“Full cutoff” lights — as in shielded lamps that don’t send light pollution up into the night sky — are installed at the new Jamestown Medical Clinic off Fifth Avenue in Sequim. — Photo by Diane Urbani de la Paz/Peninsula Daily News

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In Washington state, there’s a small coastal town called Sequim. Joe Irvin, a resident of Sequim, decided that he’s had enough of light pollution. Since like minds think alike, Mr. Irvin teamed up with a gentlemen named Pat Clark to help usher in a new city requirement for nonpolluting lights. After attending what seemed like endless amounts of city council meetings, speaking about light pollution and presenting evidence of “published research about its ill effects on human health”, their resolution for ending light pollution has finally passed. All future lighting fixtures must follow be 100% shielded, energy efficient lamps.

The small victories like Sequim help win the war on light pollution. Here are three reasons why you should care about darker skies:

1. Light pollution adversely affects your health.

2. Light pollution pollutes.

3. Glare from lighting is dangerous.

I want to fight light pollution, but how can I do that?

1. Here are some simple steps to follow to help prevent outdoor light pollution.

2. Go to your local city council meetings. Raise concern about light pollution. Write to your local state representatives and senators. Write to the president. Facilitate change.

Image source: Flickr shor, uploaded on February 1, 2008 by seen_it_

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“There is a role — and savings — for individuals as well. When retrofitting, purchase fully shielded lights. Install motion detectors. When swapping out lights (such as to CFLs), energy efficiency isn’t the only consideration. If it were, you’d merely be highly efficient with your ongoing light pollution.

Instead, consider lessening the light output, or lumens, of your new light bulbs. (Comparing lumens on the box of light bulbs is like comparing grams of sugar on the sides of cereal boxes.) Aim your lights down. Or simply turn them off.

Four hundred years ago, Galileo peered into the darkness as others had not. Equally important, he did something about it. That’s where we are today. Like Galileo, we have looked up at night and have seen that something is amiss. Now we need to change our way of thinking, for the old way of lighting up the night sky indiscriminately no longer works. Much is at risk.”

Consider the following hypothetical thought experiment:

The year is 2060. Light pollution is still considered a non-issue. Current lighting trends from 2010 have continued to brighten our streets, roadways and cities. Light pollution has engulfed the sky. Day and Night are no longer mutually exclusive. For those who have seen the stars, we now represent the elderly population. Several generations of children have grown up and for many of them, they’ve never seen the night sky and have only heard stories or old photographs of such a sight. Turtle and nocturnal creature populations have declined to severely critical levels or have become extinct. It’s possible a cure for breast cancer may of been found, but one of its catalysts remains. Our bodies yearn for darkness, to help align our circadian rhythm once again.

Now it’s time to separate fact from fiction.

Facts:

Light pollution adversely affects all creatures with circadian rhythms.

Light pollution is 100% irreversible.

Light pollution will engulf the sky if action is not taken.

Take action for your lighting needs. Tell your city council members, senators and leaders about your light pollution plight and let them know that light pollution is a real blight to everyone. Lets have darker skies!

( Image credit: Kent Gilbert, AP / November 18, 2007 )

“Boca Raton’s beaches saw fewer turtles in 2009 than any year since they started keeping records in 1988. Anderson on Sunday gave this year’s final presentation on the nesting season to about 60 people at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. The season officially ends Oct. 31. So far, the beach has seen 361 loggerheads, 21 leatherbacks and 67 green turtles. Whereas Boca Raton beaches saw upward of 900 to 1,000 turtles a year during the early 1990s, so far in 2009, they’ve only had 535, including loggerheads, leatherbacks, green turtles and other types of turtles.”

Why the decline?

