What Is It?

1. Light Pollution: How Seeing the Stars will Save You Moneyand possibly save your life if you are femaleDr. Harold WilliamsMontgomery College Planetariumlocated at the Takoma Park/Silver SpringCampus http://montgomerycollege.edu/Departmennts/planet International Dark-Sky Assocation

2. What Is It? • The Night Around Us. • Our Communities. • The Night Above Us. Dark skies. International Dark-Sky Assocation

3. The Bottom Line on “Why” • For a functional, comfortable, and beautiful nighttime environment. • For an environment friendly to: • humans, including the aging eye, • wildlife, • plants, • the night sky. International Dark-Sky Assocation

4. Where to light and when? • Only where it is needed. • Avoid obtrusive light. • No wasted light or energy. • Only when needed. International Dark-Sky Assocation

5. How much light? • The myth of The More the Better. • Use IESNA or CIE recommended levels. • Environmental lighting zones. • Consider the location where you are. • Use good transition lighting. International Dark-Sky Assocation

6. North America at Night International Dark-Sky Assocation

7. Poor security lighting, using an old fashion 175 watt mercury fixture International Dark-Sky Assocation

8. Almost a definition of light trespass, at an installation in San Francisco. International Dark-Sky Assocation

9. Glare from a walkway light. International Dark-Sky Assocation

10. Glare, luminance overload, bad transition lighting International Dark-Sky Assocation

11. Why so much bad lighting ? • Lack of awareness. • Even in the lighting community. • Builders, contractors, owners, operators. • The public. Governmental staff. • Apathy, or inertia. International Dark-Sky Assocation

12. Keys to Quality Lighting See the effect, not the source. Shine the light down. No glare! Light only where and when needed. Don’t over light. Use energy efficient sources. International Dark-Sky Assocation

13. Use of a full cutoff fixture for a parking lot International Dark-Sky Assocation

14. A good antique (or period lighting) fixture, full cutoff International Dark-Sky Assocation

15. Here is another good example, using lighting fixtures with good control of the light output. International Dark-Sky Assocation

16. So … • It works, right? It’s common sense. • Use only good lighting! • Let’s fix the bad stuff! • Educate everyone; build allies. International Dark-Sky Assocation

17. Your Sixth Sense! • Melanopsin • Suprachiasmatic nucleus • Pineal gland • Melatonin

18. Melatonin C13H16N2O2

19. Eye

20. Some demographic evidence • Artificial lighting in the industrialized world: circadian disruption and breast cancer by Richard G. Stevens in Cancer Causes Control (2006) 17:501–507 • LIGHT AT NIGHT CO-DISTRIBUTES WITH INCIDENT BREAST BUT NOT LUNG CANCER IN THE FEMALE POPULATION OF ISRAEL in Chronobiology International, 25(1): 65–81, (2008) by Itai Kloog, Abraham Haim, Richard G. Stevens, Micha Barchana, and Boris A. Port

21. Some Other Issues • Visibility • Safety and security • The aging and disabled eye • Human health, and animals and plants. • Energy • We all win! International Dark-Sky Assocation

22. IDA • The International Dark-Sky Association • Newsletter. • Information sheets. Images. Slides. • CD’s, videos, and so on. • Web site: www.darksky.org • Join IDA ! We need you. International Dark-Sky Assocation

23. IDA’s Goals • To preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark-skies through quality outdoor lighting. • Membership based. Over 10,000 members, from all the states and 70 other countries. 500 organizations. International Dark-Sky Assocation

24. International Dark-Sky Association • 3225 N First Avenue • Tucson AZ 85719 USA • 520-293-3198 Fax: 520-293-3192 • ida@darksky.org • www.darksky.org International Dark-Sky Assocation