Dealing with Light Pollution in Your Community

There are numerous reasons why light pollution (also known as up-light and light trespass) is a significant problem, and over 99% of the United States and European Union countries suffer some degree of it. Two-thirds of the rest of the planet endure a measure of light pollution as well. It is a problem because the light escaping into the sky wastes money and energy, around $2 billion per year in the US alone. This translates into an enormous amount of coal used to generate the electricity necessary to produce that light, wasting natural resources and polluting the air as well.

Light pollution is directly harmful to wildlife, altering the habits and disturbing the behavior of creatures who can no longer tell when dawn and dusk occur. Up-light makes it difficult for observatories and amateur astronomers - including your family - to see the stars. It is also thought that exposure to light at night decreases your body's production of melatonin by disrupting your internal clock. This means that your body is less able to fight the spread of cancer and destroy free radicals. The good new is that there are ways that you can help to fight light pollution.

Look around your own home to find ways to reduce the up-light you are producing. When evaluating your outdoor lights, remember that too much light, like floodlights, can make it harder to see instead of helping. The eye adjusts to the level of light and things outside of the glare are difficult to see. Putting your lights higher and aiming them downward at a steep angle helps to minimize such glare, as well as reducing the amount of light lost.

Try installing a few fixtures with lower intensity rather than trying to light your entire front walk with one blinding bulb. Install motion detectors, so that the lights are only on when they are needed. Also, use fixtures with frosted or white glass, to diffuse the light and soften any glare. That goes for inside your home as well as outdoors. Close your shades or blinds at night to keep the light inside.

Most light pollution comes, of course, from public lighting. Most lights are too bright and are unshielded, and there are simply more of them that necessary. This is an issue over which individual citizens have little or no control. That does not mean that you cannot affect the choices that your community makes.

Educate your community and local government. Let them know that the wasted energy supplying those unshielded, high-energy light fixtures is unacceptable. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper(s) or ask if they will publish an editorial on the issue. Send that same letter or article to your mayor and congresspersons as well as local television stations. Join organizations like the International Dark-Sky Association and Campaign for Dark Skies, which offer a wealth of information.

Several states and many cities have either adopted or proposed legislation requiring issues of light pollution and up-light to be addressed for new development. The US Department of Transportation has set minimum lighting levels and some laws reference the standards put forward by the Illuminating Engineering Society of America. Such regulations need to be codified into local zoning or land development ordinances.

It may help to offer your local government some examples of clear and enforceable local laws such as Branford, Connecticut's regulations (Section 31.5.5) or the much lengthier and broader Ordinance 716 from Ferguson, Pennsylvania. You can also refer them to Harvard University's pages on the New England Light Pollution Advisory Group, the Eastern Michigan University site, or Utah Skies for more examples of legislation.

Light pollution is a global problem that may be best addressed by local solutions. By taking steps to educate your community about the dangers and problems created by light trespass, you can help your neighborhood and the environment as a whole.