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Light pollution worldwide is increasing faster than ever but why should we care? Let's face it, there is a good chance you may not have much interest in astronomy and you may not have noticed the orange glow obscuring the night sky before. Perhaps you see other issues as more important than light pollution. If this is you, don't worry, you have come to the right place! This website has been set up to raise awareness of the impact of light pollution on everyone, not just astronomers, and why we should all be more concerned. Question - is light pollution an unavoidable or inevitable side-effect of urban development and growth? It doesn't have to be; the main cause of light pollution is badly aimed lights. The simple truth is that any poorly designed or misdirected light can shine into the sky rather than onto the ground or object it’s supposed to illuminate contributing to the typically orange haze, that many of us now see at night instead of the stars, called 'sky glow'. But why should this matter to you? We are all becoming increasingly concerned about the depletion of natural resources, carbon emissions and increases in fuel and energy prices due to the global economic down-turn. This careless waste of valuable energy is surely unacceptable. Unfortunately, this wasted energy that creates light pollution is costing taxpayers hundreds of millions each year that could be put to better use, your money! It's costing the earth to light the sky! Why is so little being done to avoid this waste when it’s so easy to reduce it? How can you help? For safety and especially in crime hot spots, we need illumination at night. There is a public misconception that reducing light pollution is all about turning off street and security lights; this is not necessarily the answer. It is not the intention of this campaign to alienate people through fear of darkness and crime. Instead, we can all take three simple steps to reduce it:
On a larger scale, the most effective way to reduce this visible and needless waste is by sharing your concerns with others and encourage them to take the three simple steps outlined above. Public tolerance towards light pollution is simply due to lack of awareness about the issues. No wonder our tax bills are sky high when much of it ends up there! Next time you notice the orange glow in the night sky, think about the careless waste of energy it represents and how it robs us of the wonders of the night sky. The more people are aware of the issues and how to avoid light pollution, the more it will be treated as an issue of real importance. So please spread the word and link people to this page because as they say, many hands make light work! |
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ABOUT THE NEED-LESS CAMPAIGN - A NEW DESIGN STRATEGY The Need-Less campaign has been set up to develop and provide new design ideas that raise awareness of light pollution. Unfortunately, 'anti-light pollution' campaigns have a very limited advertising budget which explains the lack of available design to promote the cause. The Need-Less campaign hopes to change this by working alongside other 'anti-light pollution' campaigns to offer entertaining and intriguing new concepts that appeal to the public for help. Anyone who would like to, may help the Need-Less campaign by spreading the word and by showing the Need-Less posters or animations in their website as a link to this campaign. |
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LIGHT POLLUTION PHOTOGRAPHY Inefficient and misdirected light causing sky glow. (Photo taken at Downham, Essex, looking across Wickford)
100% of the light seen from here is wasted energy! From this rural location on top of a hill, none of these light sources should be directly visible. To prevent this waste of energy, all outside lights need to be correctly shielded and directed downwards to prevent light from escaping above the horizon into the sky. If you have any images of light pollution you would like featured on the Need-Less website, please send to contact@need-less.org.uk |
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NEED-LESS INTERACTIVE - NIGHT SKY SIMULATOR The latest addition to the Need-Less campaign is this interactive night sky simulation. Skyglow, the artificial brightening of the night sky, primarily caused by misdirected outdoor lighting, now threatens to destroy all natural darkness in the UK. Please choose the window size to suit your monitor, a smaller window will run faster on a slower machine. |
About the simulation Good outdoor lighting practice is easy to achieve if some simple rules are followed. The key point to remember is that we should only light the area that needs illumination. Maximum efficiency is achieved when using the minimum amount of light required to see the illuminated surface, in this case, an empty car park. Any light which falls outside this area should be minimised, since misdirected light represents wasted energy and poor lighting practice. Misdirected light also causes light pollution problems such as light trespass on nearby property, excessive glare and increased skyglow. These problems may easily be avoided by choosing the correct type of light fixture. There are many designs of light fixtures to choose from, some designs are decorative whilst others offer more control over the distribution of light. The best fixtures to use have 'full cut-off' optics that are specially designed to reflect any potentially wasted light back downwards, where it is needed. These lights, if installed correctly, may produce more useful light on the ground than other designs and consume less energy! Above all, we should question the necessity of lighting up an area and only do so if and when it is necessary. |
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CONTACT THE NEED-LESS CAMPAIGN If you have any questions about the Need-Less campaign or have further design ideas, links or any information you would like to see added to this web site, please contact the Need-Less campaign by email. |
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Any donations for the use of Need-Less graphics or to support the future development of this website are greatly appreciated. |
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THANK YOU FOR VISITING THE NEED-LESS CAMPAIGN WEBSITE PLEASE LINK OTHERS TO THE NEED-LESS WEBSITE FOR 'DOWN TO EARTH' INFORMATION TO HELP REDUCE LIGHT POLLUTION & SAVE ENERGY ACROSS THE WORLD |
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