During the event, it was posed to Lamplighters that we switch to LED lanterns. Were seriously taking this into consideration and want to hear your feedback. Here are the reasons I can think of in favor of LED, in no particular order. 1. LED lanterns would be more environmentally friendly. We could use rechargeable batteries to reduce waste. We could also use solar panels to charge the batteries during the day. This would still continue the tradition of lighting our first fires from the sun. 2. Lanterns could be phased in to replace the older kerosene lanterns. 3. We would not need as many maintenance supplies (Shop towels, kero, fueling supplies, lighters, and wicks) 4. It would reduce the volume of volunteers needed to create the procession. We needed 12 volunteers per day to fuel and clean 120 lanterns. These volunteers spent roughly 3 hours a piece volunteering. This would free them up to volunteer with other teams. 5. Lanterns would be more likely to last all night, provide more illumination, and be more likely to last in inclement weather such as high winds like we had at Euphoria. 6. LED Lanterns come in many colors and types of illumination. I have even found color changing ones. Rainbow lanterns sound pretty awesome to me. Here are the cons. 1. A lot of people mention concerns of theft. Some sort of locking mechanism would be potentially needed. 2. The type of illumination is quite different and would have a different feel and ambiance. Even if we did change to LED lanterns, we feel that we should keep 1 route fire (most likely the promenade) to hearken back to the tradition of it. Procession would still occur every night, and lamps would still be gathered in the morning. Have I not thought of something? Let me know!
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 16:57:09 +0000