Daylight savings (DST) is the practice of changing the time one hour forward in the spring and one hour back in the fall; hence the mnemonic phrase, “Fall back; spring forward.”
In autumn, everyone experiences the end of the DST period so clocks get set back to standard time. This means everyone gains an hour so the day it occurs on is 25 hours long. This year, the DST period ended Sunday, November 5th. As a result, the sun rises and sets earlier now and vice versa in the spring.
What is the purpose of this?
Daylight savings started in the United States after the First World War to save on fuel costs by adding an extra hour of sunlight. Since then, it has been repealed and implemented numerous times. Depending on whom you ask, this time change was considered to be beneficial.
“Because the time changed, I was able to sleep one more hour. I could definitely feel the difference when I woke up on Sunday because I felt more rested,” said senior Renata Alvarez Gil.
Another senior, Luciana Hoyos, agrees with Renata about the benefits of the time going back to standard time.
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I like waking up for school now with the sun already up. I feel more energized and ready to start my day because of it.”
— Luciana
On the other hand, according to senior Natalia Davila, this time change was a bit of an annoyance.
“I do not like seeing the sun set earlier due to the time change because my days feel shorter since there is less sunlight,” Natalia said.
Longer daylight hours, which occur in the spring, promote safety. Since there is more daylight in the evening, runners, people walking their dogs, and children who play outside are at less of a risk because drivers can see more clearly. It also conserves energy because the extra hours of sunlight serve as a natural source. If you are hoping for more daylight, you must wait till Sunday, March 10th, 2024, to experience spring forward.
