Upgrade Light Bulbs
Modern light sources are generally manufactured with some pretty dangerous chemicals. Examples of toxic light sources include light bulbs, glow sticks, and even candles.
CFL bulbs contain mercury so you should be careful if they break and dispose of them properly to avoid contaminating landfills.
Candles give of chemicals while in use and when they are extinguished.
Avoiding Light Pollution
Light pollution is a growing problem for 80% of humanity, with 99% of Americans and Europeans living with nightly light pollution.
By following Dark Sky Initiative suggestions a community or property owner can save about 70% of their (light-specific) energy use, and reduce their energy bills by around 75%.
Simple acts like closing curtains or blinds helps prevent light from spilling outside, and provides anyone inside with more privacy (otherwise you are lit up like a stage for anyone outside to watch). Turning off or dimming lights can actually help people see their environment more clearly as our eyes adjust, instead of being dazzled and blinded by bright lights. Installing lights with motion sensors can act like a visual alarm alerting residents, police, or security guards to the presence of criminals.
Simple actions like facing lights downwards or using shields to prevent light from going up or sideways
Click the Darkness and Light Pollution buttons to learn more about the importance of darkness, and what steps we can all take to reduce our energy use, while making our spaces safer for everyone.
Tools
Find Dark Sky Friendly Lighting "IDA’s Fixture Seal of Approval program certifies outdoor lighting fixtures as being Dark Sky Friendly, meaning that they minimize glare while reducing light trespass and skyglow.
All products approved in the program are required to be fully shielded and to minimize the amount of blue light in the nighttime environment. To learn more about good outdoor lighting, visit our Lighting Basics page. "
Type of Lighting
The following is listed from most eco-friendly to less environmentally-friendly.
Skylights
The best kind of light for our eyes and the environment, is natural sunlight. If at all possible, try opening windows, installing skylights which can come in traditional or modern designs with a variety of new, useful features such as UV tinting, and automatic closing functions to conserve energy.
Out Door Lighting
North America
Canada
CSBG EcoLights "We Promote the Night When other companies wouldn't - we developed the EcoLights, so that you would have an alternative.
Helping you see at night - without changing it."
Win - Win: LED bulbs help save you money and reduce emissions
LED bulbs are both more efficient and last longer than any other type of bulb. Save your self time and money while reducing your personal carbon footprint by replacing bulbs with energy efficient LED light bulbs.
Glowsticks
Glowsticks are one of the worst products you can by, since they are generally just a one-time-use product, and there's is currently no official way to recycle them. They are full of toxic chemicals which end up in our environment or landfills, where they can then leach into our soil and water.
If you want to buy glowsticks, try to find reusable types, preferably with batteries so they can be used over and over again.
The Glowstick Initiative is trying to raise awareness through art by creating monsters from recycled materials for their Feed Me Glowsticks Project.
