Erosion of the Night Sky from Light Pollution
"I remember camping as a kid when we could see so many stars you couldn't tell one constellation from the next, and the Milky Way was a river of light".
"It was so dark you could hardly see your hand in front of your face, and I saw my shadow on the ground from Venus!"
Earth at Night -NASA image
(click on image to enlarge)
The lucky ones among us have probably made these claims, but sights such as this are becoming increasingly rare. Only a generation ago, many could still see the Milky Way from their backyards. Unfortunately, the overuse and poor quality of modern outdoor lighting is fast destroying a valuable natural resource - a dark nighttime sky. The light pollution that results from this misuse is, however, the easiest of pollution sources to fix.
As much as 25% of electricity consumption (by far the #1 source of air pollution ) in the United States goes towards lighting. We could save conservatively $2 BILLION a year and millions of tons of coal with more efficient use. A typical 100-Watt incandescent bulb could consume 750 pounds of coal and emit 2000 pounds of CO2 in one year - just one bulb! Choose energy efficient, downward directed, full cut-off, lighting fixtures in key locations only where needed. And please don't aim them UP. These simple fixes would cut wasted energy consumption and production of noxious greenhouse gases, plus SAVE MONEY without compromising safety and security. You wouldn't let your water faucet run all night...what about waste light pouring into the night sky? We all pay eventually in the form of higher taxes and product costs. Power demand from electrical grids in several states are being taxed to the limits while the utility companies profit from our waste. The Canadian government is imploring its citizens to cut back on their energy use to help meet Kyoto protocols... why not the U.S.? (Example: the monitor of this server is turned off when not in use and the CPU energy star compliant)
The Culprits
Poorly designed streetlighting - The next time you see the late evening news, notice the "tower camera" views TV stations often use. Then ask two simple questions: Why is the night sky orange instead of black? And, why are so many lights visible from the top of the building tower and from miles away? Generally, if you can see a fixture's light source from more than a hundred yards away, it's a bad fixture. Decades old designs such as cobra-style and, worst of all, acorn-style fixtures scatter a large amount of their energy needlessly to the sky. Responsible cities are adopting more effective full cut-off designs as they change their fixtures- note the examples below. Call your town officials and insist that they do so as well - please. Hey, it's your money.
- All-night service stations - Many gas stations are installing 30, 40, even 50 or more brilliant halogen fixtures spraying light that can be seen from a mile away! This happens in spite of canopies that are designed to contain the light. The guise is safety but the real purpose is advertising, like moths attracted to a candle. A station may have a low profile sign that is regulated by ordinance, yet the rational for the law ends up defeated by the excessive light. Then the station across the street has to be brighter, then the next.... before long your town is screaming with glare and clutter! Brighter is not better.
- Hotels, motels- Don't we go to a hotel to sleep at night?? So why do many hotel chains shine brilliant flood lights up on their buildings at night? Effective, shielded security lights are fine - advertising floods, please... no more. Heavy blinds often fail to make rooms dark enough for a good night's sleep. This practice defies common sense.
- "Insecurity" lights- Do you have a neighbor that leaves that annoying yard light on all night (or do you)? Use motion detector lights.... they work and are off 99% of the time. Reminder - the vast majority of home break-ins occur during the day when you're away at work. Light trespass is a law that can be enforced so take note neighbor! Purchase a "glare-buster" to do the job of yard illumination correctly. Be kind and don't shine.
- Building decor- Lighting a brick wall and landscaping simply for architectural vanity is a sin. Please stop this practice. We know the building is pretty.... we can see it all day long.
- Car dealerships and empty shopping center parking lots- Even parked in a lot, cars pollute. Dealerships super-illuminate with true-color rendering halogens in the hopes you'll spot that dream car at 2am.... you and maybe one other lone night owl. This goes for parking lots in general. Money and fuel can be saved just turning off lights that do nothing more than shine on empty pavement most of the night. Again, using excessive or needless lights burns fossil fuels and generates air pollution.
- Fast food restaurants- Some are bright enough to keep your fries warm in the parking lot! Burger and fries at 1am... well, that's another problem...
- Flags- Flags lit by brilliant flood lights are even more unpatriotic. Think of all the fossil fuel across this great country that is being consumed for this purpose yet most of the energy (95%) misses the mark. Subdue or even turn off the lights (there's a law that needs changing). Better yet, take down the flag at night if possible! P.S. Some of those flags are neglected, tattered rags having been left out for months on end in all sorts of foul weather because of sheer laziness.
These are just some of the many examples (gosh, did we mention sports facilities and billboards??). Our purpose here is to make people aware that light pollution is a serious concern and that something can be done to correct it. We need your help, too! Let business and government officials know by contacting them.
Daylight Savings Time - shifting time was implemented in the 1970's to help conserve the need for energy use by extending sunlight into the latter part of our day during the warm summer months. The rationale for this practice seems to have been lost on today's society.