Category: Podcast Episodes

128

Nadine brings us a completely different perspective on the light pollution issue. We in the peaceful, prosperous parts of the world debate how to deal with light pollution, what color temperatures to use, and when to turn it off. There are parts of the world where light is scarce and whether it is 2200k or 5600k, it doesn’t matter. Some people just need light for survival. When missiles are landing and you need to get away from the window, you need to see where to dive on the floor. Nadine has experience in a place where light pollution isn’t on the radar. Nadine Baalbaki, holder of a Master’s Degree in Architecture, commenced her journey in lighting design two decades ago at Hilights, an esteemed lighting design firm in Lebanon renowned for shaping iconic projects across Lebanon and the GCC region. In 2013, she transitioned to Viabizzuno’s Dubai office, assuming leadership of the design team and integrating light and architecture to create immersive environments. Amidst the pandemic’s challenges, Nadine founded Light the Detail, a social media platform dedicated to raising awareness about lighting and its profound impact on mental and physical well-being. Today, Light The Detail stands as an independent lighting design practice boasting a diverse portfolio spanning commercial, office, landscape, restaurant, and hospitality projects, with a particular focus on high-end residential spaces. Nadine was guest speaker at Light+Intelligent Building Middle East, and took part in several lighting workshops in Dubai. She recently joined The Lighting Police as a core team member, driven by a mission to highlight the significance of proper lighting. Beyond her professional endeavors, Nadine is a mother of two teenagers, constantly seeking the right balance between family and work. Her personal escape? The 3S recipe—Sun, Sand, and Sea—her go-to mental detox. Through her journey in lighting design, Nadine has learned to discern and prioritize what truly matters, shedding light on the essential and finding beauty amidst the shadows.

Connect with Nadine: linkedin.com/in/nadine-baalbaki-b43ba39a

www.instagram.com/lightthedetail?igsh=NWR5MDh1MGpmcmZv&utm_source=qr

127

When’s the last time you spoke at the U.N.? Well, 15 year old Rushil Kukreja has done it. This smart kid is taking action on light pollution. His website, princia.org, is dedicated to “combatting light pollution and preserving the natural beauty of our night skies.” As part of a science fair project, Rushil invented a window that will turn opaque when it senses more light inside the building than outside. If you can’t help fight light pollution, get out of Rushil’s way.

Rushil Kukreja is a junior at TJHSST and the Founder and President of Princia, the only student-run nonprofit dedicated to solving light pollution, leading over 250 advocates across six continents. He has spoken at the United Nations General Assembly, earned a grant from Cornell University, and is working with lawmakers in 8 states, advocating for policy changes to mitigate light pollution’s environmental and health impacts. As an astrophysics researcher and aerospace innovator, Rushil combines scientific expertise with advocacy to drive sustainable lighting solutions worldwide.

126

Do we have a right to night? Dana thinks so. We also have a right to health and there is more and more evidence that light at night can be detrimental to our health, and to the environment. Dana applies her legal expertise to her books, articles, essays, and speaking engagements to change people’s ideas around the environment and light pollution. Dana Zartner is a teacher, lawyer and writer whose work centers on the use of international, and comparative law as tools for social justice advocacy with an emphasis on environmental justice, the right to a healthy environment, Indigenous rights, sustainable development, and the rights of Nature. A professor at the University of San Francisco, she has published numerous articles and essays on these topics, including the recent “The Right to the Night: New Legal Advocacy Strategies to Address Terrestrial Light Pollution” in Environs. She also has a book coming out with Island Press on March 4, 2025 entitled Standing for Nature: Legal Strategies for Environmental Justice, which examines existing rights of Nature laws around the world with an eye to cresting legal advocacy strategies for future endeavors. In addition to her academic work, Dana has served as an accredited representative at various UN meetings, including the Committee on Women’s Rights in New York and the Expert Mechanisms on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Geneva. She has also done pro bono work with the One Million Tree campaign in Cambodia and in support of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band’s efforts to protect their traditional lands in Santa Clara County. Outside of her day job, Dana enjoys the natural beauty of Northern California, writes travel essays with an environmental theme, plays with her cats, and is working on a novel.

