Friends of the Irish Environment

Hi,

Just off the phone with the Sunday Times (Michael, John, thanks for putting tme in touch with me!).

It seems that Friends of the Irish Environment are working on a light pollution campaign also. More, presumably, will be in the sunday times.

Cheers,
~Al

Nice to hear that. If it gets printed, put it up here for all to see.

Hi All -

We sent out a Press Release on Dark Skies this week in the hope that we might attract a little media when the competition is poor, although we prepared the Press Release a few months ago with this in mind!

I actually wrote a policy document for An Taisce about 5 years ago but there was very little interest. It's a subject that I care about myself - as I do about the natural environment in general.

Anyway the Sunday Times picked up on the story, and this morning I did a piece on Morning Ireland.

I hope the material we are putting out is OK - I would appreciate any feedback! My feeling is that the campaign may get a boost from the global warming issue, but that there is still a perception that this a bit of a crank subject.

There was an interesting article in the Telegraph this week as well about the dissatisfaction with the progress in the UK. I'll try and get that on our site later today.

I have put the rest of the information up on our site, including a transcript of the radio interview this morning, with a link to your site to get involved.

Congratulations on this excellent site, and on getting the campaign up and running here in Ireland. Hope we can help.

Best wishes,

Tony

www.friendsoftheirishenvironment.net/main/index.php

hi Tony/Al,

congratulations on getting the light pollution issue highlighted in the last couple of days.

although I live in Terenure, where it's never going to be pitch dark, I recently had occasion to talk to a neighbour across the way who had a bright outside light angled in such a way that, besides illuminating their backyard, also lit the upstairs fascade of our house and next door's. It meant that at night, you could read in bed with the curtains closed, using just the neighbours light! Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration but it was becoming a nuisance trying to sleep as sometimes they had the light on 'til two or three in the morning.

I approached them on the subject before Christmas and they were very accommodating and all apologies about the problem. I had also pointed out to them that driving out of our estate at night when their yard light was on could be considered a hazard too because it did shine into the eyes of anyone in a car.

so, I think even a small issue like this can be resolved in an amicable way.

atb,

John

John - I had exactly the same problem here in Celbridge - a neigbour at the rear of my house was presumably tendering for the new runway at Dublin Airport... When the security lights were on, they lit up at least 6 or 7 of the row of houses I live in. Read? Naah, you could perform open heart surgery by *that* light.

I approached the house and whilst the (henpecked) man of the house was very accomodating, when the woman of the house came to see what was going on, she threw a wobbler. 'None of your business, meddling good-for-nothing' etc. The bloke quietly said he'd move it and sure enough, he did. But clearly, she had other ideas and it was shortly re-instated.

Are there any legal options? A la noise pollution?

Cheers

Dave

If this thing has a light sensor on it, you could always get a cheap laser and point it at the sensor when your out observing, this will trick the light into thinking its daytime and it'll turn off. :lol:

If they can spill light into your garden, then you can do the same, be it very directional.