LIGHTING-Innovation-Design

Dark Skies Cornwall Under a pitch black starry sky in West Penwith, when sitting by some of the ancient monuments, we are looking at the very sky that 2000 years or more ago our ancestors were looking at. We must protect that sky for future generations… The International Dark Sky Places Conservation Programme recognises and promotes the excellent stewardship of the night sky. About Cornwall AONB has two IDA Dark Sky Parks that cover the whole of Section 07, West Penwith and Section12, Bodmin Moor. Aim Preserve and enhance the dark night skies above West Penwith and Bodmin Moor for pleasure, leisure and to support the wellbeing of residents, visitors and wildlife. About IDA The International Dark-Sky Association was founded in 2001 to encourage communities, parks and protected areas around the world to preserve and protect dark sites through responsible lighting policies and public education. The IDA offers five types of designation from communities which are legally organised cities and towns that adopt quality outdoor lighting ordinances to Sanctuaries which are the most remote (and often darkest) places in the world. Their conservation state is most fragile. Cornwall has successfully designated two International Dark Sky Parks, which are Sections of Cornwall AONB. The parks are publically – or privately owned spaces protected for natural conservation that implement good outdoor lighting and provide dark sky programmes for visitors. Aims – Goals & Objectives Objective Preserve and enhance the dark night sky above for pleasure, leisure and to support the wellbeing of residents, visitors and wildlife Objective Raise awareness of the importance of a dark night sky and encourage a reduction in light pollution Objective Engage with individuals and groups to grow an outreach and education programme for astronomy, nature, historic environment and well-being Objective Guide residents and visitors to the most appropriate locations and opportunities for appreciating the dark night sky Objective Promote eco- and astro-tourism Objective Inspire other designated landscape areas, within Cornwall and beyond, to appreciate and protect their dark skies, both formally and informally Benefits Our Primary Purpose is to conserve and enhance Natural Beauty. Our priority is to lead and support projects which deliver under these four key categories. People Humans evolved to the rhythms of the natural light-dark cycle of day and night. We need darkness to thrive. Place Experiencing the night sky provides perspective, inspiration, and leads us to reflect on our place in the universe. It is our common and universal heritage. Nature Plants and animals depend on Earth’s daily cycle of light and dark rhythm to govern life-sustaining behaviors such as reproduction, nourishment, sleep and protection from predators. Climate IDA estimates that least 30% of all outdoor lighting (USA) alone is wasted, mostly by lights that aren’t shielded. This equals $3.3 billion and 21 million tons of CO2 per year! To offset we’d have to plant 875 million trees annually Project Detail Bodmin Moor International Dark Sky Park In July 2017 Bodmin Moor, Section 12 Cornwall AONB, was designated an International Dark Sky Landscape, confirming its status as one of Cornwall’s star attractions and making it the first International Dark Sky Place in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Images Following a bid by Cornwall Council and Caradon Observatory, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) has awarded the prestigious designation in recognition of the exceptional quality of the night sky over Bodmin Moor, commitments to avoid light pollution and the provision of educational outreach. While other sites in the UK have previously received International Dark Sky Places accreditation, today’s announcement of Bodmin Moor’s status as an International Dark Sky Park is especially noteworthy. Its position within the Cornwall AONB clearly establishes that the conservation of dark night skies is wholly compatible with the notion of protected landscapes where people routinely live and work. IDA Executive Director J. Scott Feierabend Bodmin Moor International Dark Sky designation covers the portion of the Moor within Section 12 PLUS a two-mile buffer zone around it Star-gazing opportunities on Bodmin Moor are at their best in the darker spring, autumn and winter months. The designation brings health benefits for both people and wildlife in the moor’s living landscape by helping to keep artificial light at a very low level. Within the designation area residents and businesses are encouraged to protect the night sky from light pollution by managing their lighting better. Under a pitch black starry sky in West Penwith, when sitting by some of the ancient monuments, we are looking at the very sky that 2000 years or more ago our ancestors were looking at. We must protect that sky for future generations to also be able to appreciate and wonder at. Project Detail West Penwith International Dark Sky Park, 2021 Most recently the skies above West Penwith, Section 07 Cornwall AONB, are now officially recognised with the prestigious International Dark Sky Park Designation, awarded by the International Dark-Sky Association. Images West Penwith is only the seventh area of the UK and the second in Cornwall (after Bodmin Moor) to become an International Dark Sky Park. The West Penwith IDSP covers the westerly section of Cornwall’s AONB; it stretches around the coastline from the outskirts of St Ives, through to St Just, Sennen and around Land’s End to Mousehole. Inland it takes in Trethewey, Sancreed and New Mill. The designation recognises this area as being naturally dark at night, with minimal traces of light pollution, making West Penwith one of the best places in the world to view the beauty of the night sky. Cornwall Council supported a partnership among residents, businesses and councillors to achieve the accolade. A Steering Group comprised of local Councillors, Cornwall Council officers, PK Porthcurno, Land’s End Accommodation Providers, The National Trust, Cornwall AONB, Mayes Creative, Penwith Landscape Partnership and other passionate locals led the efforts for this IDSP nomination. 02 Information for Land Owners Support Us Our Primary Purpose is to conserve and enhance Natural Beauty. But we need your help…

