Radio interview on Light Pollution (Oct 4th): need input!

Hi all,
I need to gather some legislative or similar info, if there is more to be found out there, on light pollution. This has cropped up before in the that individual city and county councils contained guidelines on safe, secure and non-nuisance lighting, be it in a built up area or along roads and motorways. Our resident expert, Albert White, is around here somewhere...

We'll be talking about Light Pollution and all its aspects: Energy, Nuisance, Security, impact on Nature and of course on Astronomy. I'll be interviewed by Denise Leonard on 'Midlands Green' on Midlands 103 (103.5fm or www.midlands103.com ) tomorrow (Tuesday) night around 7:25pm if anyone wants to tune in.

Thanks,

Seanie.

www.ilpac.eu/main/?page_id=15 may be of help

Anything more specific that you are looking for?

I don't think so Al but some info on what has changed or been brought in since I was interviewed on the same show/station around 18/20 months ago would help as updates. I know we all see the evidence of energy-concious street lighting and the proper use of FCO and light-guarded roadside lighting on new suburban and in some crural road junctions.

Anyone have a church that maintains an all-night floodlit state still?

Seanie.

Not a lot has changed. Croatia now has a light pollution law but the details are still being worked out. Nothing new in Ireland legally; it never made it to the greens programme for government and FG/Lab aren't interested. Only one Seanad candidate was interested in the topic and he didn't get elected.

On the ground streetlighting has changed a little. the ESB are putting in close-to-FCO lighting on main roads, but the lighting they are putting in residential areas is far from FCO. This is to replace the old low pressure sodium orange lights. One onw hand this should reduce light pollution since there will be less light going up. However I doubt it will.

sodium lights had little or no blue in them however these new lights have very strong blue components. This has implications for wildlife - insects 'see' blue light more than any other part of the spectrum, so they will be more disrupted by the new lighting. Detrimental effects to insects will have implications down the food chain.

The main thing I think that has changed in the past year or so has been the focus on human health. Have a peek at this video from the conference in 2009 vimeo.com/12672673
The new streetlights that are appearing, with their strong blue components, affect melatonin production much more than the old orange lights.

The other thing that has changed in the couple of years has been the growth of dark sky parks. To get an idea on how this was created initially in the uk have a look at vimeo.com/8745345

What I had hoped that we would be seeing by now, but alas the economics have conspired against it, was intelligent streetlighting. The technology is available to dim or brighten lights at certain times, automatic fault detection and reporting, the technology is even there to allow you to send a txt message to get a streetlight outside your house dimmed. And an Irish company is pioneering some of this. Have a flick through lightpollution2009.eu/images/Presentatio...%20lighting%2009.pdf

Hope thats of some help

Some good fodder there Albert, thanks for all that!

Seanie.

Interview went well. It helps to have a presenter (Denis Richardson) who's both interested and knowledgable on the topic. Got IFAS and MAC both plugged as well as the IOTMN and the Draconids for this Saturday night.

Seanie