Evidence attributing to their decline lies in “commercial fishing, beach development and pollution” as “some of the biggest human factors involved.” Not only do fledgling turtles face the natural danger of predators, fledgling turtles face an artificial non sentient enemy known as light pollution. Light pollution disorients fledgling turtles. These newborn turtles have a natural disposition to move toward light found off of reflective ocean water from the stars above. The glare from the nearby beach streetlights confuse the young turtles and in most cases, alters their life forever. As each year goes by, the average turtle population diminishes. Certainly, a balance in nature exists ensuring at least a certain percentage of turtles to never make it to the sea, but what occurs when that balance becomes an imbalance? Decreased populations and eventually extinction would occur to turtles. Biodiversity is a wonderful thing. Granted, Florida has taken measures to help reduce light pollution and protect these endangered animals, but it isn’t enough. We, at Starry Night Lights, have turtle friendly lighting products that not only assist in reducing light pollution but moreover prevent it from affecting turtles. Residents of Florida, I adduce you inform your local lawmakers about how you feel about this issue.

AP Photo/Museum of Science, Don Salvatore
This photo released by the Museum of Science shows a firefly or lightning bug. Fireflies are neither bugs nor flies; they are actually beetles, which have two pairs of wings.

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“You hear people saying, growing up I saw fireflies all the time, now I don’t see them anymore.” – Christopher Cratsley, a professor at Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts

Recent reports from around the globe have been quite capricious regarding firefly populations,  suggesting either numerous influxes or sudden diminishment. Firefly Watch, an organization based at the Museum of Science in Boston, actively seeks to educate the public on fireflies as well as record observations from people across the globe. For starters, fireflies are not flies – they’re beetles. The life of a firefly consists of living underground as grubs or rather larva. When actually seen by the naked human eye, we’re witnessing roughly two weeks of the firefly’s total life. So what purpose do these fireflies exhibit above the surface? Well to mate of course. Male fireflies glow in order to attract the attention of onlooking females.

Wherein lies the problem?

Well, scientists have two possible answers. In general, Fireflies are prone to disturbances in their habitat whether below and above ground. Scientists believe think water pollution may have an affect on the spawn rate of larvae, particularly pertinent in southeast Asia. The southeastern firefly has shown a decline in population size up to 70 percent!  But scientists suspect fireflies potentially lay vulnerable to another form of pollution: light pollution.  Scientists suspect light pollution or excessive artificial light may potentially impact both male and females trying to find a suitable mate. If a correlation between fireflies and light pollution exists, it’ll add more evidence that creatures on the Earth are affected by light pollution to the : Sea turtles.

Every once in a while, a fixture design comes around that is so bad that we feel a special need to call attention to it. So here, for your viewing displeasure is our choice for the worst street light fixture design ever, The Acorn Light.

What makes this fixture so bad? Heck, you probably have seen these things all over the place, right? Well, for starters, the fixture provides absolutely no control over the light it emits. By this, I mean simply that light shines in all directions. Up, sideways and down. Now, since people walk and drive on the ground, down is a good place for a fixture to shine. However, since this fixture is completely made of glass (except for the socket and fixture support on the bottom), more light actually shines up than down. Is this a problem you might be wondering? Well, yes, a critical problem. Since most of the light shines up, this fixture is consuming twice as much energy as a properly designed fixture would need to consume to put the same amount of light on the ground. This uplight directly contributes to light pollution in our communities. Light pollution is that sickly orange glow that we see over our cities and towns. Light pollution is the reason that most Americans (and others throughout the developed world) see only a few stars in the night sky. Light pollution (according to the International Dark Sky Association), wastes over $10 billion annually. Light pollution also harms wildlife and has been linked to some serious human health issues (including breast cancer).
This light also sends a significant portion of the light it produces sideways. Light sent sideways is better known as glare, since it shines into the eyes of drivers and pedestrians. Glare is never good. Glare reduces our ability to see at night (the reason for installing outdoor lights in the first place). Light shining sideways also crosses property lines, shining into windows and making it hard for those living in the area to sleep at night. Light that crosses property lines is referred to as light trespass. Light trespass is being dealt with in more and more lighting ordinances nationwide.

So, as you can see, this street light has it all. Energy waste, light pollution, glare, light trespass, reduced visibility. If one of your elected officials comes up with the bright idea of installing street lights in your neighborhood. Be sure that these ‘decorative’ glare bombs are not chosen. You’ll have to live with their poor performance for many years to come.