Light pollution is everywhere, obscuring stars, bewildering bats and making insect decline worse. Is finding dark corner becoming a luxury?

A pervasive challenge throughout the Caribbean region is “light pollution”, which can be defined as the introduction of artificially produced light into areas where it is neither needed nor desired. At nesting beaches, light pollution is known to modify sea turtle behavior and even discourage egg-bearing females from coming ashore to nest. Beachfront lighting also strongly affects sea turtle hatchlings, luring them inland and away from the sea where they succumb to predators, dehydration, and other hazards. Bonfires are also a concern, as hatchlings can be attracted to and burned by the flames. Fortunately, reducing light pollution is among the most manageable of conservation practices. Artificial light does not need to be eliminated if proper light management techniques are adopted. Artificial light only becomes a problem if the light or glow from the source can be seen from the beach during nesting and hatching seasons. “Problem” light sources directly or indirectly produce a glow on the beach that can negatively influence sea turtle behavior. Direct lighting is a source that is visible from the beach, while indirect lighting illuminates buildings and landscaping which can be seen on the beach. The cumulative effect of lights from an area creates a sky-glow that can also affect sea turtles. Sky-glow can emanate from lights located inside and outside of buildings, as well as from street lights and recreational facilities (e.g., tennis courts, baseball fields) several miles away. Solutions! Hotel and resort projects in their initial stages of development should be encouraged to incorporate good lighting techniques into their building plans. The best practice is to prohibit lights near the nesting beach area. While it may not be practical in many cases to eliminate all lights near the beach, developers are often receptive to new ideas when informed about beach lighting and its potential consequences. With this in mind, hoteliers and developers, along with their architects, should discuss their lighting plans with local and regional experts. Developers should also be aware that Caribbean governments are increasingly requiring “sea turtle friendly” lighting for all new beachfront development. Existing hotels and resorts can take several steps to manage light pollution. Conducting an inspection is the first of these steps. First, demarcate the area to be inspected (e.g., the boundary lines of the property) so that a census of the types, locations, and numbers of light sources observable from the beach can be conducted. The surveyor should conduct a preliminary daytime inspection to determine the exact locations of light sources that may be harder to verify in the dark. Along with placement, the surveyor should include detailed descriptions so that each light source can be located during follow-up inspections in the future. Because the effects of some light sources, particularly indirect sources, are difficult to evaluate during the day, a night-time inspection (preferably on a moonless night) follows the daytime inspection, using notes taken during the day as a guide. Night-time inspections involve searching for visible light while walking the length of the nesting beach. Each source of light is categorized as either “direct” or “indirect”, depending on how it appears on the beach. If the observer notices a bulb or glow from a light source, then this source qualifies as a direct source. If an illuminated building or landscaping is visible from the beach, the illumination is described as an indirect source. For details on how to conduct a lighting survey, as well as comprehensive recommendations for reducing light pollution on Caribbean beaches, published lighting assessments from Barbados and Anguilla are helpful. A comprehensive lighting inspection should occur at least annually, just prior to the sea turtle nesting season. A follow-up night-time inspection should occur two weeks after the initial inspection in order to identify lights that may have been missed previously. Potentially problematic lights should be remedied quickly, before they affect sea turtle behavior. The following are light management techniques that can significantly reduce the potential harm to sea turtles from outdoor or external lights associated with beachfront properties. The initial cost of retrofitting may be high, but the investment is repaid by reducing the frequency with which light bulbs need to be replaced and reducing energy costs. If supplies for alternative lighting schemes are locally unavailable, consider networking with other property owners and developing a bulk supply order. Negotiate