Light Pollution: It IS a Thing

 When I think of pollution, I don't usually think of light.  I think of smog.  I think of smoke.  I think of breathing issues.  But light pollution IS a thing.  It's invasive.  It's irritating.  And it can negatively impact your life.

I didn't think about it much, or I don't think it impacted me (and my mindset) until relatively recently.

When my grandparents purchased the home that I currently live in (100 years ago!), the long, sloping backyard looked out on green and trees.  As the town grew (as towns must), the property behind (on which the yard looks out on) became commercial.  But there were also lots of trees.  When my parents sold their house (which was next door to where I reside), the new owner took down over a dozen trees on his property.  With less greenery, when I sat outside I had more of a view of the road/highway in the distance.  And with a new condominium complex, from my new patio (installed in 2021), I could actually see what residents were watching on their wide screen tvs at night.  While my yard is still undeveloped, the world around me has become overdeveloped (in my opinion) and light and noise has become intrusive.

But I'm not going to talk about the noise (like the truck that picks up the dumpster before 6 AM several days a week or the carrier that drops off all the vehicles at the car dealership) which is disruptive, but not as annoying as the light.

Because there is a car dealership (which was not there until the 1990s and expanded in the 21st century) and a strip mall within walking distance of my home, there are lights.  I understand why they have to be there.  And in some way I understand why they have installed higher and brighter lights, because I don't hear the car alarms going off in the early morning hours as much.  (Perhaps I shouldn't have said that; I might have just jinxed myself.  Or maybe I'm just not noticing it as much as it is winter and the windows are closed which blocks out SOME of the noise.)  The blazing lights are a crime deterrent in both places.  That IS needed.  However, at times it's like living in a sports stadium.

When I go downstairs in the early morning (as I do on weekdays), I don't need a light to find my way.  My living room is easy to navigate with all the light that shines in; from the one street light at the end of the block (that goes on and off), but mostly from all the area lights.  At the end of last year, I thought my neighbors had installed some kind of holiday light because the front of their home was aglow.  Then I realized that the "glow" was from a light at the strip mall.  With trees that might have once kept it slightly muted, there are few trees and it being winter none of them have leaves that would block the light out.  While they have a front door light, I don't think they need it; the glare from the light in the distance illuminates their home.

You might say, Bfth, you knew when you moved in that your property was near a commercial zone.  You KNEW what you were getting into.  In a way you are right.  I did know what I was getting into.  However, it has gotten worse in the past 5-10 years and that was not something anyone could expect.

So to escape the light and noise and to find calm, I head south as often as I can to the shore house.  My mother purchased this house in 1995.  The back of the house overlooks a lagoon, which can be very serene.  Here too the landscape has changed.  Houses came down after Superstorm Sandy in 2012, and larger elevated houses started going up in 2013.  With the pandemic in 2020, more and more houses were built.  Houses that were larger and more illuminated.  

While I'm not thrilled with all of the McMansions that now populate this small island (and may one day sink it?), it's not the houses that bother me so much as the numerous outdoor lights.  Lights that would be better suited for a cruise ship than a summer home. Lights that NEVER go off, be it day or night.

Now I know lights are needed.  I know I have probably been guilty of being that annoying neighbor with outdoor lights, but I DO try to be considerate.  (I swear I do!)  At both homes in North Jersey and at the Jersey shore, I have a front door light that goes on after dusk.  However, they go off before midnight.  If we come in AFTER they are off, we have motion sensors so they will go back on.  They serve a purpose for safety, but also are not overly obtrusive and they are not constant.

I've complained about a neighbor at the shore who has lights that are on outside 24/7.  There are two lights that are at the front of the house (the street side), there are two lights at the back of the house (the lagoon side) and another light at the side (by a door)  that is so bright.  Well, judge for yourself from the photo.  These lights NEVER go off.  Both the back and side (but mostly the side) beam light so strongly, that even the blinds on the sliding doors in the bedroom can not keep them out.  The only light I want in my room at night is the glow of the moon and stars.  (In an ideal world, I'd be able to keep the blinds slightly open and could watch the night sky before I fell asleep.)

You may ask, why don't I just ask these neighbors to turn off their lights?  Good question.  They are not home.  They are rarely down.  (Okay, they were down one weekend last summer where they had 35+ people in a yard that could barely fit 10.)  I don't know who they are and if I ever see a person, I will go over and nicely ask.   (Although I have a sinking feeling about how that might go.)

We need light, but we also need dark.  We need light, but not light pollution.  We need to be aware and do what we can on a personal level to decrease light pollution.  How much light do you need outside at night?  Where do you need it?  Can it be set on a timer and/or a light sensor (although I know sensors can be annoying as well.)  

Think and be considerate. We CAN cut down on light pollution.  For our health and the health of those around us, we need to do it.