 

1. Make a list of all the things people in the 1800s could not do without artificial light. (Artificial light is any light not produced by the sun) 

Note to teacher: Consider how seasonal changes affect the number of hours of daylight. Note that whale oil light was brighter than wax candles, but still not bright enough to read without straining or to do detailed sewing work. Light is measured in lumens.  

• Wax candle = 13 lumens 
• Whale oil lamp = 80-100 lumens 
• 100-watt electric bulb = 1,200 lumens 

2. Create an “importance” grading rubric from 1-5 with defined criteria for each grade. For example, 5 = most important, but what does most important mean? Survival, happiness, productivity, convenience?  

3. Next to each use of artificial light, assign an “importance grade” between 1-5 (5 = most important) 

4. Then consider the environmental impact on whale populations. How important are these impacts? 

5. Discuss:  Do you think whale oil light was worth its impact to the environment? 

6. Compare answers given by others. What factors were involved in making your decision? Did you think about social, cultural, or political reasons? Were they more personal?