We have a lot of light pollution in our neighborhood as does our city.
As a result, like over 80% of those living in the United States, we cannot see the Milky Way in the night sky.
Light pollution disrupts wildlife, impacts human health, wastes money and energy, contributes to climate change, and blocks our view of the universe.
But we can easily change this…
A potential dark sky-friendly replacement for our street lights:
The Sternberg E350LED/E360LED Euro Medium Scale street light
It can be used atop our existing historic and historic replica street light posts.
If you have a polluting street light adjoining your Dunbar/Spring neighborhood property, and you’d like to see if it might be possible to switch it out with a dark sky-friendly light, let Brad know at NeighborhoodForesters@gmail.com, as we plan to meet with the city to get more information on the potential and the process.
Dark sky-friendly residential outdoor light replacements
I purchased and installed this dark sky-friendly outdoor light for a number of my neighbors to replace their polluting lights.
Project Source Ellicott 1 -Light 10.75-in H Gray Hardwired Dark Sky Outdoor Wall Light
See here for other options.
And at my home (and that of my youngest brother) I made dark sky-friendly lights out of metal buckets—and I show you how you can too.
The results — no more glare and now we can see into the shadows.
Scroll down at this link to see before and after photos.
Outdoor lighting and safety
See here for some interesting studies and findings on outdoor lighting as it relates to safety.
A great summer read:
A great book on this and more is The Wild Dark: Finding the Night Sky in the Age of Light by Craig Childs
Half our world used to be seen in the night sky
before the age of light pollution
— let’s bring that sight and that connection back!