Campaign for Dark-Skies...
for busy people!

Here are 5 brief points to get you up to speed on what the CfDS is all about.

• 5. The CfDS is not anti-lighting, but anti-bad-lighting!
  The aim of the CfDS is to preserve and restore the beauty of the night sky, by campaigning against excessive, inefficient and irresponsible lighting that shines where it is not wanted nor needed.
  The CfDS actively encourages the use of efficient, good quality lighting.
  Outdoor lighting does not need to be turned off to reduce light pollution - it just needs to be directed to where it is needed.
  
  
• 4. Why are we campaigning?
  For numerous reasons, including:
  • UK streetlights alone waste over £100 million a year; that money is spent generating light that is wasted directly into the sky (diverting light away from the street and towards the sky also results in our streets being unnecessarily dim)
  • People have died as a result of lights blinding car drivers and aircraft pilots
  • Excessive lighting can cause medical health problems, ranging from stress to cancer
  • Bad lighting can be a security risk and encourage crime
  • Lighting has a detrimental effect on wildlife
  • The smog of night-time light pollution prevents 90% of the UK population from seeing the natural spectacle of a sky full of stars (which is why the CfDS was historically set up by astronomers)

  For more info, please see our problems page.

• 3. What is the solution?
  • Use efficient lighting, that only shines light where it is needed and wanted. Please make sure that your lights do not shine onto neighbouring properties, or into the sky - otherwise, your lights may now be illegal, and you could be fined
  • Minimise the power of your lights

  Both these solutions are easy and cost-effective - and with significant health and safety benefits.

• 2. Does anyone else agree with the CfDS?
  Yes! The following organisations agree with our campaign:
  • The Campaign to Protect Rural England [see their website]
  • The UK Government's Home Security & Crime Reduction website.
  • Research by the UK Home Office also supports our observation that excessive lighting does not reduce crime e.g. research papers #29 [pdf] and #249 [pdf]
  • The Institution of Lighting Engineers [see the ILE guidelines, and website]
  • The UK government, who have had to introduce new laws to control bad lighting [more details]
  
  
• 1. Is anyone installing efficient lighting, like the CfDS recommends?
  Yes! Examples include:
  • Many UK councils are now beginning to install efficient street-lighting
  • The UK Highways Agency now install only efficient lighting onto main roads
  And overseas...
  • The City of Calgary (Canada) decided to replace all their street-lighting with efficient lights - the newer light fittings will save the city $2 million a year! The cost of replacing all these streetlights will be recouped within 6 years.
  • Long Island Power Authority has converted their outdoor lighting at all its operations yards to full-cutoff fixtures [see this Press Release].
  
  

  So why not do the same?