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…

While it is important to look at the impacts of light pollution, attention should also be paid to how light pollution is being measured as this affects the quality of data collected and hence influences the effectiveness of solutions to reduce the impact of light pollution. In this two part series we will first look at existing measures and assess its effectiveness, concluding with a new method of assessing ecological…

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…

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…

I’m sure many of us are familiar with solutions to reduce light pollution such as to turn off lights when not in use and to switch to more shielded light sources. However in this post we will take a look at more novel ways to reduce the impacts of light pollution in different cities. These include tangible technical solutions as well as the more intangible aspects through spreading awareness.   …

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…