Dear Neighbors,

As a local beekeeper, I wanted to remind you that with the arrival of spring, we'll be spending more time outside. If you're planning to add more outdoor lighting, please ensure that it follows the guidelines of neighborhood-friendly lighting.

Unfortunately, there's already an excessive amount of harsh daylight balanced (bright white - 5600 degree kelvin) lighting in our neighborhood. While cheap LED lights are great for saving energy, the lower-quality options emit bright white light that disrupts the circadian rhythms of both people and wildlife. This can have negative impacts on their behavior, reproduction, and overall health. Furthermore, it detracts from the cozy atmosphere of our community.

However, there are ways to add lighting that won't harm your neighbors or contribute to light pollution.

Neighborhood friendly lighting includes:

1. Fully shielded lights
2. Light fixtures positioned so light only shines down and not toward neighboring properties
3. Warm colored light bulbs ((2600 to 2800 degree kelvin)
4. Motion sensors and/or timers so lights are on only when needed
5. Motion sensors aimed in a way that they are not activated by people in the alley, common spaces, or other people’s property
6. Fewest number of light fixtures possible
7. Lights at minimum height from ground.
8. Low wattage, energy-efficient warm white light bulbs (2600 to 2800 degree kelvin)
9. Infrared security cameras are available that do not require supplemental lighting (spotlights).
10. Turning off outdoor and ornamental lights when not in use

Neighborhood friendly lighting does:

1. Prevent light trespass and glare
2. Save energy and money
3. Provide needed safety and security
4. Enable dark sleep for generating melatonin improving peoples sleep
5. Enable all to enjoy and study the night sky
6. Protect people and wildlife's circadian rhythms in eluding bees and other pollinators.
7. Protect wildlife's natural migrations
8. Allows for observation of stars, planets, and space hardware

Every day, we face the challenge of light pollution, which is a significant problem in our neighborhood. While crime may be an occasional issue, it is essential that we do not sacrifice the beauty and tranquility of our community by disregarding neighborhood-friendly lighting practices.

Choosing downward-facing, warm-color temperature lighting can provide sufficient security lighting without contributing to light pollution. As we live in close proximity to one another, it is crucial to be considerate of our neighbors by keeping our lights contained within our own properties.

Before purchasing outdoor lighting, please think about the environment and how your lighting choices may impact your neighbors. By working together to reduce light pollution, we can preserve the natural beauty of our neighborhood and promote a peaceful environment for all.

Thank you,

Sean

Sean Kennedy
Beekeeper
Bee Curious LLC
BeeCuriousDC@...
202-276-7326
www.Bee-Curious.com

Thank you so much for posting this - it’s so helpful!

Gotta protect our pollinators!!

Elisabeth
Ordway St.
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The original message is available in full at Message https://groups.io/g/clevelandpark/message/199449

For outdoor lighting guidance and information check out the DC Chapter’s International Dark Sky Association’s Facebook page at @darkskiesdc. If you’re not on Facebook go to The International Dark Sky Association website at   https://www.darksky.org/

Lee Mayer
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The original message is available in full at Message https://groups.io/g/clevelandpark/message/199449 

Hello Neighbors,

A few days ago there was a great article about all things related to LED lighting in New York Magazine by Tom Scocco titled:

"There’s something off about LED bulbs”

Some key lines related to the Neighborhood Friendly Lighting discussion and the effect of different light color temperatures include:

"“Warm” colors are the colors of the things humans experience as being warm. Obviously enough, through millennia of human existence, the point of reference for artificial illumination was firelight or lamplight. But they don’t burn at the same temperature as a star. If you bring a light source that is actually the color of the sun indoors, it stops looking golden and appears strikingly, severely blue. What to do about this fact is a debate that’s been unresolved for well over a century: Should the ideal artificial light approximate the sun, or should it approximate a flame?”

"From an engineer’s point of view, the answer seems clear. Blue light is rational: These are the literal technical specifications of our ultimate light source. A bulb “with its proper proportions of violet light as determined by our natural illuminant the sun is to be desired and not avoided,” declared a piece in the July 10, 1897, issue of the journal Western Electrician. But with certain exceptions — the incursion of fluorescent tubes, the creation of blue-tinged “daylight” incandescents — it was the warm-light faction that ruled most of the electric age.”

"Medical science, surprisingly, comes down on the side of the cozy candle-burning romantics. The body’s internal clock is tuned to sunlight, and when artificial light imitates the sun, as the warnings about using your phone at bedtime tell you, things start going wrong."

"If blue light is overstimulating and clammy, it’d be better for our brains to have less of it in indoors, especially late at night. But blue light is also cheaper. Adding warm tones to a blue LED requires extra material and effort.”

Please take care of yourselves and the nature around you. Buy warm white lights (2,600 to 2,800 degrees K) for indoors and out.

You can read the article in its entirety here: