Make an Impact

Take time to educate yourself on the effects of light pollution and how to make changes to your own home. Visit Dark Sky International to learn more.

Light pollution affects many different aspects of our world:

Ecosystem & Habitat Impacts

Energy and Money Waste

Crime & Safety 

Human Health

Enjoyment

Connecting Dark Sky Advocacy is about connecting a person through the way they view the world. Not every person will see an issue through a lens of an ecologist, keep this in mind when educating others and outreaching about this issue. 

Dark Sky Advocates don't advocate to turn off all the lights, lighting is needed for human uses, we just need the lights to be used efficiently. WVAC advocates for the conservation of the night sky resource through efficient lighting.

Look at your own home, how can you make a difference by reducing your own home's lighting? Utilize the 5 Smart Lighting Principles:

1. Purpose - What purpose does your light serve? Is it for safety or navigation? 

2. Low-Level - Lighting rarely needs to be over 500 lumens, often times much less bright. 

3. Shielded - aka full cutoff, lighting should be directed to the intended area to be lit, not trespassing beyond.

4. Amber Color - Lights should be lower than 2700 Kelvin, this means is should be more amber than a cool blue light. 

5. Timer/Motion - Lights should rarely be left on for the night. Lights should be put on a motion detector or timer.

See these print outs for sharing: 

5 Principles Rack Card 

5 Principles Postcard 

Education is key in combating light pollution, connecting the individual needs to the reduction of light pollution. 

Talk with your neighbor, friends, family, and co-workers; keep this issue relevant in your community.

We all know talking with neighbors about a light issue can be stressful and challenging. Here are some tips when talking with neighbors:

• Light pollution should never be the first topic of discussion.

• You should be on friendly terms.

• An in-person conversation that leads into lighting is preferable from other methods of communication. 

• Recognizing, outside of physical light trespass this lighting decision is your neighbors. Getting defensive about lighting will lead nowhere. Instead, find common ground.

• Recognize your neighbor's lighting needs, there may a need for the light that you don't know about.

• If the light is needed, offer to help find solutions to their needs, while also having neighbor friendly lighting.

• If you want to really win someone over, offer to help purchase the light for them.

• Writing a letter or email should be the last resort and often reserved for STR owners that may not live in the area. For a template see link.

See Dark Sky International's webpage on this topic. Also, Winthrop Dark Sky Coalition has made a great pdf handout regarding neighbor lighting.

More coming soon...