Over the past 2 months or so, we have been through a rollercoaster ride of learning about light pollution. Together, we have explored the impacts of artificial light at night (ALAN) on aquatic environments and its organisms, animals and even us, humans. One of my key takeaways is that environmental pollution need not solely involve tangible and intangible contaminants such as plastics or air pollutants respectively. It is the silent…
In the previous post, we discussed how seasonal festivities have brought about significant changes in light illumination globally. In this post, we continue on this thread of celebratory lights, this time beyond just festivities. Lights in many cultures have the celebratory connotations which makes light pollution so challenging to deal to with. The invention of light itself was a victorious feat in claiming back time, productivity, and sight against the…
November has finally arrived! With just a month away from Christmas, the excitement of the holiday season is slowly creeping in. According to Orchard Road Business Association, the annually awaited Christmas decorations along Orchard Road will begin on the 13th of November this year (Nazren, 2020)! How exciting! 2020 Orchard Road Christmas Decoration Plans (Source: ORBA) However, having learnt much about the ills of light pollution, it led me thinking…
The town of Kingsville in Canada offers us insights beyond solutions to light problems. Faced with a unique local source of light pollution, we get a glimpse of how everyday residents play a part in pushing for bigger change in the management of light pollution. But first, let me introduce the problem. Over the past few years, Kingsville has become a popular nesting ground for agricultural greenhouses that operate round…
In this article by CNBC, it introduces the idea of connecting technological solutions to conservation efforts in the management of light pollution. This can otherwise be seen as a manifestation of educational efforts in which exposure to new knowledge can lead to physical action. An example is how lighting solutions have been linked to sea turtle conservation efforts through the use of technology in Queensland, Australia. The installation of amber…
Besides retrofitting the lamps, companies focusing on the design of light have come up with novel ways to solve the light pollution problem through technological advancements in lighting technology. Lumican is one such company from Canada that has turned to creating dark-sky friendly lighting solutions. Their quest to design dark-sky friendly exterior lighting began back in 2015 and today they are selling these night-friendly lights which have been certified by…
LEDs are widely known for their great potential to reduce light pollution and energy consumption because of their relatively low costs and energy efficiency (Parnell, 2017). As such, LED technology has been a significant contributor in the “sustainable lighting” movement. However, the current extent of global light pollution illustrates a case of poor usage of these promising lights. Instead of reducing overall energy consumption, the benefits of LEDs have led…
A common concern surrounding the shift towards the management of light pollution is the effects of reduced light on street safety. Many cities around the world have channelled huge investments into lighting up pedestrian paths, back alleys and residential areas with lights, all to keep their citizens safe and the city running at night. In fact, because the argument behind such a trend involves a basic logical reasoning that illuminating…
A popular study in the discourse of the effects of light pollution on humans is the association between light and obesity. The National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) conducted a particularly large-scaled study, using data from over 43,000 women in America (NIEHS, 2019). Before the study commenced, they noted that women who slept with the light or television on were more likely to be obese at the start of…
In the previous post, we introduced the increasing designation of Golf Courses as Dark-Sky Places which started in the Americas and exploded in popularity worldwide. In today’s post, we delve deeper into why we see this trend emerging in relation to golf courses, some pitfalls we need to beware of and other solutions. So… Why Golf Courses? What exactly makes them such a good place for dark spaces? For…
