Greta Jimenez
Light pollution, caused by the excessive or inappropriate use of outdoor artificial light, is a global issue that affects human health, wildlife behaviour, and the natural environment. It is mostly caused by sky glow, the brightening of the night sky due to lighting from cars, street lights, offices, factories, outdoor advertising, and buildings, predominantly in urban areas. Street lights are a significant contributor to light pollution, but they are necessary in urban environments to ensure visibility and safety. So, how can we reduce light pollution from street lights without compromising public safety?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Lighting Design | Avoid upward or backward light emission by using glass or sunshades for lamps. |
| Choose warm-colored bulbs, such as warm-white lighting, instead of bluish-white lighting. | |
| Install motion-sensitive streetlights to reduce wasted light. | |
| Ensure bulbs are covered and lighting faces downwards to cut off light at the horizontal. | |
| Use low watt bulbs or dimmable lighting systems. | |
| Install intelligent control systems for streetlights in developed areas. | |
| Consider the installation angle and spectrum selection in underdeveloped areas. | |
| Provide a timer option to reduce illumination during the second half of the night. | |
| Legislation and Advocacy | Enact local legislation and advocate for light pollution reduction with organizations like DarkSky International. |
| Establish codes, statutes, and lawful requirements for outdoor lighting to minimize impact on humans and animals. | |
| Educate the public about the harmful effects of excessive artificial light on humans, wildlife, and the climate. | |
| Shielding and Redirecting Light | Use shields for streetlights to redirect light towards the ground and reduce light trespass. |
| Contact local utility providers or municipal politicians to request action and support for redirecting light. |
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What You'll Learn
- Install shields for streetlights to redirect light towards the ground
- Implement motion-sensitive street lighting to reduce wasted light
- Use warm-white lighting instead of bluish-white lighting
- Choose lighting fixtures approved by the Dark Sky Association
- Avoid excessive lighting and equip street lamps with intelligent control systems
Install shields for streetlights to redirect light towards the ground
Light pollution is a human-made alteration of outdoor light levels from those occurring naturally. It has harmful effects on human health, wildlife behaviour, and the natural environment. Light shields are a great way to combat light pollution.
Light shields are easy to install. They are usually made of metal and can be added using glue. Most people cut an aluminium sheet and glue it to a corner. Light shields can also be made out of a PVC tube frame with a blue tarp covering.
Light shields can be used to block the rays of outdoor lights or redirect them to the ground. They are a great way to make your light environmentally friendly and eye-friendly for others. Before installing a light shield, it is important to be confident about what you want to achieve. You should think it through and draft a plan. It is recommended to set it up temporarily to see how it works.
If you want to redirect light towards the ground, you can polish the aluminium sheet to form a protecting oxide layer, which will increase the downward light. You can also construct shields out of aluminium sheets, polish the surfaces you want to be reflective, and paint the top surfaces of the louvers flat black. This design will reflect the uplight and glare light down at an angle of 30 degrees or so from the horizontal.
By installing light shields that redirect light towards the ground, you can increase the intensity of light where it is needed while reducing light pollution. This solution can help improve the quality of life for people living in light-polluted areas and protect wildlife from the harmful effects of artificial light.
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Implement motion-sensitive street lighting to reduce wasted light
Motion-sensitive street lighting is a simple yet effective solution to reducing light pollution. This technology is already being used in Barcelona and has proven successful on the Dutch island of Texel, where it has helped the island become energy neutral. Motion-sensitive street lights, also known as motion sensor street lights, brighten only in the presence of humans or vehicles, remaining dimly lit when no one is around. This reduces sky glow and light pollution, as well as energy waste.
Street lights are usually powered by electricity generated by burning fossil fuels, a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gases. When street lights burn at full brightness all night, even on empty roads, they waste a lot of energy and contribute to climate change. Motion-sensitive street lighting, by offering light-on-demand, helps cities and municipalities reduce their energy waste and carbon footprint.
In addition to energy savings, motion-sensitive street lighting also helps reduce maintenance costs. By dimming the street lights when no one is around, motion sensors prolong the life of luminaires, meaning they will need to be replaced less often. Motion sensor street lights also provide remote diagnostics and automatic reporting, reducing the need for manual inspections, maintenance vehicles, and equipment.
Motion-sensitive street lights improve safety by illuminating areas where people and vehicles are present. They also make it easier for pedestrians and drivers to see each other, reducing the risk of accidents. For example, at a crosswalk, access road, or intersection, motion-sensitive street lights will brighten to 100% when a pedestrian or cyclist approaches.
To further reduce light pollution, it is recommended to use warm-colored bulbs, such as warm-white lighting, and avoid bluish-white lighting, which creates more light pollution. LED outdoor lighting, while energy-efficient, often emits a blue light that contributes to light pollution.
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Use warm-white lighting instead of bluish-white lighting
Light pollution, caused by the excessive or inappropriate use of outdoor artificial light, is a global issue that affects human health, wildlife behaviour, and the environment. One way to reduce light pollution is to use warm-white lighting instead of bluish-white lighting.
The colour temperature of light is measured in Kelvin (K). Warmer colours like orange and yellow have lower Kelvin values, while cooler colours like blue have higher values. Blue light has a significantly larger geographic reach than warmer colours, so bluish-white lighting used outdoors at night can contribute to light pollution by brightening the sky, reducing the visibility of stars, and negatively impacting astronomical research.
