Imagine camping in woods that you and others worked hard to save. The sun slips below the horizon that separates you from the concrete and steel, and you're a world away from man's effects on nature.

Twilight fades and you look up. Instead of 2,000 stars in a black velvet sky you see a bright haze that engulfs the night, intruding into the natural environment and masking all but the brightest stars. The forest you fought to protect lives under the foggy veil of light pollution.

Does light pollution deserve attention as more than just a problem for astronomers? Yes. Is light pollution harmful to the environment? Absolutely. Is it inevitable in today's world? For the most part, no. If losing site of the heavens doesn't justify measures to minimize light pollution, many other reasons do.

Misdirected upward light brightens the sky and hides many stars, wasting coal-produced electricity. A typical mercury vapor "security" light burning all night requires enough electricity annually that about 800 pounds of coal must be burned, which releases about 1600 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Nearly 40 percent of the light from this fixture scatters wastefully, invading neighbors' windows and beaming into the sky. About 640 pounds of carbon dioxide per fixture was created just to produce this waste light. The International Darksky Association estimates this effect costs U.S ratepayers over $1.5 billion annually in wasted electricity and releases 12,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

Flora and fauna suffer from light pollution. The Indiana Department of Transportation has installed shielding on some roadway lighting adjacent to farm fields after observing crop damage from constant light. Newly hatched sea turtles confused by lights near beaches never make it to sea. A Toronto organization called Fatal Light Pollution Awareness (FLAP) has data on migratory birds that crash into office towers at night because of confusion created by lighting. Deciduous trees subjected to excessive light exhibit disruption of their annual cycles. Recent research reported in Science News and Newsweek suggests there may be a link between excess night lighting and cancerous tumors, because lighting can disrupt the human production of melatonin.

Effective lighting shines down onto your field of view. An unshielded "security" light shinning directly into your eyes actually diminishes your vision. Your security is not enhanced by light beamed into the sky or into your eyes. Perhaps that is why studies by the FBI, Justice Dept., and a University of Maryland report presented to Congress all found that the evidence does not support a finding that outdoor lighting reduces crime.

The Illuminating Engineering Society recommends that lighting be shielded, directed downward, and of moderate brightness. These basic ingredients, and control of light spillage onto other property are contained in lighting laws that some states and communities have adopted. Such laws would also help protect Indiana's environment.

Kevin Fleming
ICOLE Central Indiana Representative