International Dark-Sky Association Light Pollution: How Seeing the Stars will Save You Money and possibly save your life if you are female Dr. Harold Williams Montgomery College Planetarium located at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus

International Dark-Sky Association What Is It? The Night Around Us. –Our Communities. The Night Above Us. Dark skies.

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

International Dark-Sky Association 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 Association North America at Night

Really Bad Light Bad Mercury Vapor Light (not very energy efficient) with Glaring Drop Lens (bad for people with cataracts driving at night) on the street that I live in on, burning during the day time (wasting more energy). Not full cut off, it shines in peoples bedrooms, light trust-pass, at night increasing the risk of Breast Cancer, by disrupting circadian rhythm.. Picture taken around 8AM of March 8, 2011.circadian rhythm International Dark-Sky Association

Poor security lighting, using an old fashion 175 watt mercury fixture

International Dark-Sky Association Almost a definition of light trespass, at an installation in San Francisco, but could be in Silver Spring.

International Dark-Sky Association Glare from a walkway light.

International Dark-Sky Association Glare, luminance overload, bad transition lighting

International Dark-Sky Association 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 Association 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 Association Use of a full cut-off fixture for a parking lot

International Dark-Sky Association A good antique (or period lighting) fixture, full cut-off

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

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

Your Sixth Sense! Melanopsin Suprachiasmatic nucleus Pineal gland Melatonin

Melatonin C 13 H 16 N 2 O 2 C H N O

Eye

Some demographic evidence Artificial lighting in the industrialized world: circadian disruption and breast cancer by Richard G. Stevens in Cancer Causes Control (2006) 17:501–507Artificial lighting in the industrialized world: circadian disruption and breast cancer 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. PortLIGHT AT NIGHT CO-DISTRIBUTES WITH INCIDENT BREAST BUT NOT LUNG CANCER IN THE FEMALE POPULATION OF ISRAEL

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

International Dark-Sky Association 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 Association 3225 N First Avenue Tucson AZ USA Fax:

Recent State of Maryland movement for good environmentally responsible lighting Maryland General Assembly Roadway Lighting Bill HB816 new (very good legislation). The honorable Alfred Carr who introduced this house bill. State Senator Jenny Forehand has introduced a companion bill in the Maryland Senate: SB891 (some more information on this bill, too).Roadway Lighting Bill information on this bill Maryland Outdoor Lighting Task Force Report from 2001 Maryland Outdoor Lighting Task force report Maryland Outdoor Lighting Task force report

Some good local Montgomery County lighting laws that have not passed yet Outdoor Lighting Standards Established Bill No pdf, not yet passed as far as I can see.4-07.pdf Zoning Text Amendment in Montgomery County pdf, not yet passed as far as I can see pdf How come? If you can find out please tell me!