Introduction to the Impacts of Outdoor Lighting

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Introduction to the Impacts of Outdoor Lighting

• Indiana Council on Outdoor Lighting Education
• ICOLE

Environmental Quality Service CouncilSeptember
28, 2001 Indiana Senate Chambers
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Why does it matter?
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How is our light wasteful?
Misdirection
Courtesy Patric Johnstone, Tulsa, OK
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How is our light wasteful?
More light than needed
Courtesy International Dark-sky Association
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How is our light wasteful?
Counterproductive -
James Thurber There are two kinds of light
the glow that illumines, and the glare that
obscures. Reform advocates - The more light you
have, the more light you need

• Bright night lighting makes immediate area more
  visible, surroundings less visible
• Eyes forced to adapt to glare

ICOLE
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How much is enough light?
Brightness is relative

• Level of adaptation How bright the scene
  looks also depends on the light level were
  adapted to. Lost sensitivity slow to return
• Light levels should not exceed nearby levels by
  more than 10 times
• Veiling luminance reduces contrast in field of
  view
• The less light you have, the less light you
  need- it works both ways

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How much coal does it burn?
ICOLE

• Electricity to power all-night lighting annually
  at todays gas stations requires burning 88,000
  lbs. of coal, producing
• 211,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas
• 848 lbs. of nitrogen oxide ground level ozone
• 1,390 lbs. of sulfur dioxide acid rain
• 0.15 gram of mercury toxic

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How does light at night harm life?
Fooling mother nature

• Life evolved in a steady day/night cycle
• Biological functions are triggered by dark of
  night
• Mammalian melatonin production human pineal
  gland
• Melatonin disruption linked to cancer
• Active/dormant seasons for plant life
• Nocturnal feeding, mating, migrating
• Species extinction, mass kills declines in
  fireflies, sea turtles, up to 40 million
  migrating birds per year

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How is poor lighting dangerous?
Blinded by the light
Courtesy RAB Electric, Inc.
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Solutions

• Listening to the Illuminating Engineering
  Society of North America (IESNA)
• Establishment of Outdoor Lighting Standards
• The following all address misdirected, excessive
  light
• Light fixtures with more than 2000 lumens output
  should be full cutoff no upward directed
  light
• Light source of such fixtures should be shielded
  from view off-property by an opaque housing
• Light trespass standard should be established
  0.1 footcandle recommended

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Solutions

• No liability for accidents for claims of poor
  lighting if lighting complies with IESNA
  recommended practices fear of liability is
  driving over-lighting
• No liability for unlighted business that is
  closed and vacated for the night if no good cause
  to be on property
• Model lighting ordinance for municipalities
  avoids patchwork quilt of local ordinances and is
  educational
• Funding formula inducements for local ordinances
  local road and street fund, etc.
• Special protection for academic astronomical
  observatories and sensitive areas state funded
  observatories being destroyed, light pollution in
  forests

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Solutions

• Establishment of educational resource about
  light pollution
• Eliminate unnecessary illumination of reflective
  road signs Michigan and other states do not
  light them
• Use high mast lighting in middle of median
  farthest from right of way, or lower the height
  see I70 near Eli Lilly
• Electric utilities should offer full cutoff
  lighting without increasing price margin compared
  to non-full cutoff supplier prices are the same
• Marketing of security lighting needs
  disclaimer independent, authoritative studies
  do not support claim that lighting cuts crime
  false security is dangerous