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General Lighting Environmental Lighting Human Centric Lighting LED

Should Dark Sky Initiatives Focus on Space or Earth?

A recent article in The Guardian warned of the light pollution being emitted by satellites such as Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites. While providing all kinds of benefits to mankind, these satellites and some others allegedly emit too much light. The light emitted is light pollution and it brightens the night sky.

Light pollution is an issue and losing dark skies is a very real issue. The question is, in world that knows very little and cares even less about dark sky issues, do we start pushing dark sky initiatives in space, on Earth, or both?

What is light pollution and who cares?

Light pollution comes in many forms from light that trespasses from one property to another, to light that goes up and stops people and and wildlife from being able to see the night sky. The International Dark Sky Association documents many forms of light pollution, the effects of light pollution, and ways we can mitigate light pollution.

What is dark sky lighting, at least here on Earth?

Dark sky compliant lighting is LED light fixtures that lights up what needs to be illuminated without causing uplight that reduces our ability to see the night sky.

My Thoughts

While I don’t personally know much about satellites causing light or the value the satellites provide, v. the cost to society via a less dark sky, I do agree that we need to protect our skies from light pollution. More of an effort needs to be made by communities around the world to become dark sky communities. Becoming a dark sky community is a local way to start preserving the dark sky for nature, our wellbeing, and the benefit of future generations.

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General Lighting Environmental Lighting Future LED

Factory Without Borders Helps Deliver LED Lighting to Consumers Worldwide

Factory Without Borders announced in early September that they, along with Chinese LED lighting manufacturer Outrace Technology Co., Ltd. (Outrace), would provide constant, international monitoring of their manufacturing and delivery processes. The move is designed to allow customers to place orders at any time, regardless of where they are in the world. It will also help Outrace track production, determine inventory needs, and follow delivery logistics in real time.

checking phone updateTransforming the Lighting Industry

Factory Without Borders is revolutionizing the lighting industry with the new technology. It is the first in the world to digitize and customize production programming. Considering the growth of the LED industry, this places Outrace in an advanced position among its competitors. In addition, Outrace’s RFID Application System (a tagging-and-tracking system) that had originally been just an abstract, creative idea, is now a reality. Many experts believe that these advancements may demonstrate the future of globalized products, service production models, and new outlooks for entire production chains.

With Global Real-Time Monitoring, Customers Become Involved in Production

Customers will now be able to view their order in real time, enabling them to better plan inventory and customize their own experience with Outrace. The process will make it easier to predict and track delivery times according to the personnel and warehouse space available.

brazil-at-night-led
Brazil at night. As population grows, so do energy needs.

OEM and ODM Production Management Finds Solutions

Outrace is an emerging LED producer and expects to become more involved in the global LED market through this partnership with Factory Without Borders. It is one of the largest OEM/ODM LED light manufacturers in the world (i.e., They are one of the largest companies that designs and manufactures their own LED equipment and products). Initially, the company plans to focus on the United States and Brazil, as they have the highest concentration of LED producers. However, they have begun conducting research in Singapore and Taiwan as well as other countries who have begun to increase their need for LED products.

Asia in Race to Replace Lighting

Asia is the latest market to see significant growth in the LED lighting industryits businesses and residences have begun replacing incandescent bulbs with more energy-efficient LED lighting. In Malaysia, 6,000 people participated in the very first Light-Emitting Diode (LED) night run. The event was organized to encourage Malaysians to switch to LED lights, calling them “magical” when compared to incandescent lighting. In addition to the night run, The Marathon Shop organized workshops on the technical aspects of LED technology while also managing water stands along the route.

LED lighting has become increasingly more popular than incandescent lighting over the past few years. With the addition of real-time production and delivery management, it is expected that the increased global use of energy-efficient lighting will continue.

Categories
General Lighting Environmental Lighting Future LED

Endangered Birds Are Wounded by Deadly Light Pollution in Hawaii

Misdirected lighting from an Air Force Base in Hawaii is causing birds to literally fall from the sky. While we’ve long known that light pollution can impact avian life, the severity of that impact is now becoming clear. Fortunately, lighting technology is developing faster than ever before, so solutions are available.

Misdirected Lighting and Its Effect on Birds

More than 126 birds have recently fallen around Hawaii’s Kokee Air Force Station. Ten of them have died. Affected birds include Newell’s shearwaters, a threatened species, and the endangered Hawaiian petrels. Birds flying over the base seem to be distracted by the combination of bright lighting and foggy weather, which causes them to crash into objects or fly, confused, until exhaustion. The US Air Force has redirected their lighting fixtures and the number of incidents has already declined.

 

Light Pollution Alters Birds’ Daily Lifecycles

Left: Photo of sky in a rural area with minimal lighting. Right: Photo of sky in an urban environment with the telltale “glow” from light pollution.
Left: Photo of sky in a rural area with minimal lighting. Right: Photo of sky in an urban environment with the telltale “glow” from light pollution.

The phenomenon in Hawaii is emblematic of a larger problem concerning birds and night light. Birds, just like humans, have circadian rhythms that govern their daily biological cycles. Excessive night light alters these rhythms and disorients feeding schedules, reproductive cycles, directional awareness, and more. A study published in the Journal of Pineal Research found that animals with disrupted circadian rhythms (catalyzed in this case by an overexposure to artificial light) also struggle to produce melatonin, which can lead to an increased production of fat, a higher likelihood of heart disease, lower metabolism, risk of hypertension, etc. Urban areas are particularly problematic for birds because the bright lights make it tough for them to differentiate between daytime and nighttime. Scientists stress that birds cannot function normally in habitats where natural lighting has been so severely altered.

 

 

Amber LEDs May Accommodate Wildlife

Although the proliferation of night lighting has caused this problem, lighting technology offers solutions. There are full lines of wildlife-friendly LED lighting available. Amber LEDs, for example, operate at a wavelength that does not disrupt the flora and fauna around it, but provides enough light to illuminate a given area. Companies like the one linked to above offer reflectors that prevent light from reaching anywhere it isn’t needed. The amber lights also have the energy-saving perks of LED lights; Energy.gov notes that “LEDs use 20%–30% of the energy and last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.”

Your turn. Will LED lighting be enough to prevent interference in the lives of wild species? What other measures do we have to take to protect animals from light pollution? Share and tweet this article with your thoughts—I’ll follow up. 

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