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The Upper Township Planning Board may propose limiting outside lighting on future projects as part of a dark-sky initiative. The mayor wants a review of streetlights and municipal lighting, such as that at Upper Township Hall.

Professional and amateur astronomers started the dark-sky movement half a century ago to encourage more thoughtful and less wasteful use of lighting. As America got bigger and wealthier, outdoor lighting got cheap enough to waste and vastly increased. So much light was uselessly going into the atmosphere that it interfered with astronomical observations.

Now there are powerful new reasons to reduce light pollution. Wasting light also wastes the energy needed to produce the light, so the greenhouse gas emissions from producing that energy are pointless pollution.

The International Dark-Sky Association estimates that each year the world spends $50 billion on energy to produce light that goes off into space — and is responsible for at least 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Outdoor lighting alone in the United States uses enough energy to power 35 million homes — or to drive 49 million passenger vehicles.

Upper Township officials are taking the first, sensible step regarding the municipality’s share of wasteful outdoor lighting. The township Planning Board will discuss a possible dark sky ordinance that could apply to future development, and Mayor Curtis Corson will pursue an evaluation of streetlights and possible elimination of redundant ones. “I’m not saying we’re going to eliminate them all, but there are some that need to go,” he said last month.

The township spends from $220,000 to $270,000 annually to power more than 1,500 street lights. Township engineer Paul Dietrich figures that cost could be reduced by 15% to 20%.

A dark sky ordinance could reduce the amount of light emanating from future houses and businesses when new site plans come before the Planning Board. Upper Township’s Green Team and the state recommended that the township consider ways to reduce light pollution, Dietrich said. We’re glad they’ve raised an issue that has gained importance since it arose in the 1950s.

Reducing the number of lights is just one way to cut light pollution and waste. Many lights are useful and necessary, and for these significant savings are still possible.

Efficient, less-polluting decisions on lights should be guided by the Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting, produced jointly by the dark sky association and the Illuminating Engineering Society.

1. USEFUL — All light should have a clear purpose. Before installing or replacing a light, determine if light is needed or another approach would serve as well.

2. TARGETED — Light should be directed only to where needed. Use shielding and point the light beam downward so it stays where it’s needed.

3. LOW LIGHT LEVELS — Use the lowest light level required, mindful that some surfaces reflect more light into the night sky than intended.

4. CONTROLLED — Use timers or motion detectors so light is available when it is needed, dimmed when possible, and turned off when not needed.

5. COLOR — Use warmer color lights where possible and limit blue-violet light to reduce the impacts of light pollution.

Towns, businesses and homeowners already are switching to LED lights that use far less energy. They can easily reduce their costs and the pollution resulting from their lighting further by giving some thought to the guidelines when they install or replace bulbs and fixtures.

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The Upper Township Planning Board may propose limiting outside lighting on future projects as part of a dark-sky initiative. The mayor wants a review of streetlights and municipal lighting, such as that at Upper Township Hall.

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