"Light Pollution Conference": Do we want to reclaim the night?

A little off beat for this blog but with urban sprawl the problem of light pollution is growing. Is it a problem? I suspect more research needs to be done looking at the psychological effects of the 24 hour lit society.

One phrase I heard this morning was a complaint about the "Rottweiler security lights" that are increasing being stuck onto the sides of houses to blind would be burglars (or simply to show them the way in).

Conference on light pollution

An NSCA conference, entitled 'Tackling light - can we reclaim night?' and all about light pollution and managing its impacts, will be held this week on 14th February at the Institute of Physics, London W1:

Our increasingly 24 hour economy calls for more lighting for longer - for amenity, safety, decoration and entertainment. However, excessive or misdirected light impacts on the local and wider environment.

Since the inclusion of light in nuisance legislation1, NSCA is experiencing increasing enquiries from local authorities and the public concerned about lighting - however most transport facilities - often a source of intrusive lighting - remain outside the law. This topical conference brings together professionals with the expertise to address these concerns.

At Light Pollution, Managing the Impacts, delegates will learn more about impacts of inappropriate or excessive light and current and future legislative and technical options for managing that impact. It provides an opportunity to support work towards the integration of lighting into policy making at local and national level.