d

  current page:
        Resources>
                Links

Resources On Lighting Issues

There are many resources of information for people working on lighting issues. On this page, we've placed links to some available on the Internet; this is not by any means a complete listing, but we feel that the resources included here are worthwhile sources. We will add to this directory as new sources become available; our visitors are invited to send suggestions suggestions for other resources which we may want to add.
 
The list is organized by the same general subjects as the index to this website. Many sites contain information in more than one general category, so some exploration is prudent. Clicking on the "external link" button by each listing will open that URL in a new window or tab.

Energy Waste

Earth Hour: Demonstrating that we can each make a difference
National Lighting Inventory and Energy Consumption Estimate, U.S. DOE (PDF, 2002)
Missouri State University study: "The Economics of Global Light Pollution" (PDF, 2009)
U.S. EPA energy equivalency calculator

 

"A Review of the Impact of Artificial Light on Invertebrates" (PDF, 2011)
"Light Pollution and the Impacts on Biodiversity, Species and Their Habitats" (PDF, 2007)
Urbanwildlands.org article on the effects of manmade light on wildlife (PDF, 2004)
The Fatal Light Awareness Program
Chicago Bird Collision Monitors
The Zoological Lighting Institute
Ecological Applications article: "Communication towers, lights, and birds: Successful methods of reducing the frequency of avian collisions" (2009)
City Of Chicago: Lights Out Chicago
"Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting" Conference Abstracts (2002)
BBC News article "Light pollution forms 'eco-traps' " (2009)
Washington State Dept. of Fish & Wildlife article "Lighting up is hard on wildlife" (2009)
Simon Eade's blog (UK) "The Garden of Eaden"; see: 24 Nov. 2008 entry on light pollution, 8 Aug. 2009 entry on insect population decline, 02 Aug. 2009 entry on bat population decline
Universe In The Classroom article: "A Silent Cry for Dark Skies" (2008)
Science News article: "Deprived of Darkness: The Unnatural Ecology of Artificial Light at Night" (2002)
Ontario Nature article "The Dark Side of Light" (2006)
National Geographic article "Light Pollution Taking Toll on Wildlife" (2003)
National Zoological Park Zoogoer article "Night, Interrupted" (2007)
"The Dark Side of Light At Night", Journal of Pineal Research (PDF, 2007)
Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine article "Bright Nights" (2006)
Discover Magazine article "Turn Down The Lights" (PDF, 2003)
Christian Science Monitor article "Putting a lid on the light" (2002)
Terrain.org article "A Building Less Bright: Chicago Skyscrapers Go Dark for Migratory Birds"
"Light and Life", an introduction to photobiology, the American Society for Photobiology
Study: "Urban light pollution alters the depth distribution of freshwater zooplankton" (PDF, 2000)
"Lighting And Bats" guidelines (PDF, 2000)
Report: "Street Lighting Disturbs Commuting Bats" University of Bristol (PDF, 2009)
Study: "Impact of Outdoor Lighting on Moths: An Assessment", Journal of The Lepidopterists' Society (PDF, 1988)
Report: "Does Night Lighting Harm Trees?" Purdue University, Forestry and Natural Resources (PDF, 2002)
Science News article "Molecular Basis of Monarch Butterfly Migration Discovered" describes light's control over circadian clock (2008)
Journal of Biological Rhythms article "Photoperiodic Control of Seasonality in Birds" (2001)
Did you know that artificial lighting can directly cause dairy cows produce more milk?

"The Hidden Costs of Light Pollution" -- PSA in the Hidden Costs series (2013)
Faculty of 1000 article "Illuminating the deleterious effects of light at night" (2011, PDF available)
Chronobiology International article "Does the Modern Urbanized Sleeping Habitat Pose a Breast Cancer Risk?" (2011)
PhysOrg.com article "Too much light at night at night may lead to obesity, study finds" (2010)
University of Haifa press release on new study there linking environmental exposure to artificial light at night to mammalian cancer (2010)
Environmental Health Perspectives article "Lose Sleep, Gain Weight: Another Piece of the Obesity Puzzle" (2010) exploring light, circadian rhythm disruption, and the obesity epidemic
The Age article "City lights illuminate a serious sleeping problem" (2010)
Rockefeller University study "Disrupting sleep causes problems for the body and brain" (2009)
Daily Mail article "Is 24-hour lighting putting us on a path to depression?" (2009), Original study report (link)
Summary report from the 2009 "Circadian Disruption and Cancer" symposium at the New York Academy of Sciences
Environmental Health Perspectives article "Missing the Dark: Health Effects of Light Pollution" (2009)
Washington Post article "Maybe It's Better To Stay in the Dark", on study linking artificial light at night and prostate cancer (2009)
Journal of Physiology article "Sensitivity Of The Human Circadian Pacemaker To Nocturnal Light" (2000)
National Institutes of Health meeting report: The Role of Environmental Lighting and Circadian Disruption in Cancer and Other Diseases (PDF, 2007)
Boston Globe article on human internal clocks (2007)
Workers Health & Safety Centre report on shift work (2004)
Science News article on shift work and sleep disorders (2007)
Science News article on shift work and organ disease (2008)
Science News article "Body Clock Regulates Metabolism, Study Shows" (2009)
News article on World Health Organization statement linking shift work as a probable cause of cancer (2007)
Letter from Dr. Steven Lockley, Harvard Medical School, on potential health risks of mammade light at night (2008)
Study: "Light at Night Co-distributes With Incident Breast Cancer But Not Lung Cancer" (PDF, 2008)
Original study in The Lancet Oncology by WHO/IARC research group linking shift work to cancer (2007)
Study: "Dim light during darkness stimulates tumor progression by enhancing tumor fatty acid uptake and metabolism" (finding that, in lab animals, just 0.02 foot-candles of light at night promotes cancer; 1999)
Science News article on cancer and nighttime illumination (1998)
Washington Post article on breast cancer and excess nighttime illumination (2008)
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study on myopia and exposure to prolonged illumination in humans

