Dear Community Members,
Have you ever noticed how few stars are visible in our night sky compared to what you might see in more rural areas? This is due to light pollution—excessive artificial light that not only dims our view of the stars, but costs us all money unnecessarily.
The Hidden Costs of Light Pollution
Financial Impact: Poorly designed lighting wastes electricity, sending your hard-earned money directly into the night sky. Outdoor lighting accounts for a significant portion of municipal energy budgets and residential electric bills.
Ecosystem Damage: What’s less visible, but equally concerning, is the devastating impact artificial light has on our local ecosystem. Nocturnal insects that are essential pollinators and food sources are disoriented by artificial lights, disrupting their feeding and reproduction. Many migratory birds navigate by starlight and moonlight, becoming confused by our bright cities, often colliding with illuminated buildings. With insect populations declining at alarming rates worldwide, and bird numbers following the same troubling trend, reducing light pollution has become an ecological imperative.
Public Safety Concerns: There’s also a critical public safety aspect that’s often overlooked: The blinding glare from unshielded lights actually makes it harder for drivers to see pedestrians at night. When bright, unshielded lights shine directly into drivers’ eyes. They create a dangerous contrast that makes the surrounding areas appear darker, turning pedestrians into hard-to-see silhouettes. This false sense of security from overly bright, poorly-directed lighting can paradoxically increase accident risks rather than reduce them.
Every Light Matters: The Power of Collective Action
You might think, “My porch light is just one of thousands—how much difference can it really make?” This is the same challenge we face with voting or recycling. The truth is, light pollution is the sum of our individual choices. Each properly shielded light, motion sensor installed, and unnecessary light turned off contributes to the solution.
The night sky is a shared resource that belongs to everyone in our community. When we all take responsibility for our contribution to light pollution, the cumulative effect is powerful. Communities that have adopted dark sky friendly lighting policies have seen dramatic improvements in night sky visibility, often within just a few years.
Remember: If everyone thought their contribution didn’t matter, nothing would ever change. But when we act together, transformation happens quickly.
Simple Solutions with Multiple Benefits
By making these simple changes to our outdoor lighting, we can save money while protecting our vital wildlife and improving public safety:
- Use motion sensors and timers so lights are only on when needed. This can reduce your electricity usage by up to 70%, while giving nocturnal creatures the darkness they need to thrive.
- Replace outdated fixtures with downward-pointing, shielded lights that direct illumination only where it’s needed. This can reduce wasted light and energy costs while preventing dangerous glare for drivers and allowing them to better see pedestrians.
- Switch to warm-colored LED bulbs, which use up to 80% less energy than traditional bulbs and produce less of the blue light that particularly disrupts wildlife activity patterns and reproductive cycles.
The Community Impact
Many communities that have implemented these changes report:
- Significant cost savings on electricity bills
- Noticeable increases in firefly populations and other beneficial insects within just a few seasons
- Improved nighttime visibility and safety for pedestrians and drivers
- Enhanced property values, as people increasingly value natural darkness and starry skies
- Restoration of visible stars and astronomical features that connect us to our universe
Let’s work together to create a more energy-efficient community where we can enjoy lower utility bills, the wonder of a star-filled night sky, a thriving ecosystem, and safer streets for everyone.
Together, we can make a difference—one light at a time.
Fo more information on lighting, see DarkSky International and look for Dark Sky Approved liking fixtures.
Thanks to Richard Post for this terrific LTE. I live in the same Lexington house where I lived growing up beginning at age eight and a half, and I remember the splendor of the night sky during those long-ago times. I especially remember Comet Bennett, which peaked in late March, 1970, and which was one of the 15 best comets of our times according to the publication Astronomy.com.
That month, there was a note in the New York Times advising comet watchers to check the sky around 3AM.
I set my alarm, and prepared to take advantage of my two months old driver’s license to drive myself to a vantage point to get the best possible view. But when I opened the front door, there it was, splashed against the star-filled sky, the head, by my estimation, around 1/3 the size of the moon, and the tail 10 degrees long, according to Astronomy. I awakened my father, whose story of having seen a similarly spectacular comet one night from a boat on Seattle’s Lake Washington had resulted in my then eight year old self dreaming one night that I was a well-equipped astronomer searching for comets.
Seeing a comet like Bennett against Lexington’s contemporary light-polluted sky would be disappointing, to say the least. For that, and all the excellent reasons that Richard Post has specified, Lexington should eliminate light pollution.
This letter perfectly describes the importance of reducing of excessive light pollution. This is one of the few environmental problems that could be corrected immediately if we all work together to take a few simple steps. Another way we call all help is to urge our state legislators to support Bill H.3494 and Bill S.2243 “An Act to improve outdoor lighting, conserve energy, and increase dark-sky visibility”.