The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), an organization dedicated to protecting the night sky, recommends that LED street lights have a correlated colour temperature (CCT) of 3000K or less. These lights will have a warm white glow that is safer for people and wildlife. Warmer lights are better for the environment because they emit a softer, more natural light that is less likely to disrupt the natural cycles of humans and animals. For example, blue light suppresses melatonin production and increases serotonin, which is great for activity during the day, but red and orange lights trigger melatonin, which helps us prepare for sleep.
When choosing lighting for outdoor spaces, it is important to consider the impact on the environment and surrounding wildlife. To reduce light pollution, it is recommended to use warm-white lighting with a CCT of 3000K or less. This can be achieved by using LED or compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs with warm colour temperatures. These bulbs consume less energy, last longer, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
By using warm-white lighting instead of bluish-white lighting, cities can reduce light pollution, protect the night sky, and minimize the negative impacts of artificial lighting on human health, wildlife, and the environment.
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Choose lighting fixtures approved by the Dark Sky Association
Light pollution is a human-made alteration of outdoor light levels from those occurring naturally. It has harmful effects on streetlights, greenhouses, and satellites, among other sources. Excessive artificial light can harm humans, wildlife, and our climate.
The Dark Sky Movement, which began with the first-ever dark sky legislation in 1958, has grown from a small Arizona-based nonprofit into the world's leading authority on light pollution. Dark Sky International works to restore the nighttime environment and protect communities and wildlife from light pollution.
The DarkSky Approved program provides objective, third-party certification for lighting products, lighting designs, and installed lighting projects that minimize glare, reduce light trespass, and reduce light pollution. The DarkSky Approved Luminaires program provides specific certification for light fixtures that meet strict guidelines for responsible outdoor lighting. These guidelines are developed by industry professionals, including lighting engineers and designers, in collaboration with experts in wildlife biology, ecology, and human health.
To be certified by Dark Sky International, lighting fixtures must:
- Minimize glare
- Reduce light trespass
- Not pollute the night sky
- Significantly reduce light pollution through strict control of distribution and color, as well as the use of shielding
- Regulate the intensity of a luminaire's light output, such as by dimming, switching, and/or programmed times of operation
- Use retroreflection or other technologies that can replace internally illuminated signs
- Emit light by luminescence alone after having been exposed to light during the day
VOLT® is an example of a company that manufactures Dark-Sky Approved lighting fixtures. Their fixtures have been engineered to minimize lighting pollution into the night sky. They are only "On" when needed to conserve valuable energy and minimize light trespass. They also minimize brightness and blue light emissions.
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Avoid excessive lighting and equip street lamps with intelligent control systems
Light pollution is a pressing issue that is harming the environment, wildlife habitats, and our quality of life. It is caused by the excessive or inappropriate use of outdoor artificial light, which has negative impacts on human health, wildlife behaviour, and the natural environment. To reduce light pollution, it is essential to avoid excessive lighting and equip street lamps with intelligent control systems.
In developed areas, when replacing street lamps, it is crucial to avoid excessive and inappropriate lighting. Intelligent control systems can be implemented to manage the lighting more efficiently. These systems can include motion sensors that activate the lights only when people or objects are present, reducing the amount of wasted light. Additionally, ensuring that bulbs are covered and directing the light downwards can minimize light pollution. This technique, known as "cutting off light at the horizontal," ensures that light illuminates the ground instead of the sky.
Street lamp design plays a vital role in reducing light pollution. The installation angle, spectrum selection, lighting design, power supply configuration, and use of LED lamps are key factors to consider. By choosing solutions with glass or sunshades, the upward or backward emission of light can be reduced. Proper lighting design can also minimize light trespass and glare, preventing light from shining into the sky and reducing its negative impact on the environment.
In underdeveloped areas, the installation angle and spectrum selection of street lamps are critical when installing new street lamps. A traditional and practical solution is to use a timer that dims the lights during the second half of the night, reducing illumination and light pollution. This approach not only lessens the negative impact on the environment but also saves energy and reduces government spending.
To further minimize light pollution, it is recommended to switch to low-watt bulbs and warm-colored LED lights. LED lights with reduced blue light content can be utilized, such as those with 2200K color temperature lamp beads or amber LED chips. By following these measures and equipping street lamps with intelligent control systems, we can effectively reduce light pollution and its harmful effects on our environment and well-being.
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Frequently asked questions
Light pollution is the human-made alteration of outdoor light levels from those occurring naturally. It has harmful effects on human health, wildlife behaviour, and the natural environment.
Light pollution has several negative repercussions on public health, such as disrupting ecosystems' natural day and night cycles and suppressing melatonin production. It also threatens aquatic ecosystems by increasing the risk of harmful algae blooms.
Street lighting is a significant contributor to light pollution, especially in urban environments. Inefficient light fixtures, billboards, signs, and illuminated facades all contribute to this issue.
Solutions include choosing the right lamps with well-thought-out designs, using motion-sensitive street lighting, installing shields or covers on bulbs to direct light downwards, and switching to low-watt or warm-white bulbs.
Individuals can learn about the adverse effects of light pollution and advocate for change by contacting local politicians or joining organisations like DarkSky International, which works to establish codes and statutes that reduce light pollution.
