Green activists outraged at Apple Store's after-hours lighting
Empty of customers, the store nevertheless has about 500 lamps and spotlights burning bright on all three floors, the light passing through Apple's signature glass walls onto the pavement.
It's 2am and Causeway Bay begins to empty of people. Quiet darkness descends upon the streets - except at the Apple Store at Hysan Place, which looks open for business.
Empty of customers, the store nevertheless has about 500 lamps and spotlights burning bright on all three floors, the light passing through Apple's signature glass walls onto the pavement.
And that has raised concerns of green activists, who have been pressing hard to fight for tougher control over light nuisance.
They say the absence of regulations governing light pollution in Hong Kong has opened the door to abuse.
"It is outrageous for Apple to turn a blind eye to energy conservation and the nuisance created by the lighting. It reminds us of the urgent need to regulate light pollution," said Hahn Chu Hon-keung, from Friends of the Earth (HK).
Acting upon public complaints, Chu visited all three of the city's Apple stores last month. Two of the stores, one at the IFC Mall in Central and the other at Hysan Place, kept store lighting on well past midnight. The former closes at 9pm while the latter no later than 11pm.