Millions of people, whether driving for hours for the best view of the total eclipse or just standing on their lawns, stopped what they were doing to watch the eclipse on April 8th. The solar eclipse, while a truly thrilling event to witness, can unfortunately damage or even destroy retina cells when looking at it with the naked eye. Luckily, solar eclipse glasses exist to offer protection from such problems. These glasses are about 100,000 times darker than the average sunglasses and not only save viewers’ eyes from damage, but also can be used sustainably.
Lawrenceville has made efforts to recollect the solar eclipse glasses and donate them after the recent eclipse. While some may be wary of reusing these glasses due to a warning label on some to discard them if they are more than three years old, this warning is outdated as recently made solar eclipse glasses do not expire. Organizations such as the Eclipse Glasses USA and Astronomers Without Borders, are collecting used glasses without damage to be redistributed for future use. Additionally, even if the solar eclipse glasses are too damaged to be reused, it is still possible to be sustainable by removing the lenses and recycling the cardboard. To conclude, it’s important to be sustainable whenever possible. Most would not think to pair the solar eclipse with being sustainable, but there are opportunities everywhere!
Sources
https://www.space.com/36941-solar-eclipse-eye-protection-guide.html
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/09/americas/eclipse-glasses-recycle-donate-scn/index.html
