Awareness. That is what light pollution needs. Awareness on the part of the consumer and the supplier. Tim Ryan is a landscape lighting designer who is aware of light pollution. A good designer is not looking for the brightest LED. It’s about nuance, balance, layering, and texture. As Tim says, “a little bit of light goes a long way.” Tim is The Lighthouse Group executive director, one of the principal lighting designers for the Lighthouse Design Studio and the professional photographer documenting all of the finished projects for our group. He has been on this “lighting ride” for 27 years, starting with integrated lighting into his landscape designs from the very beginning and 5 years later moving into the outdoor lighting business solely after falling in love with the mood, magic and totally new perspective that the illuminated garden space provides. He’s been with Lighthouse since 2015 and is passionate about educating the next generation of outdoor lighting designers for the future of this art.
The Lighthouse Group – https://lighthouse-lights.com
Connect with Tim on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-ryan-793b6857/
One thing leads to another. Jessica’s family’s favorite place is Joshua Tree National Park. There she likes to sneak out of the tent at night and look up at the stars. Living in the city and knowing what they’re missing there, she dove deeper into the subject of Light pollution. That brought her to FLAP Canada and discovering that the Lights Out movement really started there. Not only that, it was children and teachers that brought it to light. And so she thought it fitting to point that out in her book, “Lights Out: A Movement To Help Migrating Birds.”
Jessica Stremer is an award-winning children’s author who combines her love of science and writing to create books that inspire kids to explore and think critically about the world around them. Her other titles include GREAT CARRIER REEF (a Cook Prize Silver Medalist and NY Public Library Best Book of the Year), FIRE ESCAPE: How Animals and Plants Survive Wildfires (a JLG Gold Standard selection), PLIGHT OF THE PELICAN: How Science Saved a Species, TRAPPED IN THE TAR PIT, and WONDERFULLY WILD. Jessica obtained a B.S. in Biology, with an emphasis in Ecology, from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She was a recipient of the 2023 Stephen Fraser Encouragement Award and 2023 finalist for the Russel Freedman award. When not writing you can find Jessica cheering from the sideline of her kids’ soccer games, spending time outdoors, and planning her next family adventure.
Find Jessica’s book here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Jessica-Stremer/195822105 https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1665931973?tag=simonsayscom
Connect with Jessica: www.jessicastremer.com @jstremer
Yep. Our first politician. And she’s on our side. Senator Ellman got Bill SB3501, The Outdoor Lighting Control Act, passed in both houses in Illinois. Senator Ellman will admit she didn’t get everything she wanted in it, but as she says, this is just one step on the path (this IS politics after all). We were impressed with her humility, honesty, and down to earth approach – politician or not. NOTE: There were some video and audio issues with Senator Ellman, but we deemed them not bad enough and the content too good not to release the episode. State Senator Laura Ellman was first elected to serve in the Illinois General Assembly in November of 2018 and re-elected in 2022. Senate District 21 includes parts of Bolingbrook, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Lisle, Lombard, Naperville, Wheaton and Warrenville. Senator Ellman currently serves on a number of committees, including Agriculture; Appropriations, Chairperson of Environment and Conservation; Vice-Chairperson of Financial Institutions; Transportation and Veterans Affairs. Senator Ellman was the first child to attend college in both her parents’ families. After graduating from Grinnell College with a degree in mathematics, she earned a masters’ degree in applied statistics at the University of Iowa. Professionally, she has more than 25 years of experience working in manufacturing and engineering and dealing with regulations and policies. Senator Ellman currently lives in Naperville with her husband Pete, a musician and small business owner, and they are proud parents of two adult children.
