EcoLocalizer

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Last week I wrote about preparations for Earth Hour, and this week I’m focusing on another way people in the Chicago region are re-examining the use of energy at night. The village of Homer Glen, in the Chicago suburbs, has made news recently for an attempt to curb an insidious manmade contaminant that is emitted by every population center in the world, but which few of us ever take notice of: light pollution.

The largely rural village of Homer Glen, located about 11 miles southwest of Chicago, adopted a groundbreaking ordinance in December that limits how much light a business can generate based on lumens, a measurement of emitted light. In doing so, the village became one of the first municipalities in the country to pass a law that specifically recognizes the night sky as a natural resource and that lays out specific measures to preserve it.

Only the Light You Need, Only Where You Need It

Homer Glen’s lighting law isn’t just about dimming the lights on the signs that businesses use to advertise themselves; it’s actually about encouraging the entire community to use lighting that is designed purposefully. It enforces two basic principles that seem like common sense but which most of us haven’t had reason to pay much attention to in the past: Use the right amount of light, and use it only when and where it’s needed.

In addition to specifying how much lighting can be used on properties and how bright the lights can be, the new ordinance requires businesses to dim outdoor lighting within an hour of their closing time. It also includes mandates that lighting fixtures must have shields or other means of directing light downward, rather than into neighboring properties or out into the night sky. Laser lights, flashing lights, searchlights and other intrusive lighting are prohibited.

One of the driving forces behind the new ordinance is the desire on the part of Homer Glen residents to preserve the rural nature of their community in the face of creeping suburban development (aka “sprawl”). But just as significant is the recognition that the bright lights that blot out the stars in the sky is needlessly wasteful and contributes to the problem of climate change. According to the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), which provided advice on the new ordinance, wasted energy accounts for around 30 percent of outdoor lighting. That’s roughly equivalent to 38 million tons of carbon dioxide in the U.S. alone, and represents a financial loss of around $10 billion.

Night Light Is Extremely Unnatural

If addressing these energy inefficiencies isn’t enough to convince you that better lighting regulations are a good idea, consider the damage to wildlife caused by artificial light. The hazy “night glow” common to urban areas has the power to throw off the balance of light and dark to which all living things are adapted. Disrupting this balance changes animal behavior and alters relationships between species.

For many organisms, including birds, frogs, and even zooplankton in the waters off our cities’ shores, behaviors such as mating, feeding, and migration can be adversly impacted by the lack of true darkness. And it’s not just wild animals that are affected–plant species can get scrambled by artificial light as well. Concentrated light pollution has been shown to alter the seasonal development of decidious trees and change flowering patterns for some plants. In researching this issue, I was shocked to learn the range and seriousness of these wildlife impacts; it goes way beyond the issue of migratory birds becoming disoriented by brightly lit buildings (bad as that is). Click here to read more details on the natural implications of artificial light.

Less Lighting Is Better Lighting Is Safer Lighting

If you’re still skeptical of regulating light emissions because you’re convinced that public saftey would be compromised by limiting the amount of light allowed in a city, put your fears to rest. Consider this excerpt from Chicago Wilderness Magazine:

[Bob Gent, president of IDA] says communities don’t have to sacrifice safety for darker skies. Roads are safer when streetlights illuminate the roadway rather than shining in drivers’ eyes. And while bright lights may create the feeling of safety, studies show that they don’t actually prevent crime. Rather than leaving bright lights on all night, people concerned with safety are better off using security lights that are activated by motion detectors.

Homer Glen also discovered that better lighting benefits human health. People sleep better in the dark, and our bodies need darkness to produce melatonin, which protects against cancer. The National Cancer Institute recognizes that women who are exposed to bright lights while working the night shift may be at increased risk of developing breast cancer.

Homer Glen officials say that despite its novelty, the ordinance didn’t encounter much resistence from local businesses once the business owners realized how smart use of artificial lighting might contribute to the bottom line. It turns out most businesses can actually save money by taking a closer look at wasteful lighting.

We’ll Wonder Why We Ever Did It Any Other Way

At first blush, lighting may seem an odd thing for government to regulate. But after closer inspection, “lumen ordinances” seem like a slam dunk for any community that is serious about getting on the path to sustainability. They combine so many smart things in one package: Preserving the character of small towns, maintaining night skies dark enough for the pleasures of stargazing in our neighborhoods, improving energy efficiency to conserve resources and combat global warming, reducing the harmful effects of artificial lighting on plants and animals, and making the built environment healthier and safer for people. I’m trying to see a downside (besides some additional red tape), but I can’t find one.

If this type of regulation doesn’t become the norm in the U.S. in 10 or 15 years, I’ll be surprised. Here’s hoping it catches on even more quickly than that.

Related Reading:

Chicago Wilderness Magazine — Homer Glen Sees the Light

Chicago Tribune - Homer Glen Earns Honor for Light Ordinance

Chicago Public Radio - Interview with Village Trustee Russell Knaack (Audio Clip)

Photo credit: floridapfe