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…
The West Nile Virus (WNV), a mosquito borne virus, first occurred on the US East Coast in 1999. Since then, the disease has transmitted across the entire country in just a few years, infecting not just humans, but animals such as birds and horses as shown in the figure below. The WNV spreads to people via the bite of an infected mosquito and can cause fevers, body aches, rashes, diarrhea,…
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…
Ever notice the reddish orange clouds at night that look something like this? While most of us would associate the colour of the clouds with the setting of the sun, it’s time to think again. Research have shown that the redness in these clouds shows the interaction of clouds with sky glow from cities. With increased cloud cover, long-wave red light radiation from cities that are usually emitted into space…
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…
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…
With growing awareness of the implications of artificial light exposure at night, various responses are starting to take off in different parts of the world. An innovative example to combat light pollution is the creation of dark spaces in golf-courses. This trend is particularly in North America in places like California, San Diego, Texas and Colorado, which is unsurprising considering that the International Dark-Sky Association was founded in nearby Arizona…
“Thus hath the candle songs the moath” -Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice Just like the quote above, more commonly known today as the phrase “like a moth drawn to a flame”, light pollution can result in increased mortality for moths as these nocturnal creatures often fly into urban light sources. Through direct burning or increased exposure to predators, their attraction to light can be fatal. Take a look at the…
