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Topic: Outdoor Lighting



Date Posted: Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Posted by: Tanya Zanfa (Master Admin)
Source: http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?nid=154960


Light Pollution


Light Pollution

 

By Chuck McPartlin

On Saturday, June 21, James Rosenberg submitted a beautiful photo to Edhat of the Milky Way arching over Santa Barbara. Along the horizon, there was an obvious glow from poorly-shielded lighting.

On June 13, Jesse Rockwell submitted a time-lapse video of our night sky from the mountain crest, showing the marine layer over Santa Barbara and Goleta being lit from below by lights shining upward.

This is light pollution - light escaping upward that is totally wasted, brightening the night sky and obscuring our views of the starry sky. This light serves no purpose, and represents billions of dollars per year in squandered electricity and air pollution from its generation.

Besides the monetary waste, this light interferes with the lives of countless nocturnal animals, causes measurable detrimental health effects in people exposed to it, and steals away humanity's common cultural heritage of a dark sky strewn with stars, stories, and recurring cycles. Also, virtually everything we have learned about the Universe beyond our planet has come from harvesting the faint whispers of ancient light raining gently down on us from incredible distances. Drowning our telescopes in unnecessary light leaked from mega-suburbia is shameful.

Before there were books, our distant ancestors of all cultures passed on history and lessons by telling stories, and used the patterns of stars in the sky as connect-the-dot reminders. Before there were clocks, people watched the celestial cycles of day, night, month, and year to know when to plant their crops, harvest, migrate, and hunt. Today, when we in the Astronomical Unit host star parties at darker sites like Cachuma Lake, people up camping from Los Angeles sometimes ask us about the strange glows in the sky - some have never seen more than a few bright stars and the Moon. In that respect, Santa Barbara is lucky; we can still see some stars, and the Milky Way on a good night.

What can we do about it? Nobody is suggesting that we eliminate all, or even most nighttime lighting. What we can do is take a rational look at our outdoor lighting, and take simple steps that will save us money, improve our environment, and help bring back our legacy of night sky.

2015 is the International Year of Light, and a big component of this initiative is reducing light pollution and implementing responsible lighting practices. The Globe at Night effort is an international citizen science project to characterize and fight light pollution. You can contribute by submitting measurements of light pollution using cellphone apps like Dark Sky Meter.

Santa Barbara City and County have ordinances on the books and being proposed that are meant to reduce light pollution and light trespass, where lights on adjacent property intrude onto yours. Support these efforts when you can, and encourage enforcement of their provisions.

Look at your home's or business' exterior lights. Do they cast a pool of light downward, restricted to just the area that needs lighting? Simple, low-cost shielding to direct the light efficiently where it is needed can let you switch to a lower output bulb, and save money while performing better. If you can see a naked bulb or glaring filament from a distance, your light is insufficiently shielded. Bright, glaring lights cause dark shadows while destroying your night vision, making it easier for skulkers to hide and actually decreasing your security. Motion sensors and timers connected to shielded lights will only operate when you need the light, again saving money. A security light suddenly coming on also grabs your attention more than the furtive motions of a person in a constantly lit area. Show appreciation to those who use light responsibly, and respectfully ask those who use bad lighting to change their ways.

Locally, the Save Our Stars committee of WeWatch has great information about compliant light fixtures and local ordinances against light pollution and light trespass. Turn DOWN the Lights, and Save Our Stars. UCSB's Sedgwick Reserve is working to be named a dark sky sanctuary in the Santa Ynez Valley.

The International Dark Sky Association has tons of information about health effects, environmental effects, crime deterrence, model lighting ordinances, light fixtures, and global light pollution reduction efforts.

Recent studies highlight detrimental impacts on bats and the rain forest and sea turtle nesting.

Santa Barbara County is in the process of replacing older street lights with more efficient, more directional LED light fixtures. In many cases around the USA, the longer life and cheaper electrical costs of LED lighting have led to the installation of brighter lights than before, actually increasing light pollution from light reflected from the ground. Also, many older fluorescent fixtures produced light at only a few distinct wavelengths. These lights caused distorted color perception, but they had the redeeming feature that they could be filtered from astronomical telescopes. Many of the LED lights that are replacing them are full-spectrum, and cannot be filtered. Some also have high output at the blue end of the spectrum, causing more health effects. As with everything, there are tradeoffs to be made. Let's choose wisely.

Collectively, we have overdone an old adage often attributed to Benjamin Franklin or Confucius - “Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle.” Now we are threatened with a perpetual lack of darkness. Perhaps it is time to consider amending that saying to "Instead of cursing the darkness, learn to appreciate it."



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