Light pollution is a growing worldwide problem affecting vast areas of the planet. In a nutshell, Light Pollution is misdirected or misused light… generally resulting from an inappropriate application of outdoor lighting. As the accompanying image clearly shows, it is a truely global problem with costs running into the tens of billions of dollars annually. Light Pollution comes in several flavors… sky glow, glare and light tresspass. Each has its own nasty impact on society. Fortunately, light pollution is one of the easiest pollutions to clean up. The following are a few easy steps that you can take to help reduce the effects of light pollution on our planet.
- Light only what needs lighting. This sounds simple, but is typically overlooked. Ask yourself, does this even require lighting?
- Light only when you need it to be lit. Ok, so you’ve determined that it really requires light. Does it need to be lit at all times? If you only go out to your shed once a week does it really need to be lit dusk to dawn each and every night?
- Use only as much light as is required. Don’t always install the highest available wattage. If you’re not performing surgery on your patio, there’s no need for operating room illumination levels.
- Use only full cutoff light fixtures. Full cutoff fixtures shine light down onto the ground and prevent light from shining thoughtlessly across property lines or wastefully up into the night sky. Starry Night Lights was created to provide home and business owners with the widest selection of full cutoff light fixtures.
- Shield your existing fixture. If you’re not quite ready to install new, full cutoff fixtures, light shades are available for many fixtures that will convert them into night sky friendly fixtures for a minimal cost.
- Install motion sensors. These will turn your lights on automatically whenever there is activity outside your home or business. This typically reduces your use of electricity for lighting upwards of 90%, easily paying for the cost of the sensor and its installation.
- Install reflectors. Many times, reflectors can be used to outline a driveway instead of putting in a string of lights. These are cheaper to purchase, cheaper to run, and are unaffected by power outages.
- Get used to the dark. Our eyes are quite good at seeing at night. If you need to take the trash out at night, do you really need to turn your outdoor lights on? Chances are quit good that you’ll be able to find the trash can and make your way “all the way” to the curb. You’re also much more likely to enjoy the beauty of the night sky if you’re not blinded by area lights.
- Educate your friends, neighbors and elected officials about light pollution. With just a little bit of thought and effort, this is one environmental pollution that can be cleaned up without any lasting side effects.
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Great post…makes lots of sense. Would love to send this to my neighbors whose lights illuminate my living room every night!
A great article. I think people often incorrectly assume that if you need to illuminate a space, that means you have to blast it with hundreds of watts of bright light in every direction…when some well-placed low wattage, low-impact lights would do the job. And it might even be more appealing.
Thanks,
Tim
LED Rope Lights
[...] Via Starry Night Lights, I found a fantastic Earth at Night image created by Earth Observatory at Nasa. There are many fascinating images at Nasa’s Astronomy Picture of the Day. It’s a shame that they don’t have a rss feed. [...]
Thanks man, i agree
Two thumbs way up for this easy “to-do” list for better night lighting!!! Too bad that many city/county leaders, and unfortunately many citizens, don’t (or refuse to) get it.
I had a “light pollution” problem with a neighbor. He installed a light on the front of his house that lit up the street and shone into our living room. We couldn’t sit on our front porch any more because the light glared right in our eyes. I asked him nicely to put a shield on it and he got irate and started bad-mouthing us all over the neighborhood.
Thank goodness a friend told us that our town had a light pollution ordinance. I called the building department and they sent me a copy of the ordinance. They also told me I could put in a complaint about it and they would give him 30 days to comply or he’d be fined. I then sent him a letter with a copy of the complaint and the ordinance. It was his choice to do this the easy way or the hard way, but the light trespass had to be fixed. He did put up the light shield before the 30 days.
I was so happy that our little mountain community had the foresight to pass a light ordinance! Every community should!
Hi Barbara
Thanks for the update. It’s always nice to have good, enforceable lighting codes in effect. In many communities, you’d have not been so lucky. Any chance you have before and after pictures of the scene? This would likely make a nice comparison.
Anthony
Hello, do I have your permission to re print your ten helpful hints for reducing light pollution? They are excellent. Thanks, Lydia Justice Edwards
Hi Lydia
You do indeed have permission to re-print my 10 steps to reduce light pollution.
Please credit http://www.StarryNightLights.com if possible.
Thanks for checking in!
Anthony
Great article. I just got back from a vacation on an island off the coast of Florida that is only accessible by boat and car. Although I only live about 10 miles from this island by way the crow flies, the difference in the night sky is remarkable. The amount of stars that can be seen on the island is amazing. There are no street lights, no cars and minimal house lighting to ruin your ability to see those stars. Sadly, the rapid development and the increase in light pollution in my home town is slowly deteriorating the number of stars I can see from my backyard.
Beverly Saltonstall, Environmental writer.
In our neighborhood in Dallas we’ve seen an inordinate number of neighbors feel the need to put up high wattage “security” lights all around the roof line of their homes. I know this is unnecessary, and needless to say it is polluting an otherwise dark neighborhood. I spoke to one polluting neighbor who was very nice and adjusted one of his lights so that it wasn’t lighting one whole roadway..but what are your recommendations to help other neighbors “see the light” so to speak and reduce their light pollution? How does one go about getting a light ordinance passed? Thank you.
Hi Susan
This is always a tough issue. Folks are sold on the idea of ‘security’ lighting… even though there are never any guarantees provided by the manufacturers (because its a totally bogus claim). Anyway, lighting ordinances are a good (though admittedly tough) route to follow. If you choose to pursue one, you’ll want to request a sunset clause (another tough route). Sunset clauses require that all lights (including existing ones) be brought into compliance by a certain date. As I mentioned, this will be tough. The typical approach is to make use of a grandfather clause, which holds newcomers to the new, higher standards, while allowing existing, older residents to follow the current/non-existent standards. This, of course won’t address the problem posed by your neighbors any time soon… but will at least prevent the whole area from going down the tubes.
Aside from this, there are some outdoor light shields that can be applied to existing fixtures that will allow them to perform considerably better. Checkout http://store.starrynightlights.com/lightshades.html for a few ideas.
Thanks for checking in!
Anthony