Light Pollution Here and Now What can we do about it?

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Light PollutionHere and NowWhat can we do
about it?

• Presented by
• Kim Hay
• Starlight Cascade Observatory
• Member RASC-KC

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Responsible Lighting-Friendlier and Darker Skies

• We have all been exposed to Light Pollution.
• What can we do about it?
• Its up to us, to work on this problem together!

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Here are the 5 Top Light Pollution Misconceptions

• Light at night prevents crime.
• More light improves visibility.
• You can get good illuminations by throwing
  light from Here to Over There.
• Light Pollution is not really pollution because
  it goes away if you turn off the lights.
• Light Pollution is only a problem for astronomers.

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What exactly is Light Pollution?

• Light Pollution is the spillage of unwanted light
  , due to glare, light trespass and unused
  lighting into the sky.

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Light Glare

• Glare is the unused light that shines out and up.

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Light Trespass

• Lighting that trespasses into your windows or
  property
• Prevents you from getting a good nights sleep

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What are the problems?

• Bad Street Lighting
• Cobra Head Drop Down Designs
• Globe lights Light does not point down and
  light a path, it shoots out and up
• Spot Lights- light up ward and out, not down

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Who and What does bad lighting effect?

• Our Sleeping Patterns Health
• Sea Turtles
• Birds

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What are some of the Solutions?

• Streetlights Full Cut Off Luminaries
• These lights are hooded and have a fully cut off
  lens
• Parking lots Box lights
• These are fully cut off, and point the light down

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Calgary Albertas Solution

• Comparison of fully cut off Luminaires and the
  older Cobra Head design

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The Home Owners Solution

• Shielded Lighting
• Hubble Sky Cap on the Pole lights in farm yards
• Light Shield on the Hydro poles or street lights
• Good solution to cut down on trespassing light
  but not the best solution.

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The Home Owners Solution

• Motion Sensor Lighting or spot lighting in the
  yard
• The new parasheild design is made to attach to
  the current light fixture (PAR 38 floodlights) by
  clipping onto the fixture
• This points the light to the areas needed and
  wanted

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The Home Owners Solution

• Use lower compact fluorescent bulbs, uses less
  energy, puts out the same light to the equivalent
  bulb
• Helps with energy efficiency not neccesarily
  Light Pollution, but may help you to re-evaluate
  your use of lighting in and around the home
• For example GE Soft White 60 watt regular bulb
  is a 13 watt compact fluorescent with 825 lumens,
  with over 8000 hours of use- thats 5 years

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Our little bit to help the night sky

• We are responsible residents who want the best
  for our community
• Ease the light trespass by re-aiming and
  shielding our lights
• Use lower wattage compact fluorescent bulbs
• Little steps to help ourselves now and future
  generations to come

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Lets give our Future generations a chance to see
what there is in the dark sky.

• If the August 14, 2003 power crisis taught us
  anything..is that we use too much wasted
  electricity and we are polluting our night sky.

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Where can you go to get more information?

• http//www.darksky.org/
• http//www.rasc.ca/
• http//kingston.rasc.ca/
• http//www.syz.com/rasc/lp/
• hhttp//www.ras.sk.ca/lpc/lpc.htm

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Where can you go to get more information?

• http//www.crlaction.org/
• http//www.flap.org/new/nestegg.htm
• http//pages.prodigy.net/unohu/topics_sero.htm
• http//www.iesna.org/
• http//www.u-net.com/ph/starw-uk/lightpol.htm
• http//cfa-www.harvard.edu/cfa/ps/nelpag.html
• http//www.muskokaheritage.org/ecology-night/

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Where can you get more information?

• http//www.hubbell-ltg.com/
• http//www.parshield.com/index.html
• http//www.gelighting.com/na/
• If you have any questions, you can contact me at
• kim (at) starlightcascade.ca

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Our world at Night..