Light Pollution: Burning Earth at Both Ends

Waste and Damage from streetlighting

While there is the usual resistance to change even if for “sensible” lighting practices, there is going to be TREMENDOUS resistance to dealing with poorly designed streetlighting ---- all from the lighting manufacturers and the utilities (and their lobbyists). They have had free reign and it’s all gravy for them, but they know they are “in trouble” when we start to draw attention to wasteful night lighting. The financial waste and the air, water, and land pollution from the energy generated is huge, in the billions of dollars every year.

The lighting industry and the utilities have successfully used “fear” to continue a practice of lighting up our nights in ways that do not serve the public at all. Lighting should be about aiding night vision, not aiding the coffers of utility companies and lighting manufacturers. In California, they do not light their limited access highways and they are starting to re-evaluate the sense in lighting the access ramps. Headlights need to be factored into lighting design.

Did you know that the national Roadway Lighting Committee is made up almost entirely of people who financially benefit from “more” roadway lighting? This committee is unbalanced and should not be providing standards for the public.

We retrofitted all our acorn post top lights along East Hampton’s Main Street with a similar design, but shielded to direct the light downward, and were able to reduce the wattage by 100 watts each. In five years the project paid for itself, and now that savings is over 15,000 watts per year, reducing our municipal tax burden.

I’d suggest that people drive around at night and examine their local “streetlights”. Ask yourself and your municipal officials if the lights are serving any useful purpose. Are they lighting up private property? Are they producing glare from a drop (sag) lens on the bottom of the fixture? Are there any pedestrians that are using the lighting all night long, as they might be in NYC? Could these streetlights be turned off between midnight and 6 am by installing a timer? How much does your town pay for streetlighting per year? How do they decide “when” to install a streetlight? Was it a knee jerk reaction to an accident, even if the accident could not have been prevented with a streetlight? Are any deciduous trees being lit up, because they will be stressed by hanging onto their leaves into the dormant season and will die prematurely.

People assume that roadway lighting was installed following some sort of guideline. They were not.

Susan Harder

Dark Sky Society, NY

Ben Harder adds: Susan emailed me this PDF about light pollution. Also, for readers who are curious, I've asked Susan whether she and I might be related. We haven't identified any common relative, at least not yet.

Susan Harder of NY @ Mar 15, 2008 09:31:04 AM

Medical implications of Light Pollution

The medical implications of light pollution are now so well established that we need to get a handle on it and change the prevailing culture that states light is good and dark is bad. We need to reduce outdoor lighting to the levels that prevailed in the 1950's when its effects were not so serious. Maybe then the environment will begin to recover. Unfortunately we are up against an aggressive lighting industry that promotes more and brighter lighting by playing on the fear of crime. In this way it encourages the status quo and maximises profits. It is now well established that lighting does not reduce crime, so much lighting is not necessary. Outdoor lighting should only be applied sparingly, where needed, when needed, and in the correct amounts.

Colin Henshaw @ Mar 15, 2008 03:54:44 AM