Bright Skies: The Solution to Light Pollution

What is Light Pollution?

Have you ever wondered why it’s getting more and more difficult to see the stars at night? That’s because humanity is losing its ability to see stars.

Increased urbanization, combined with excessive and inefficient use of light has created what is called light pollution.

This modern phenomenon has taken over worldwide cities, decreasing the ability to enjoy starry nights. Only small towns or farms that are in remote areas of the country have some ability to enjoy nature’s beauty.

The term, light pollution is the sum of modern artificial lighting that illuminates our streets, public spaces, homes, and “pollutes” the otherwise pristine darkness. There are four major types of light pollution that exist which are: Glare, sky glow, light trespass, and over lighting.

Fall is here, which means the daylight hours are shrinking and outdoor artificial lighting is increasing. Light pollution hides views of our cosmos, wastes energy usage each year, disrupts our sleeping patterns and also host environmental problems.

Our modern lifestyle may not guarantee it will go away, however, there are some measures we can take to minimize light pollution by controlling the way we illuminate our cities and our homes.

There are Four Common Types of Light Pollution

• Sky glow – the brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas.
• Light trespass – light falling where it is not intended, wanted, or needed.
• Glare – excessive brightness which causes visual discomfort.
• Overlighting – bright, confusing, excessive groups of light sources, commonly found in over-lit areas.

What is Light Trespass?

Light trespass is exactly what is sounds like, when your unwanted light trespasses onto another’s property or windows. For example, your neighbors installed a new light on their property and it shines and points directly to your bedroom window.

The unshielded fixture casts a bright light with no control and has lots of glare. The light trespass from this fixture produces light pollution and energy waste.

Lights don’t need to be bright in order to be effective. It’s best to use a fully shielded lighting casts so it doesn’t cross into neighbor’s yard.

Today, there are many light fixtures that are poorly designed or emit light in the wrong direction and much of what we spend on outdoor lighting is wasted.

Unfortunately, since many light fixtures are either poorly designed or emit light aimed in the wrong direction, much of what we spend on outdoor lighting is wasted.

The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) estimates that at least 30 percent of all outdoor lighting in the U.S. alone is wasted, mostly by lights that aren’t shielded.

That adds up to $3.3 billion and the release of 21 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. To offset all that carbon dioxide, we’d have to plant 875 million trees annually.

Many cities are replacing traditional streetlights with light-emitting diodes (LED bulbs), saving cities tons of energy but it’s also making light pollution much worse. Since LEDs are much brighter than other light sources, it’s also washing out the stars in the night sky.

There is a silver lining however, to fix the installment of LED’s in our cities. Using warmer-looking LED lights instead of cool-white bulbs, can help minimize the brightness problem.

There are many other solutions that exist to fight light pollution. The following solutions are easy to fix and have been very effective. If more cities across the country and the world adopted these, there could be a major shift in our minimizing our bright night sky.

In Barcelona, Spain, motion sensitive lighting has become a reality. Lights come on as people and moving objects approach, illuminating an area in advance, therefore reducing the amount of wasted light emitted from the street. Barcelona has also installed a wireless system that manages the city’s infrastructure.

If other cities adopted these light innovations, they too can become “smart” cities and can be more environmentally sustainable.

Quick Tips to Combat Light Pollution

• Install motion sensitive lighting
• Ensure bulbs are covered and lighting faces downwards
• Use different kinds of light (LED warm-white lighting should be used only)
• Dimmers, motion sensors, and timers help reduce average illumination levels
• Minimize light loss from your home

Turning the attention to indoor lights is important too. As night starts to fall, a dimmer switch is a great way to transition through artificial dusk. For late-night trips to the fridge or the bathroom – installing a nightlight reduces bright lighting and doesn’t throw your sleeping pattern off track.

These new lighting technologies help conserve energy, reduce light pollution and City Electric Supply offers great and simple solutions.

Combating light pollution will help reduce carbon emissions, save money and will allow us to enjoy the night sky.

You can easily start helping by switching your lighting controls, install dimmers and occupancy sensors. What will you do to help reduce light pollution in your city?