If you already have these obnoxious fixtures in your area, fear not. There are some cost effective things that can be done. First up, light shields are available for many of these fixtures. Light shields are typically metal housings that surround the light source on the top and sides, allowing light to escape towards the ground only. You won’t get all the energy efficiency of a properly designed fixture, but at least you’ll get rid of the most environmentally damaging aspects of these fixtures. Checkout the accompanying image. It shows how a ’sag lens’ cobra fixture was made into a full cutoff (downlight only) fixture with the application of one of the available light shields.

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“Sea turtles are protected by the Endangered Species Act” – Dan Rowe, executive director of the Bay County Tourist Development Council.

Each year, between May 1st and October 31st, Florida’s Loggerhead turtle begins its nesting season. As part of Bay County Tourist Development Council’s new $50,000 budget for “eco-tourism” plan, FSU students have stepped up to the challenge of informing the public about sea turtles. Florida State University have begun informing tourists and natives alike about the human impact upon the Loggerhead turtle, such as fledgling turtles facing confusion: being unable to discern between the moon’s light or buildings’ light pollution on where the ocean shore lies. Students have also informed tourists and natives if they encounter turtle tracks, to inform either the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or the local authorities.

In late 2008, an ordinance passed which protects sea turtles by managing man-made lighting conditions i.e. light pollution.

“The ordinance requires beachfront properties to reposition or replace exterior light fixtures and lamps visible from the beach with acceptable turtle-friendly lighting; large floodlights must be removed or shielded by May 1st, 2010 as well as other light fixtures must be turtle friendly by May 1st, 2013.”

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“Here, if you see the moon and sun, you are doing OK” – David R. Toeppen

David R. Toeppen, Director of the International Dark-Sky Association, believes most residents within the Mount Prospect area of Illinois share the aforementioned belief that if they can visually see the moon and the sun, that all is well.  Some examples of incidents within Mount Prospect include: “bright streetlights, blazing security bulbs, shopping center spotlights, and even homeowners’ ornamental lights send their beams into the sky.”  Mr. Toeppen’s organization helps facilitate change in understanding light pollution as a growing universal problem. Yet in spite of correlations between light pollution and its detrimental effects on night-time wildlife, nothing happens. Furthermore, correlations between light pollution and its link with breast cancer has done nothing. Hence why Mr. Toeppen has an ace up his sleeve: dimming lights by reducing wattage. Citing a figure from the International Dark-Sky Association, Mr. Toeppen states how unnecessary and wasteful lighting expends our nation $10.4 billion every year. Reduced wattage equates to lower energy bills to consumers. Once one dims the lights via reduction in wattage, one can make the light a full-cutoff light or rather a shielded light. Utilizing both of those practical solutions, people will begin to take notice.

The argument that light pollution has harmfully affected many animal species has recently been taken a step further. Often time only birds and sea turtles are referenced in this debate. However recent research has also shown a correlation between light pollution and declines in amphibian populations.

Among the discoveries which were made, researchers learned that salamanders wait for a particular hour after dusk to emerge from their concealed location to hunt. However, artificial lights cause the salamanders to remain hidden for an extra hour or so. This affects the amount of food which is accessible to the salamanders; by coming out earlier they have access to more food.

Scientists have also discovered that artificial lighting influences the mating call of many species of tree frogs. Male tree frogs stop or lessen their mating call in areas that are highly lit. In addition some studies have produced evidence showing that artificial lighting influences the DNA synthesis of frogs, specifically in the way they produce hormones. This is because lighting plays a strong role in signally the production of specific hormones.

Picture found at- http://www.jennifermarohasy.com/blog/archives/L.infrafrenata.jpg

Current studies are attempting to uncover the connection between light pollution and other animal species. Though the amount of these studies being carried out is still small, they are still very important. Many small carnivore species, all bat species, 80% of marsupials and 20% of primates, are nocturnal. With this in mind, further studies about the impact of light pollution on wildlife are imperative.

Previous studies have already shown that light pollution affects firefly populations. Artificial lighting interferes with the light male fireflies produce to attract their mates. Moths and other insects of the night have shown negative responses to light pollution, with great percentages of these kinds of insects dying yearly.