Connect with Senator Ellman:
http://senatorlauraellman.com/
https://www.facebook.com/senatorellman/
https://www.instagram.com/statesenatorlauraellman/
Beautiful Merrymeeting Bay in Maine, is an important area for wildlife habitat, and for humans. For decades, people have enjoyed a pristine view of the night sky – until the local electrical utility replaced two towers and lit them up, right at the iconic Chops, lighting the area for miles around. Ed and the Friends of Merrymeeting Bay got that changed, but they ended up out of the frying pan and into the fire with an aircraft radar detection system. And the battle continues. On the Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (FOMB) Steering Committee since the winter of 1993, Ed has been Chair since 1996. In this work he has written major grants and initiated projects in the areas of land conservation, research, advocacy, and education. Two projects, Aquatic & Upland Habitat Assessment of Merrymeeting Bay over time utilizing historical and current aerial photography combined with GIS to look at land use and vegetation changes over time; and Caged Bivalve Studies on the Kennebec and Androscoggin to monitor PCBs and dioxins, have been the first projects of their type in the state of Maine and quite successful. A multi-year Circulation Study of the Bay and six tributaries was also a major accomplishment. Most recently FOMB has been on the cutting edge of affordable PFAS sampling.
Connect with Ed:
www.friendsofmerrymeetingbay.org
www.mainecoalitiontostopsmartmeters.org
https://www.facebook.com/friendsofmerrymeetingbay/
https://twitter.com/merrymeetingbay
Patrick is the DarkSky International delegate in the Fargo North Dakota area. Patrick has found that framing the light pollution argument around astronomy, animal life, ecosystems, etc. can cause some audiences to nod off and glaze over. What gets everyone’s attention is “light trespass,” and human health. Lead with that and then people will listen to the other reasons why light pollution is a problem. And of course, there is the one argument that gets EVERYONE’S attention. Turn off your lights and save money! Patrick Sommer has been a lifelong enthusiast for the night sky, space exploration, and in late 2019 translated that enthusiasm into an application to be a delegate for the International Dark-Sky Association, now known as DarkSky International. Representing the organization in the Fargo, North Dakota area, by 2020 he was working social media accounts and as the world moved in and out of COVID restrictions getting in front of local sustainability and astronomy clubs. Additionally, he has represented the night to the now dormant Red River Valley Climate Action Committee and presented information on light pollution to the City of Fargo’s Sustainability and Resiliency Committee and the City of Moorhead’s Streetlight subcommittee. Of late he has been active with Starry Skies North, a conglomerate of Dark Sky enthusiast and activists based in Duluth and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Connect with Patrick: @StarrySkiesND on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X
https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-sommer-28926b58/
Connect with The Soft Lights Foundation: https://www.softlights.org
Nearly all animals see light differently than we do. Dr. Seymour endeavors to understand how light drives organismal behavior. To that end, he tries to bridge the gap between astronomers, light engineers and biologists. Each of these camps has elements of tools and measurement models that he thinks could be brought together collaboratively and synergistically to benefit our ecosystem and the study of it.
Dr. Seymoure’s research program is interdisciplinary and combines physiological, histological, and astronomical methods to understand the importance of natural light as well as the consequences of artificial light on animal behavior and ecology of animals. Overall objectives of his research are to: 1) determine how light cycles have driven visual adaptations and predator-prey dynamics; 2) quantify and investigate the myriad effects and consequences of artificial light at night on animals (mostly insects, spiders, and reptiles) from the cellular to landscape level; 3) investigate visual and morphological (e.g. coloration) adaptations that render individuals more evolutionarily successful; 4) develop techniques for quantifying light in a non-human and biologically relevant manner; 5) quantify and monitor insect populations in the Chihuahuan desert; and 6) utilize current biological research to increase learning efficacy in undergraduate courses. To accomplish these objectives, Dr. Seymoure relies upon both field and laboratory work that ranges from electrophysiology of animal eyes, automated video tracking of animal behavior, and predator-prey experiments under natural conditions.
This one isn’t exactly about light pollution, but you’re going to want to hear it anyway. It’s all about 5G. No, not the “5G cell towers are giving you Covid 19” conspiracy, this is about the deleterious effects of radio frequency waves on your health. With the lack of updated standards, and the usual corporate protectionism, this train is full speed ahead unless people like Odette can cut the tracks. Take your phone away from your head!
