Outraged residents share photo of 'monstrosity' towering over neighborhood: 'It must be miserable living close to it'

A Redditor shared an image from a flight to draw attention to an eyesore for Downtown Los Angeles residents. 

Identifying the clearly visible light as The Reef, a gigantic $1.2 billion billboard, per the American Galvanizers Association. 

The Redditor wrote: "It was crazy how easy it was to see from like 40 miles away; the pic doesn't do it justice. Seriously, that thing is a blight on the city."

The comments echoed that sentiment, condemning the garish structure. One commenter pointed out that its location was another problem:

"The Reef billboard is a f****** eyesore. Feels out of place, too, go slap it on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood."

Another added: "It's such a waste of electricity."

Some of the comments expressed sympathy for the locals who have to endure it. One poster said:

"You can see it from on top of Baldwin Hills in Culver City in the evenings as well. It must be miserable living close to it."

The universal distaste expressed in the thread makes a key point about the consumption habits of wealthy nations. Advertising drives overconsumption, which has severely unwelcome environmental consequences. 

Consider the combination of resource extraction, transport, and disposal of every consumer on the market, and it's not hard to get a sense of how harmful and wasteful it can be. Natural resource consumption tripled in the 40 years between 1970 and 2010, per Ecowatch, and that number will only increase further. 

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Digital billboards have gigantic energy demands. According to Scenic America, 14 digital billboards in Inglewood, California, use the equivalent energy of 133 L.A. households and roughly enough to power 13 apartment buildings. As the organization points out, energy-sucking devices like The Reef make reaching conservation goals a lot more difficult. 

Robust legislation may be the path forward. Some states prohibit billboards entirely, while other metropolitan areas restrict new advertising. 

The good news for legislators is that clamping down on excessive advertising is popular among the public and transcends partisan lines, per Scenic America. 

Additionally, there are other actions individuals and communities can take to restrict consumption and save money in the process, such as forming and supporting "buy-nothing" groups. 

As one of the comments pointed out, people just don't want to be near eyesores like The Reef. 

"I am so happy I moved out of my old house before they installed this monstrosity." 

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