National Parks Conservation Association article "Fading Fast" (on loss of the night skies over parklands; 2010)
Dark Skies Awareness: An IYA2009 Cornerstone Project
Article: "New Zealand town is in the dark -- and proud of it" (2009)
New Scientist commentary "Why we must save our astronomical heritage" (2009)
Wired magazine article "Didn't There Used to Be Stars?" (2001)
British Parliament Select Committee on Science and Technology report on light pollution (2003)
New England Law Review article "Light Pollution in the United States: An Overview of the Inadequacies of the Common Law and State and Local Regulation" (PDF, 2003)
Science News article "Light All Night" (2006)
Information on what the National Park Service is doing to promote light pollution awareness for our National Parks
New Yorker magazine article "The Dark Side" (2007)
4 minute video on the problem of light pollution (on youtube)
Article from the Chicago Wilderness Magazine on Light Pollution (2008)
US News & World Report article "Turning Out the Lights" (2008)
National Geographic article "Our Vanishing Night" (2008)
Environmental Health Perspectives article "Switch On the Night: Policies for Smarter Lighting" (2009)
The Starlight Initiative
Paper plate model demonstrations of good and bad lighting
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Lighting Research Center studies on transportation lighting and light pollution" (2001)
8th European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky (2008)
9th European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky (2009)
10th European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky (2010)
www.lightpollution.org.uk: Lighting awareness in the United Kingdom & Europe
nightwise.org
International Dark-Sky Association
Midwest Citizens for Responsible Outdoor Lighting (MCROL)
Dark Sky Society - New York
The New England Light Pollution Advisory Group (NELPAG)
Indiana Council on Outdoor Lighting Education (ICOLE)
Light Pollution Abatement Site (RASC Canada)
Sydney Outdoor Lighting Improvement Society Inc.
CfDS - The Campaign for Dark Skies (U.K.)
SELENE (New York)
Skykeepers (California)

AASHTO Center for Environmental Excellence- Chapter 3 on Lighting Control & Minimization
Illinois DOT "2007 Crash Facts & Statistics" report (PDF)
U.S. DOT/ Federal Highway Administration study "Comparison Of The Safety Of Lighting Options On Urban Freeways" (1994)
Study: Age and Glare Recovery Time for Low-Contrast Stimuli (PDF)
University of Virginia study: Screening Needs for Roadway Lighting by Exposure Assessment and Site-Parameters" (PDF, 2003)
Study: "Chicago Alley Lighting Project - Final Evaluation Report (PDF, 2000)
Study: "Outdoor Lighting and Crime, Part 1: Little or No Benefit", B.A.J. Clark (2003)
"Outdoor Lighting and Crime, Part 2: Coupled Growth", B.A.J. Clark (2003)
Des Moines Register article "Darkened Streetlights Fail to Raise Crime Rate" (2004)
Washington State school district report on school grounds blackouts and vandalism reduction
National Institute of Justice report: "Preventing Crime: What Works, What Doesn't, What's Promising" (see Chapter 7, Preventing Crime at Places, sections on Lighting)
British Journal of Criminology article: "Environmental Improvements and the Fear of Crime" (1993)
Report from the Virginia Crime Prevention Association on "Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design"

Lighting Studies

Energy Solutions Database - Outdoor Lighting light sources efficiency comparison
Definitions of the IESNA Luminaire Classification System (LCS)
Definition of Luminaire Efficacy Rating (LER)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Lighting Research Center - Outdoor lighting research
U.S. DOE Vision 2020 -20-year industry plan for lighting technology (PDF, 2000)
The LED Parking Lot Lighting Technology Procurement Project (PDF, U.S. DOE)
Article "The Eye and Night Vision", American Optometric Association

Outdoor Lighting Code Handbook (PDF, 2002)
Dark Sky Partners: Company providing assistance with creating lighting ordinances
Information from Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn's office on the Homer Glen, IL ordinance
 
- States -
Arizona, Arkansas (PDF), California: residential, non-residential (PDF), Connecticut (PDF), Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Texas

- Counties & Municipalities -
Coconino County, AZ (PDF); Flagstaff, AZ (PDF); Yavapai County, AZ (PDF); El Dorado, CA (PDF); Mammoth Lake, CA; Riverside, CA; San Benito, CA; San Diego, CA (PDF); Yucca Valley, CA; Littleton, CO; Bolton, CT; Branford, CT (PDF); Ketchum, ID; Homer Glen, IL (PDF); Monrovia, IN; East Hampton, NY; Ithaca, NY

What You Can Do

Buildings Magazine article "Improve Outdoor Lighting Practices" (2009)
Night Sky Friendly Lighting Guide, New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance (PDF, 2005)
ILE Guidance notes for Reduction of Obtrusive Light (PDF 2005)

Other Resources

NOAA/NGDC Earth Observation Group - Defense Meteorological Satellite Program; Nightsat photos
NASA Earth Observatory - Cities At Night
The Night Sky in the World light pollution study
 

Return to Page Top

light pollution Illinois Chicago Cook County DuPage County Will County Springfield energy enviromnent global warming anti light pollution legislation lighting ordinances