EspañolLight Pollution: How to See More Stars in Your Neighborhood
Light pollution slips the minds of most people. It certainly hasn’t been a priority for me. As someone who is somewhat afraid of the dark, it’s not easy for me to walk around alone at night time. When the sun goes down, I’ll be the first one flipping light switches. Forget walking around outside at night without company. Only a few weeks ago, I house-sat for a friend and took care of her two dogs. She doesn’t have a fenced-in yard, so I had to take them out every night to do their thing before bedtime. Great.
Yet what a treat it was. She lives out in the middle of nowhere, and there are almost no streetlights. That means that when the sun sets, the stars come out in force. More than once, I caught myself staring up at the night sky and thinking, “Wow…I wish it could always be like this.”
#ElectricityExpress obviously makes money from selling electricity. But we still take very seriously the issue of saving our environment. As utility company employees, we are in a unique position to work directly with the public to raise awareness of what can be done to help our environment.
What is Light Pollution? Light Pollution: How to See More Stars
Have you seen Chevy Chase’s Christmas Vacation? You’ll remember the scene where he blinds his neighbors when he turns on the outdoor Christmas lights. That would definitely be an example of light pollution. For a more scientific definition, Wikipedia says that light pollution is “excessive, misdirected, or obtrusive artificial light.” Most of us think of pollution as being roadside trash or car exhaust. Yet light pollution does harm our environment.
Effects of Light Pollution
- Energy waste – This is the most obvious. Our natural resources are not infinite. Turning off unneeded lights is a simple way to conserve energy.
- Animals and ecosystems – Let’s face it, the animals were here first. In particular, animals who are nocturnal have their lives thrown out of balance by our light pollution. This interesting Discovery article talks about how light pollution adversely affects migratory birds and newborn sea turtles.
- The night sky – What can be seen without all the excess light is truly amazing. It’s spectacular enough to make someone like myself forget to be nervous about being outside in the dark. I don’t have a clue what the constellations are, but I do know beauty when I see it.
- Atmospheric pollution – A meeting of the American Geophysical Union said that light pollution harms nitrate radicals. This in turn prevents the usual nightly lowering of atmospheric smog produced by fumes from factories and cars.
Some Causes of Light Pollution:
- Not using timers – Most of us are too busy worrying about other things to remember to turn off lights. Am I the only person who woke up Sunday morning and saw I’d left the porch light on all night? Yet Lowes, for example, has timers that can do the trick for you. They’re handy to have and ultimately lower your electric bill.
- Misdirected light – Make sure that your lamps and overhead lighting are directed to where they’re needed. Otherwise, you’ll probably turn on more lights to make up for the lighting misuse.
- Daylight lighting – Lights are used unnecessarily during the daytime to deter crime or for businesses to attract customers. I’ve seen a lot of that last one. During the daytime, it should be obvious that a business is open. Yet everything is lit up like it’s Las Vegas.
Stop Light Pollution and Help the Environment
Hollywood is having a great time making end-of-the-world movies based on our planet self-destructing. Are they right? I don’t know. However, I do think we all have a responsibility to do what we can to protect our planet. Let’s not get to the point where we all look back and say, “If only we had started conserving energy when we had the chance.” Stopping light pollution is an easy way to get the ball rolling.
You are always welcome to call Electricity Express and pick our brains for more ways to save energy and money. In the meantime, please continue to follow our blog for more ideas and advice. Electricity Express – we’ve got you covered.
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