Odette Wilkens has been a technology transactional attorney for over 20 years, having represented multi-national corporations in entertainment, finance and technology. She co-founded Wired Broadband, Inc. (WBI) a non-profit in New York City, and The National Call for Safe Technology, a coalition of over 100 organizations and individuals nationwide. Both organizations advocate protections for the public by promoting safer telecommunications. Expanding her efforts in NYC, she founded the NYC Alliance for Safe Technology, a coalition of NYC residents, civic leaders, and community board leaders and members, advocating for the responsible placement of wireless facilities. In her various roles, she has been promoting the benefits of wired broadband connectivity to bridge the digital divide for the unserved, underserved and disabled communities.
Connect with Odette:
National Call for Safe Technology
https://www.wiredbroadband.org/
https://www.facebook.com/wiredbroadband
https://www.linkedin.com/in/odette-j-wilkens-esq-8153a32
Epidemiology. From the Greek “epi,” meaning “among,” and “demos” meaning “the people.” In modern usage, epidemiology is the study of disease in populations. Professor Edwards uses this term for the “disease” of road traffic accidents. He has done extensive research on this in relation to reduced street lighting, by compiling data from scores of municipalities in Britain and has come to the conclusion that… well you’ll have to listen to the episode. Phil Edwards is a Professor of Epidemiology & Statistics at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, one of the world’s leading public health universities. His research has focused on road safety (particularly of pedestrians), and he has used interrupted time series analysis methods to evaluate the effects of 20 mph traffic speed zones on road injuries in London and the effects of reduced street lighting on road casualties and crime in England. Most recently, he has researched construction site injuries in lower income countries, where rapid urbanisation requires construction on an unprecedented scale.
Connect with Phil:
https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/people/edwards.phil
https://www.instagram.com/drphilphy/
https://twitter.com/drphilphy/
Chip works by the three “Rights” as in “doing the right thing.” The RIGHT amount of light, in the RIGHT location, and on for the RIGHT amount of time. Chip has used this term for decades to help guide his designs and installations from the time of incandescent through to the LED era and everything in between. Chip is also on board with sustainability and responsible outdoor light at night with indirect lighting, dimming, lower Kelvin temperatures, and just plain turning lights off. That’s how to get a softer groove. Chip Israel has been a lighting designer for over 39 years. In 1992, he founded LIGHTING DESIGN ALLIANCE, a full-service architectural lighting design firm, where he built a highly-select team of lighting design professionals who now serve a variety of clients worldwide. As Co-CEO and Founder, Chip works closely with the owner, design team, and manufacturers to ensure lighting systems are fully integrated with the architectural design and enhance the designer’s concepts. Chip is committed to promoting excellence in lighting design through education. As a leading industry spokesman, he has presented technical papers and educational seminars in over seventeen countries and lectured in dozens of universities. Lighting Design Alliance has also been recognized by winning over 300 National and International design awards, including multiple awards for sustainable lighting design.
Connect with Chip:
https://www.lightingdesignalliance.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lightingdesignalliance/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/lighting-design-alliance/
Yash recently discovered something astounding. Moths fly with their backs to a light because they think it’s the sky and they try to orient themselves to it. And then there’s all kinds of disorientation and trouble for them. Yash touches on the best light for moths in terms of nanometers and placement. You may think they’re just moths but they pollinate an enormous amount of our food. It’s time for the lighting industry to step up and tackle this problem. Yash Sondhi is a postdoctoral researcher working in the Kawahara Lab in the Florida Museum of Natural history. He obtained his PhD at Florida International University in Miami with Dr.Jamie Theobald, studying how moths and butterflies see the world, and specifically how moth eyes and brains adapted to function so well under dim light. He uses multiple techniques (genetics, animal behavior, neuroscience) to examine how different day and night flying insects’ senses (sight, hearing, smell) have evolved. As human civilization develops, artificial light is slowly eroding dark skies with disastrous consequences for animals, plants, and humans. As awareness increases that light pollution is harmful, understanding how different mitigation strategies work is crucial to implement change. Yash is thus studying how light can disorient and alter the circadian activity of insects, and testing strategies to mitigate light pollution. He also contributes to community science and insect biodiversity monitoring in India and Central America.
Connect with Yash:
Yash on LinkedIn
Yash on Instagram
Yash on X
YashSondi.com