Connect with Dana: linkedin.com/in/dana-zartner-5a112b102

https://www.facebook.com/dana.zartner

https://www.instagram.com/dana.zartner/

BlueSky: dazart5.bsky.social

Substack: Roaming Wild

Check out Dana’s book, Standing for Nature: Legal Strategies for Environmental Justice, with Fabian Cardenas and Mohammad Golam Sarwar (Island Press) https://islandpress.org/books/standing-nature#description

Articles: The Right to the Night: New Legal Advocacy Strategies to Address Terrestrial Light Pollution, Environs: Environmental Law and Policy Journal (2024) The Tangled Web We Weave: Exploring Cambodia through the story of a spider … a really big spider, Medium (March 26, 2024) Big Oil’s day in court is coming – and it’s long overdue, The Hill (October 11, 2023) Watching Whanganui and the Lessons of Lake Erie: Effective Realization of Rights of Nature Law, Vermont Journal of Environmental Law (2021) Justice for Juristac: Using International and Comparative Law to Protect Indigenous Lands, Santa Clara Journal of International Law (2020)

Connect with The Soft Lights Foundation: www.softlights.org

125

The Bay Bridge in San Francisco got new lights–high Kelvin, high bright LED lights–lighting up the water all around it. You know we have had many guests on this podcast that have established the harm that bright, high kelvin, blue-rich light causes on humans and the environment. Has no one from this project watched The Restoring Darkness Podcast? Michael Colligan owns a lighting distribution business in Toronto Canada. He is also the co-host, creator and executive producer of the Get a Grip on Lighting Podcast (getagriponlighting.com), and the Restoring Darkness Podcast (restoringdarkness.com), and the co-creator and executive producer of the Lighting Controls Podcast (lightingcontrolspodcast.com).

Connect with Michael: linkedin.com/in/michael-colligan-64380016

Connect with The Soft Lights Foundation: www.softlights.org

124

They say, “You can’t fight city hall.” Well, young David Calhoun is. In the small town of Vernonia Oregon, David is on a quest to reduce light pollution in and around the town. His focus so far has been on the main street, where they have switched to 5000K LED’s. Even from his home in the woods 3 miles out of town he can see the sky glow growing. Once David becomes a state senator, which Michael Colligan is sure will happen one day, he can take the fight state-wide and save ALL of Oregon from Light Pollution!

Michael Calhoun is an environmental activist from Vernonia Oregon. He currently is Board Chair of the Columbia Soil & Water Conservation District.

Connect with Michael:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael–calhoun/
Michael Calhoun for Columbia Soil & Water Conservation District
https://www.vernoniasvoice.com/city_of_vernonia/city_news/protecting-the-night-sky/article_62d325ea-be46-11ef-ab7c-577bd195c937.html

Connect with The Soft Lights Foundation: www.softlights.org

123

Sasha is back and she’s fightin’ mad! She’s still battling the refractive eye surgery industry, and because of the damage her eyes experienced from that, LED street lights are a problem for her. So now she is battling her local council to fix the terrible LED street lighting in her borough–not just for her, but for everyone who is negatively affected.

Sasha’s eyes were ruined by laser surgery in 2011, and she launched My Beautiful Eyes Foundation in January 2012.

Since then, as a patient advocate, she has advised and represented thousands of people, the majority like her, irreparably damaged by refractive eye surgery, laser and lens.

Sasha has worked closely with John McDonnell MP, actively campaigning for government regulation of the UK refractive surgery industry, doing her utmost to publicise the serious risks of these unnecessary and frequently debilitating operations, and to expose the corruption within the industry – at every level.

Connect with Sasha:

http://linkedin.com/in/sasha-rodoy-35b12596

facebook.com/SashaRodoyMBEF

twitter.com/MBEFCampaign

http://www.mybeautifuleyes.co.uk/

Connect with The Soft Lights Foundation: www.softlights.org

122

Philip was recently on Get a Grip on Lighting, Episode 381, (getagriponlighting.com/episode-381-induction-dont-call-it-a-comeback-philip-gotthelf), making him one of our few cross-over guests. His company, Tesla Induction Lighting makes Dark Sky compliant induction light fixtures and lamps. That means, no flicker, little glare, recoverable mercury, and long-lasting bulbs. If you want the turtles to head out to the sea instead of up to the road, Philip claims his bulbs are the only proven white light fixtures that will not distract them. Michael asks, “Does the lighting industry have any idea what it’s doing?” Philip answers him directly… Philip Gotthelf is a world renowned authority on energy markets and technologies. His expertise dates back to the original formation of energy futures markets in the 1970s where he worked directly with the New York Mercantile Exchange to popularize their crude oil and #2 heating oil contracts. In response to the first Earth Day on April 22nd, 1970, Philip Gotthelf became a crusader against the “Five Ps;” the pollution targets of 1) air, 2) water, 3) soil, 4) light, and 5) noise. In 1982, he revived Nikola Tesla’s magnetic induction light (MIL) to achieve energy efficiency and longevity while reducing light pollution and protecting soil and water from dispersed mercury contained in fluorescent bulbs. In 2007, he created a line of modernized MIL under Ultra-Tech Lighting™ which is now operating as Tesla Induction Lighting Co. in deference to Nikola Tesla who invented the technology. His design objectives included minimizing glare and light pollution to achieve Dark Sky compliance without sacrificing visual acuity, creating quiet drivers (ballasts) to address noise pollution such as the 20,000 cycle harmonic that can disturb bats and canines, encapsulating mercury to render it environmentally inert, eliminating high-frequency flicker to eliminate dangers of strobe migraines or even epilepsy, and developing precise spectral tuning to provide the correct wavelengths for specific applications. Tesla Induction Lighting has the only proven “white light” fixture that does not distract sea turtles like the Green and Loggerhead. His Snow-Bright™ brand has been approved as Dark Sky compliant by the Grand Teton Environmental Commission and the University of Wyoming infrared observatory. Philip Gotthelf has been an active environmentalist for more than half a century.

