July 4 is Almost Here
Hello Neighbor!
My third year of writing about outdoor light pollution has arrived. After two years, our little street remains as dark sky friendly as any in Glen Ellyn. Thank you!
July 4th is almost here. That means not just fireworks but fireflies. Fireflies need dark nights to find their mates. Unless the night sky is dark, their bioluminescent lights are not bright enough to attract mates. Fewer mates result in fewer little newborn fireflies. Some of us older Glen Ellyn folk remember when we had hundreds of fireflies lighting the summer sky every night. Now, we may be lucky to have a handful.
I’m pleased to announce some great recent achievements. Late last year, the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County resolved to follow International Dark-Sky Association recommendations regarding its outdoor lighting practices. This year, the Wheaton Park District and the Glen Ellyn Park District resolved to adhere to International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) recommendations. Also, Palos Preserves, which is part of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC), announced certification by the IDA as an Urban Dark Sky Park. Palos Preserves is now the largest Urban Dark Sky Park in the world! FPDCC also published updated outdoor lighting policies that are more dark sky friendly.
Hopefully, some of you noticed that for the second consecutive year, the Village of Glen Ellyn in its Spring Newsletter encouraged Glen Ellyn residents to be more dark sky friendly with their outdoor residential lighting. The Village also turned the top bulb of all of their central business district light fixtures off. Thank you to Village President Mark Senak, Village Manager Mark Franz, the Glen Ellyn Environmental Commission and a new green social group, Go Green Glen Ellyn. Hopefully, the Village will soon have updated Appearance Guidelines that will better address outdoor lighting.
So, as we dive into Summer 2022, please remember to turn the outdoor lights off when you go to bed. If you feel the need to have a light on, please do what so many of you have already done; install soft light bulbs that are not more than 2700Kelvin (a more amber less bright white color) that are not more than 60 watts. If possible, install dark sky compliant fixtures that guide the light down, not out or up. Motion sensors work well. If any of you are interested, I can help you achieve for your home an IDA Dark Sky Friendly Certificate. Again, thanks to all of you that have already installed soft bulbs and/or have decided to turn the lights off at bedtime. I think we can now see more stars…and fireflies!
Go Dark!
Adam Kreuzer, Local IDA Delegate