Outdoor lighting should be carefully designed with regard to placement, intensity, timing, duration, and color. Good lighting will do the following:
PROMOTE SAFETY. More light is not necessarily better. If not designed and installed correctly, unsafe glare can result, reducing the effect of lighting which can contribute to accidents and hinder visibility. Lighting that is too bright interferes with the eye’s ability to adapt to darker areas.
SAVE MONEY: Shielded fixtures are more efficient because they direct the light towards the ground.
BE BETTER NEIGHBORS. Excessive or misdirected lighting can intrude on the privacy of others when light or glare trespass over property lines.
REDUCE HEALTH RISKS. Light at night not only disrupts your sleep but also interferes with your circadian rhythms. Research indicates intrusive outdoor lighting may reduce the production of melatonin, a beneficial hormone, and raise the rates of breast and other cancers.
RETAIN COMMUNITY CHARACTER & REDUCE SKYGLOW. Our clear view of the dark starry night is a resource to be preserved and protected. Stray and excessive lighting contributes to light pollution, clutter, and unnatural “sky glow.”
PROTECT ECOLOGY. Artificial night lighting disrupts the migrating, feeding, and breeding habits of many wildlife species, as well as growth patterns of crops, trees, and more.
CONSERVE NATURAL RESOURCES. Inappropriate or excessive lighting wastes our limited natural resources and pollutes the air and water by unnecessarily burning fossil fuels.