with the hotel association, tourism development agency, or other industry group to import the supplies at discounted rates. Priority Recommendations Invest in Alterative Light Sources – Sea turtles are less sensitive to certain types (and colors) of lights. All metal hyalites can have adverse effects on sea turtles and should be replaced as a priority. High pressure sodium vapor lights also strongly affect sea turtles, and should only be used in areas not visible on the beach. Incandescent lights have moderate effects on sea turtle behavior, except for “bug lights” which are tinted yellow. Low pressure sodium vapor lights (LPS) are the least detrimental to sea turtles. Monochromatic yellow in color, LPS lights have the longest wavelengths, which sea turtles do not detect as readily. The best choice, if light is necessary, is often LPS lighting. Lower Lights – The most visible lights (from a beach standpoint) are lights mounted high on buildings or poles. In many cases, simply lowering the height of the light may solve the problem. Lowering and directing light to precisely where it is needed can also be more aesthetically pleasing, more functional, and more cost-efficient from an energy usage standpoint. Use Directional Fixtures – Some lights, such as carriage lights or globe lights, disperse light in every direction. Be thoughtful about your lighting! Do you really need to illuminate (and pay for!) the entire night sky? Directional fixtures applied to broadcast lights can focus the light downwards and away from areas visible from the beach. Shield Lights – Shielding an open light source may reduce the amount of light directed onto the beach. Simple screens (such as the use of aluminum flashing) or planting vegetation (such as an ornamental hedge) can effectively shield lights. Be creative! Soften lights with locally-made basket shades, make greater use of wall sconces, and/or recess lighting in architectural elements. If shielding is impractical, then these lights may need to be substituted with lower, directional lighting. Install Motion Sensitive Lights – When night-time lighting is indispensable, particularly from a security standpoint, installing lights with motion detectors reduces their detrimental effect on sea turtles because of the relatively brief duration of their illumination. Moreover, motion sensitive lighting carries the element of surprise, conveying a distinct advantage to posted guards who remain in the shadows. Motion-lighting provides light only when necessary, and is ideal for low-traffic areas. Remove Unnecessary Lights – Lighting inspections may determine that some lights are unnecessary or redundant and can be removed or turned off, saving money and benefiting both ambiance and sea turtles. Try to avoid the use of purely decorative lighting, such as lights that highlight vegetation, in places that can be seen from the beach. General Options and Recommendations Time Restrictions – Restrict usage or extinguish lights during peak sea turtle nesting and hatching seasons, and especially during peak hatching hours (typically 7-11 PM) when hatchlings are most likely to emerge from their nests. Area Restrictions – Limit beach lighting to areas of the beach that are not used by sea turtles, keeping in mind that even distant light sources can influence hatchling orientation. Window Treatments – Interior lights, especially from high-rise buildings, can strongly affect hatchling behavior. Hoteliers can remedy this problem in various ways, including the use of blackout draperies (or heavy, opaque curtains), shade-screens, and/or tinting or using shading film on windows. Guests need to be reminded to close the drapes during sensitive hours. If window-tinting is an option, tint the windows to meet the 45light transmittance from inside to outside standards – this will reduce light leakage, as well as decrease energy loss and cooling costs. Vegetation – Plant a decorative vegetation buffer between the beach and any buildings, with the specific aim of blocking light emanating from built structures. Use native plant species whenever possible. Lighting Ordinance – Advocate for a national Lighting Ordinance! A recent lighting assessment of hotel properties in Anguilla offers recommended wording. Want to Know More? National Light Pollution Guidelines for Wildlife Including Marine Turtles, Seabirds and Migratory Shorebirds (Commonwealth of Australia, 2019) Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Marine Turtle Program (including “Marine Turtles and Lights”) FFWCC/USFWS, Wildlife Lighting Certification Program International Dark-Sky Association (including approved fixtures) Starry Night Lights (including approved fixtures) VOLT Turtle Safe Lighting Return to the Threats and Solutions page