Connect with Philip: teslalightingco.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-gotthelf-54835810/

121 – News

Highlights from this episode:

  • Made in the Shade
  • Threats to Chilean Observatories
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Mending Fences

Intro and outro music by Doctor Turtle 

Sponsored by The National Association of Innovative Lighting Distributors visit https://naild.org/

 

Headlines and Sources:

High-Vis Clothing Isn’t Safe

https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2025/01/09/328317.htm

 

UC Davis Prints New Legal Advocacy Strategies to Address Terrestrial Light Pollution

https://environs.law.ucdavis.edu/archives/48/1/right-night-new-legal-advocacy-strategies-address-terrestrial-light-pollution

 

UN Endorses U Plymouth Position on Shoreline Light Pollution 

https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/marine-light-pollution-science-initiative-endorsed-by-united-nations

 

Central South University of Forestry and Technology Develops Transparent Bamboo Photonics for Blue Light Filtration

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022231324005064

 

Greek Scholars Develop a Method to Measure Impacts of Facade Lighting 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364032124009729

 

Sleep Deprivation Linked with the Thickness of the Human Cornea 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-84431-y

 

Swiss-Malaysian Comparative Study Shows Light Exposure is Cultural

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.07.631760v1

 

Light Pollution is Giving Fish Anxiety

https://nautil.us/light-pollution-is-making-fish-anxious-942983/?utm_source=tw-naut&utm_medium=organic-social

 

Circadian Rhythm Linked with Intestinal Microbiome (in fruit flies)

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-84455-4

 

AES Andes Project Threatens Light Levels at Chilean ESO Observatory

https://bioengineer.org/industrial-megaproject-threatens-the-earths-most-pristine-dark-and-clear-skies/#:~:text=This%20project%20poses%20a%20substantial,Earth%2C%20ideal%20for%20astronomical%20observation.

 

Atacama Large Millimeter Array Observatory Supports ESO in Chile Against Light Pollution 

https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/announcements/protecting-the-night-sky-alma-stands-with-eso-in-the-fight-against-light-pollution/

 

Annandale, VA Teen Works with Assemblyperson on Light Pollution Bill 

https://annandaletoday.com/tj-student-is-on-a-mission-to-reduce-light-pollution/

 

DSI Recognizes Franklin Mountain Energy in Lea County, NM’s Lighting Retrofits at 3 Facilities

https://curated.tncontentexchange.com/states/new_mexico/oil-and-gas-company-recognized-for-reducing-light-pollution/article_b4de2602-a03f-5e73-9bdb-39f753226445.html

 

DSI Recognizes Gower National Landscape in Wales

https://darksky.org/news/gower_national_landscape/

 

North Yorkshire’s Street Light Plans Respect Darkness

https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/news/2025/improvements-coming-street-lighting-across-north-yorkshire

 

Allen, TX City Council Votes in Favor of Pizzeria Lighting

https://starlocalmedia.com/allenamerican/news/allen-city-council-to-vote-on-pizzeria/article_824b76ce-ce14-11ef-a28e-cb254763d07d.html

 

Kirkwood, MA Debates CCT Restrictions

https://www.timesnewspapers.com/webster-kirkwoodtimes/city-considers-outdoor-lighting-restrictions/article_4f5e9ab2-ce9a-11ef-918f-8394dda88776.html

 

Okanogan, WA Votes for New Zoning Code 

https://www.qcherald.com/stories/okanogan-county-adopts-revised-zoning-code,107808

 

Lake Elmo, MN Recruits Light Pollution Specialist for Parks

https://www.hometownsource.com/stillwater_gazette/news/education/university-student-from-lake-elmo-works-to-reduce-light-pollution-in-national-park/article_91720b30-c8a7-11ef-9cf8-a379a0820b23.html

 

Sarasota-Manatee Insist on Darkness in New Developments in FL

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/sarasota/2025/01/04/myakka-river-group-supports-protection-against-light-pollution/77028166007/?taid=6778ffa1db443200010d1da7&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

 

Texas Adds Lighting to 1.5 Miles of Border Security Infrastructure 

https://www.kvue.com/video/news/special-reports/at-the-border/texas-finishes-15-mile-portion-of-border-wall-in-starr-county/269-519bc4b3-b15c-4be6-8aa0-faf9631f59a8