Picture found at- http://topherlytle.wordpress.com/2008/06/12/fireflies/

The dark night sky is a very special and vital part of our atmosphere and should be cherished. It is an integral part of the habitat of so many creatures and should be thought of in this fashion.

Protect the night sky and the livelihood of the earth’s wildlife; assist in the endeavor to lessen light pollution. Choose outdoor lighting fixtures that are night-sky friendly. Let Starry Night Lights be your guide to a night-sky, wildlife friendly home!

Light pollution is a form of pollution which can be seen through the hazy orange hue that surrounds extremely lit areas. Typically it’s seen in urban areas but its negative effects have also begun to affect the surrounding less urbanized areas. In addition to the quality of the sky worsening, light pollution has also taken a toll on wildlife. The light interferes with the natural behavior of many nocturnal species.

Birds seem to be the largest affected specie. Many species of birds depend on heavenly bodies, in order to navigate. During the seasonal periods where these birds migrate, they frequently become lost or disoriented as a result of artificial light. In many instances these creatures see artificial light reflecting off the surface of buildings and crash into them, or at times circle around artificial light fixtures and die from exhaustion. According to the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP), at least 100 million birds are killed annually by man made structures. These deaths are a combination of disorientation due to artificial lighting, bright lights and towers with blinking beacons.

Picture found at- http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/enlarged.asp?imageID=17187

This problem is very serious and affects over 450 species. There have been accounts of whole flocks perishing. In 1981, more than 10,000 birds slammed into floodlit smokestacks near Ontario.

Birds that live along the shore are equally at risk. Lighting from hotels, offshore drilling platforms and other human related activities, harmfully influence the eating and migratory patterns of many species of seabirds.

Sea turtles have suffered similar fates. This phenomenon is especially severe in areas which have high levels of tourism and human development. Sea turtles depend on shorelines to lay their eggs. After the young have hatched they depend on the reflection of the moon on the water to find the direction of the ocean. However in areas which are highly developed, turtles often see the lights of buildings and head towards them as opposed to the ocean. Many endangered species use developed areas as nesting grounds to lay their young; as a result declines in such populations are especially severe.

Picture found at- http://www.theitzone.org/turtle-facts/

Studies are still under way in order to reveal the extent to which light pollution affects wildlife. Prediction have been made by some researchers that light pollution has even influenced the life expectancy of particular groups of frogs, salamanders and snakes. These groups choose to hunt on moonless nights in order to remain hidden from their predators; however areas with significant amounts of light pollution disturb this survival strategy.

Spring is just around the corner and with it, the need to brighten up ones wardrobe and home. As things become green once again and the flowers begin to bloom, there are far more reasons to spend more time outdoors. One of the greatest ways to utilize the beauty of this season around ones home is to install landscape lighting. By doing so, the excitement of the season is not limited merely to the hours of daylight. Spring into action and make your garden and outdoor areas more people friendly!

Starry Night Lights has recently expanded its product line to include Volt Landscape Lighting, the ideal night-sky friendly lighting fixtures, perfect for any outdoor lighting need.Volt fixtures come in brass or aluminum in a wide variety of finishes and work wonderfully for both lighting needs and decorative purpose. The items are designed to be sturdy, but yet are not overly large or bulky. Together with their appearance and environmentally conscious design, these fixtures should be strongly considered when creating ones outdoor paradise.

Selecting the lighting of ones home can be daunting, but it should not be. It should be an exciting time, full of promise for a fresher and more pleasant living experience. Luckily, even if one decides in a later period to change or update ones outdoor fixtures, Volt fixtures are in-stock for immediate shipment (24-48 hours). Checkout our landscape lighting tips for a few things to keep in mind as you expand your living spaces into the outdoors.

Starry Night Lights is dedicated to providing individuals with the necessary tools to improve their lives and homes in an environmentally fashion, by providing customers with the newest lighting innovations in environmentally mindful designs. Through taking small steps toward a better environmental future, the possibilities for larger and grander steps will become available. Put your trust in Starry Night Lights and be kind to both the environment and your wallet! Checkout these landscape lighting tips for a few ideas to keep in mind as you expand your living space.