See the real rockies in Jasper National Park in Jasper, Alberta, Canada. Plan your trip with Jasper hotels, Jasper restaurants, attractions, travel deals and more!

Dark Sky Week is underway! Arizona is likely one of the high states in the nation to expertise our world’s pure starry skies. ARIZONA, USA — Editor’s word: The above video aired throughout a earlier broadcast.

Groveland’s work over the last three years to replace light fixtures will allow the night sky to shine clearer and brighter than it has in decades.

The two districts join just 20 others worldwide in the International Dark Sky Reserve movement.

With almost 200 dark skies parks across the world, here are our picks of the best places to see the stars in Europe.

90 per cent of the world’s light ends up in the sky, not on the ground.From the ‘Saucepan’ to the ‘Southern Cross’ star gazing is a popular pastime...

Produced by Loch Ness Productions in collaboration with Losing the Dark A short public service announcement about light pollution Available as a free download! Starry skies are a vanishing treasure because light pollution is washing away our view of the cosmos. It not only threatens astronomy, it disrupts wildlife, and affects human health. The yellow glows over cities and towns — seen so clearly from space — are testament to the billions spent in wasted energy from lighting up the sky. Losing the Dark is a "public service announcement" planetarium show, a collaboration of Loch Ness Productions and the International Dark-Sky Association. It introduces and illustrates some of the issues regarding light pollution, and suggests three simple actions people can take to help mitigate it. The show gives planetarium professionals a tool to help educate the public about the problems of light pollution. Planetarians are uniquely positioned to teach audiences ways we can all work together to implement responsible use of lighting. Losing the Dark has no license fee! We have rendered the show in many formats and languages — just go to the appropriate Downloads page. If downloading is not a viable option (for example, the movie files are too big for efficient downloading, and for theaters requiring frames to encode or slice their own movies), we can ship the fulldome show on a USB drive. There is a minimal cost for this, outlined on the Prices / Ordering page. The show is also available directly from selected fulldome vendors whose systems use proprietary encoding. In addition to the fulldome version for digital planetarium use, we have rendered Losing the Dark as a conventional flat screen video. It's on YouTube, available for online viewing, sharing and embedding on blogs and Web pages. It can also be downloaded, for use in classrooms, kiosks, museum theaters, and advocate multimedia presentations. Classic planetarium theaters without fulldome capability can show this version using their traditional video projectors. Loch Ness Productions and the International Dark-Sky Association are pleased and proud to make Losing the Dark available to planetarium theaters, educators, and viewers around the world! If we all work together, we can bring back the dark of night to planet Earth. PRODUCTION FUNDING PROVIDED BY A GENEROUS DONATION FROM: Details... Running time: 6:24 Suitable for: General public Information about: Light pollution Year of production: 2013 Losing the Dark is copyrighted by the International Dark-Sky Association and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License Donors / Supporters... Starmap — an award-winning interactive planetarium app for iPhone, iPod, and iTouch. Starmap provided major production funding and other support for Losing the Dark. the Fred Maytag Family Foundation — for its generous support for the projects of the International Dark-Sky Association. the International Planetarium Society — a world-wide organization of planetarians. IPS generously offered seed money to start this project. the members of the International Dark-Sky Association — whose mission is to preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies through environmentally responsible outdoor lighting. The IDA Education Committee headed by Dr. Connie Walker provided science consulting support for Losing the Dark. National Optical Astronomy Observatory — one of the world's premier astronomy observatories. NOAO provided scientific and administrative support for this project. Credits... Losing the Dark is a joint production of the International Dark-Sky Association and Loch Ness Productions. Writer/narrator: Carolyn Collins Petersen Audio/video production: Mark C. Petersen Music: Geodesium From the albums: Arcturian Archives A Gentle Rain Of Starlight Stellar Collections Time-lapse photography and animation: Dome3D Loch Ness Productions Additional imagery: NASA DigitalSky 2 Adler Planetarium Gregory Panayotou Gemini Observatory / AURA Dan Nixon / Need-Less Campaign Thomas O'Brien / tmophoto Babak Tafreshi / TWAN Special thanks: Dr. Connie Walker (NOAO) and the IDA Education committee Press kit... PRESS RELEASES: 27 February 2013 — Losing the Dark announced PRESS KIT: LosingTheDark_presskit.zip (~126 MB) This press kit contains all the material seen in this section: the poster at various resolutions, the press release, and the still frames with captions and credits. Please properly credit all images used. POSTER Download 7200x10800px poster: ltd_poster.zip (~9MB) Download hi-res poster PDF: ltd_poster_hi-res.zip (~90 MB) Frames from the fulldome video (select for high-resolution) The glow of city lights is obvious even from space, as shown in this video of the Great Lakes region, as seen from the cupola module of the International Space Station. Video time-lapse imagery courtesy NASA; composite created by Loch Ness Productions. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/NASA. The glow of Chicago city lights as seen from street level. From the fulldome video Second City by Dome3D. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Dome3D. The glow of city lights outlines roads and cities in the eastern United States as night falls on Earth, set against a backdrop of the Milky Way. This image was created using DigitalSky2 from Sky-Skan, Inc. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Sky-Skan. Sea turtles are often disoriented by light pollution, leading them away from the safety of the ocean toward brightly lit streets and yards in beach communities. Each year thousands of turtles perish. This still shows a beach scene in Bali courtesy Gregory Panayotou, 360Cities.net composited with CG-animated turtles by Dome3D. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Gregory Panayotou, 360Cities.net/Dome3D. Frames from the flat screen video (select for high-resolution) A frame from the title sequence of Losing the Dark. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions. A frame from a time-lapse sequence in Losing the Dark showing sunset in the wilderness. Shot by Mark C. Petersen. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions. A still frame from a sequence in Losing the Dark showing light pollution's effect on the wilderness. Shot by Thomas O'Brien, TMOPhoto.com and used by permission. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/TMOPhoto. A still frame from Losing the Dark showing the glow of traffic and city lights in Chicago. This timelapse sequence was shot by Matt Mascheri, Dome3D. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Dome3D. A still frame from Losing the Dark illustrating the glow of traffic and city lights in Chicago. This timelapse sequence was shot by Matt Mascheri, Dome3D. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Dome3D. A still frame from Losing the Dark showing the glow of traffic and city lights in Chicago. This timelapse sequence was shot by Matt Mascheri, Dome3D. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Dome3D. A still frame from Losing the Dark illustrating the glow of traffic and city lights in Chicago and how they affect pedestrians. This timelapse sequence was shot by Matt Mascheri, Dome3D. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Dome3D. A still frame from Losing the Dark showing an ISS flyover. The sequence was created using DigitalSky2 from Sky-Skan. This animation depicts the flyover pass captured in the NASA video shown in the next scene. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Sky-Skan. A still frame from Losing the Dark compositing a NASA ISS flyover of the Great Lakes region, prominently focused on Chicago. It illustrates how the skyglows from Earth's surface are easily visible from space. CREDIT: NASA. A still frame from Losing the Dark showing birds flocking toward lights and brightly lit buildings. Created from artwork supplied by Adler Planetarium and CG animation by Dome3D. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Dome3D. A still frame from Losing the Dark showing how sea turtles can become disoriented by artificial lights and lured away from the safety of their ocean habitat. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/ Gregory Panayotou, 360Cities.net/Dome3D. A still frame from Losing the Dark illustrating the glow of traffic and city lights in Chicago and how they affect pedestrians. This was shot by Matt Mascheri, Dome3D. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Dome3D. A still frame from Losing the Dark illustrating the glow of Chicago's city lights, explaining how light at night disrupts people's sleep rhythms. This was shot by Matt Mascheri, Dome3D. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Dome3D. A still frame from Losing the Dark illustrating the glow of Chicago's city lights, explaining how light at night disrupts people's sleep rhythms. This was shot by Matt Mascheri, Dome3D. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Dome3D. A still frame from Losing the Dark illustrating skyglow over Phoenix, Arizona. Shot by Carolyn Collins Petersen, composited with stars generated by DigitalSky2 from Sky-Skan. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions. A still frame from Losing the Dark illustrating what the skies might look like over Phoenix, Arizona if much of the light pollution could be removed. Shot by Carolyn Collins Petersen, composited with stars generated by DigitalSky2 from Sky-Skan. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions. A still frame from Losing the Dark showing Gemini Observatory and dark skies in a timelapse sequence. Courtesy Gemini Obervatory. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Gemini Observatory. This still frame from Losing the Dark features photographer Babak Tafreshi's view of the brightly lit Khalifa Tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Used by permission. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Babak Tafreshi/TWAN. A still frame from Losing the Dark metaphorically illustrating the power required to illuminate a single 100-watt light bulb. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions. A still frame from Losing the Dark showing a coal train, metaphorically illustrating the amount of fuel needed to keep many 100-watt light bulbs lit for a year. Shot by Mark C. Petersen. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions. A still frame from Losing the Dark from a time-lapse sequence of Chicago at night shot by Matt Mascheri, Dome3D. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Dome3D. A still frame from Losing the Dark illustrating the effect that unshielded lights have on the sky. Art based on the Light Pollution Simulator at the Need-Less Campaign by Don Nixon. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions. A still frame from Losing the Dark illustrating the effect that using fully shielded lights can have on the sky. Art based on the Light Pollution Simulator at the Need-Less Campaign by Don Nixon. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions. A still frame from Losing the Dark illustrating the effect that using fully shielded lights and turning off unnecessary lights have on the sky. Art based on the Light Pollution Simulator at the Need-Less Campaign by Don Nixon. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions. A still frame from closing sequence in Losing the Dark showing a brightly lit North America, set against a backdrop of the Milky Way. This image was created using DigitalSky2 from Sky-Skan, Inc. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Sky-Skan. A still frame from closing sequence in Losing the Dark with production credits superimposed over a brightly lit North America. This image was created using DigitalSky2 from Sky-Skan, Inc. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Sky-Skan. A still frame from closing sequence in Losing the Dark with the International Dark-Sky Association logo superimposed over a brightly lit North America. This image was created using DigitalSky2 from Sky-Skan, Inc. CREDIT: Loch Ness Productions/Sky-Skan.