FIRST TURNED A TELESCOPE 400 YEARS AGO THIS YEAR GALILEI GALILEO FIRST TURNED A TELESCOPE TO THE NIGHT SKY AND CHANGED HUMANITY'S UNDERSTANDING OF OUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE LET'S ACT NOW TO PRESERVE THAT NATURAL HERITAGE ! 1

LIGHT POLLUTION REDUCTION PROGRAM PRESENTERS TOM BUTTERWORTH MRT(R) RASC IDA FRANÇOIS LAROCQUE RASC IDA Rockland Clarence - Bourget Casselman Cumberland Embrun LIGHT POLLUTION and REDUCTION PROGRAM 2

SOUTH NATION SPACE STATION RESEARCH GRADE – NOT TOYS ! 3

Visible from Wendover 4

? LIGHT POLLUTION and REDUCTION PROGRAM WHAT IS LIGHT POLLUTION WHY IS IT A PROBLEM WHY IS IT IMPORTANT WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT 5

WHAT IS LIGHT POLLUTION? Light Pollution is the unnecessary and wasteful illumination of the night-time sky by light being directed outwards and upwards into the atmosphere instead of downwards towards the ground 6

EDUCATION and AWARENESS LIGHT POLLUTION and REDUCTION PROGRAM WHY IS IT A PROBLEM? Most people do not think about or are even aware of night-time lighting as a form of pollution The Solution is EDUCATION and AWARENESS 7

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? More is not better! Detrimental effects of light pollution: - Environmental – climactic change - Energy consumption – fuels production - Economical costs - More greenhouse gases – coal burning - Biological - Effects on wildlife – reproductive cycles - migration - Effects on human health – circadian rhythms & increased cancer risk - Scientific - Astronomical research – professional and amateur - Criminal – thieves need to see what they are doing too ! 8

NORTH AMERICA AT NIGHT 9

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NORTH AMERICA DURING POWER FAILURE AUG 2000 11

Residential Area 80 km North of Toronto BEFORE Power Failure 12

Residential Area DURING Power Failure These pictures are Copyright of Sky News T.Carlson 13

This is how the night time sky should look ! We can still see this from Wendover ! !!Now is the time to ACT to protect this view!! 14

We are slowly destroying our natural heritage and turning the night into day ! This is what is happening now from Ottawa, Orleans and also Rockland ! ENCROACHING CITY LIGHTS 15

We are slowly robbing ourselves of our natural human condition ! This is the view facing west from my balcony towards Ottawa, Orleans, Cumberland and Rockland ! ENCROACHING CITY LIGHTS Looking west towards Rockland on a very clear night The sky glow bubble is very obvious ! We live 30 miles from the city yet this light dome still reaches us out here ! 16

The Problem: is not night-time lighting but The Problem: is not night-time lighting but HOW night-time lighting is used ! - Glare - Direction of lighting - Light Trespass - Design of fixtures - Too high wattage - Colour spectrum - Appropriate use - Time of use - Atmospheric aerosols 17

Glare Roadside Businesses Farmer’s Yards Car Dealerships Hotel Parking Lots 18

Direction Of Lighting The problem is not security lighting but how best to provide lighting for security 19

A billboard seen from the side LIGHT POLLUTION A billboard seen from the side PURE WASTE ! Efficient? Energy or display. Sky glow impact? 20 20

LIGHT POLLUTION LIGHT TRESPASS WHEN A NEIGHBOUR'S UNWANTED LIGHT SHINES ONTO YOUR PROPERTY 21

LIGHT POLLUTION REDUCTION 22

Design of Fixtures Full Cut-off Fixture 25

Design of Fixtures Full Cut-off Fixture 26

These spill light upwards above the housing Created by R. Dick, A. Weeks, Ottawa Centre, RASC R. Dick, A. Weeks 1995 27 27

Design of Fixtures These are preferable Full Cut-off Fixture Recently installed along Hwy 174 in ROCKLAND Congratulations!! 28

Retro-fit Older Cobra Housings Created by R. Dick, A. Weeks, Ottawa Centre, RASC R. Dick, A. Weeks 1995 29 29

Design of Fixtures Full Cut-off Fixture Downward directed Full Cut-off Residential Small Business Now that Dalton McGuinty has just added 8% to your hydro bill Downward directed Full Cut-off Low Wattage Motion activated = 1/3 LOWER COSTS 30

WHY SO MANY? LOCAL EXAMPLES OF POOR LIGHTING 20 UNSHIELDED Wall Lights THIS GLARE AFFECTS DRIVERS ON HIGHWAY 174 31

Appropriate Use ? Plantagenet High School if anyone should LOCAL EXAMPLES OF POOR LIGHTING Plantagenet High School if anyone should set an example it should be centres of knowledge and learning Appropriate Use ? Saturday and Sunday Night Not a soul in the parking lot ! 32

SOUTH NATION CONSERVATION AREA DARK SKY PRESERVES and URBAN STAR PARKS More and more communities are instituting light pollution reduction and abatement programs NOW IS THE TIME FOR THE ENTIRE SOUTH NATION CONSERVATION AREA Rockland Cumberland Clarence Bourget Casselman Embrun to get ON BOARD before its TOO late ! St Elzéar Prince George BC Sherbrooke Beaver Hills AB Lac Mégantic Cypress Hills SK Haut – St – François Point Pelée ON Torrence Barrens ON 33

EARTH HOUR AIMS TO REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION FOR 1 HOUR ON MARCH 28 TH THE AWARENESS OF ENERGY USE ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT SHOULD APPLY TO EVERY HOUR NOT JUST ONE HOUR PER YEAR ! Better education, planning, management and just turning off half the lights at night is the single best thing that everyone could easily do to help our planet and the environment 34

RECOMMENDATIONS Designate the South Nation Conservation Area a Dark Sky Reserve at best or an Urban Sky Park as second choice By-laws to protect the night time environment Engage South Nation Conservation Authority Engage Hydro one – they have the energy knowledge and lighting expertise Retro-fit existing bulb type Cobra heads with shielding All future lighting projects must be full cut-off 35

THANK YOU ! 36