 

Indian Gov Defends Use of Lighting on Bangladeshi Border Fence

https://oscalenews.com/33511-india-defends-border-fencing-measures-urges-cooperation-from-bangladesh-on-cross-border-crimes/

 

Starlings Return to Belfast After Lighting Policy Changes

https://x.com/donnarainey4/status/1878760450541904002

 

Wellsboro, PA Approves Light Pollution Bylaw

https://www.tiogapublishing.com/the_wellsboro_mansfield_gazette/news/local/bloss-hears-update-on-amd-plant-welcomes-officer/article_23884c10-d351-11ef-a4c0-5751866fcb91.html

 

Bakersfield, CA Pushes on Proposed LDS Temple Lighting

https://www.yahoo.com/news/environmental-review-begin-lds-temple-045900436.html

 

Three Peak Films Win Davey Award for Beaver County Promo Videos 

https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/dark-skies-and-sparkling-stars-filmmaker-wins-award-for-work-in-beaver-county/article_bf5b394e-c88a-11ef-8f8e-376ebd32edfe.html

 

Samsung Insists a New QLED Screen Would be Better for Your Eyes 

https://www.sammobile.com/news/samsung-neo-qled-frame-pro-tv-eyecare-circadian-certification-vde/

 

Lenovo and Eyesafe Partner on Giving Away Blue Light Filters to Students

https://www.insidertracking.com/eyesafe-and-lenovo-to-enhance-wellbeing-for-millions-of-students#google_vignette

 

Plan-B Launches a Newsletter

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/world-night-first-time-plan-b-project-eu-g4r4f/?trackingId=URqUfwfkQA2DqHMXJD%2FmXg%3D%3D

121

Michael identifies five of the seven deadly sins—gluttony, greed, pride, wrath, and sloth—as fundamental causes behind the growing light pollution epidemic. Gluttony manifests in our excessive and often wasteful use of electric light at night, far beyond what is necessary. Greed drives industries to prioritize profit over sustainable practices, accelerating the adoption of LED lighting and using utility ratepayers and driving up the cost of electricity. Pride fuels the desire to showcase power, wealth, or status through grand, illuminated displays, often without consideration for their consequences. Wrath is reflected in the aggressive rejection of criticism or calls for restraint, with some viewing efforts to reduce light pollution as an attack on the industry. Finally, sloth plays a role in our collective unwillingness to change habits or adopt more thoughtful lighting practices, even when the tools and knowledge to make better choices are readily available. This combination of human tendencies has led to a world where electric light dominates the night, often at great cost to ecosystems, human health, and the beauty of the natural world.

120

This is one of the more mind-blowing episodes we’ve recorded. So much we hadn’t heard about before. Light pollution at night suppresses melatonin and can lead to cancer and the lighting industry deep state tried to intimidate and silence Dr Motta in 2016. That’s just the tip of the information iceberg that Dr. Motta reveals. Blue light is great during the day, but stay away from 469 – 489 nanometers at night. Dr. Motta had been in practice at North Shore Medical Center in Salem, Massachusetts, since 1983, recently retiring in 2022. He is a graduate of Boston College, with a BS in physics and biology, and of Tufts Medical School. He is board certified in Internal medicine and Cardiology, and is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, and of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology. He is an associate professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Motta has long been active in organized medicine, both in the American Medical Association (AMA) and in the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS), holding a number of posts through the years. He is a past President of the MMS. He was elected and served 8 years on the AMA council of Science and Public Health, and then was elected to the Board of Trustees of the AMA in 2018, recently completing his term. In May of 2023 at its annual meeting, the MMS awarded Dr Motta its highest honor, the “Award for Distinguished Service.” Dr Motta also has a lifelong interest in astronomy, and has hand built a number of telescopes and observatories through the years to do astronomical research, including his entirely homemade 32 inch F6 relay telescope located in Gloucester, MA. He has been awarded several national awards in astronomy, including the Las Cumbras award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in 2003, and also the Walter Scott Houston award from the northeast section of the Astronomical League, and in 2017 the Henry Olcott Award from the American Association of Variable star Observers (AAVSO). He has served as a president of the ATM’s of Boston, and has served as a council member of the AAVSO, and is a past president as well. He has also served on the Board of the IDA. He has worked on light pollution issues, and published several white papers on LP as a member of the AMA council of science and public health. He served on a UN committee (COPUOS) representing the AMA on light pollution for a worldwide effort to control LP and satellite proliferation. Finally, several years ago the International Astronomical Union awarded Dr Motta an asteroid in part for his work on light pollution as well as amateur research, asteroid 133537MarioMotta.

Connect with Dr. Motta:

www.mariomottamd.com

Connect with The Soft Lights Foundation: www.softlights.org