Dark skies – New York is working to decrease light pollution

I used to live out in the boonies, almost two hours from the nearest city, and on a clear night it was easy to see the Milky Way and countless other stars and planetary bodies. The awe and wonder you get from that experience is robbed from those living in metropolitan areas. As I look at the night sky in Los Angeles I can literally count the brightest stars that fight to pierce the sky glow.

Reducing carbon pollution and other energy waste has always been part of the green energy discussion, but you don’t often see a lot of conversation about light pollution. That’s starting to change.

Recently New York passed the Dark Skies bill, which requires outdoor light fixtures to be properly shielded to prevent extra light from escaping in order to reduce sky glow. Other cities are installing road lighting that’s motion activated for energy efficiency.

Back in 1977 a power outage shrouded New York City in darkness, and some people panicked over the strange formations they saw in the sky. They were seeing the Milky Way for the first time.

Read the full article here: New York’s Dark Skies Bill a Model for Outdoor Lighting

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