A few months ago, I was surprised when I visited Mentor, OH to find that their outdoor lights were completely shielded and I actually found that there was a law in place to reduce light trespass!
After contacting the city council of Mentor, OH, I was able to have a discussion with Mr. Lawrence Boros, who actually put these laws into place. I asked him a few questions regarding light pollution and how he was able to change his community.
*Since I did not record the interview, the responses paraphrased from the notes I took during our discussion.
Question 1. What inspired you into pushing forward for shielded lights?
20 years ago, Mr. Boros almost crashed his car into a skateboarder because the street lights produced glare that made it difficult to see.
The most important consequence of light pollution is conspicuity, or the visibility of living things or objects. Mr. Boros wanted to guarantee that streets remain properly lighted and safe to avoid possible accidents from occuring. A colonial style street light - which used to be common in Mentor, OH - produces glare that reduces the visibility of objects. Even though we may not consider light pollution an important problem now, it could produce accidents that could take lives or have irreversible damage.
Mr. Boros also has experience working with outdoor lighting, which inspired him to bring forth more modernized change in his community. He worked at General Electric and looked at prototype development for LED lighting, which is more efficient and safer for reducing light pollution.
Question 2. How were you able to get the city council to consider your plan?
To bring his idea to the Mentor city council, Mr. Boros, along with a research commissioner from General Electric, made a presentation to the public utilities commission in Mentor regarding increased conspicuity in the streets and due to the support he received, he was able to produce a new ordinance in the laws of Mentor, OH.
Mr. Boros also was able to prosecute First Energy and won in Columbus, OH. He is credited as one of the only people to actually win their cases for light pollution in the state and brought forth changes in Columbus as well. His work also resulted in the changing of streetlights along the 91 East highway in Ohio.
By working with General Electric, Mr. Boros was able to provide full cutoff lighting available at good price and was able to implement his solution starting in high-profile areas of Mentor.
Question 3. If I were to implement something similar in other communities, what recommendations/steps should I take?
Mr. Boros suggested that to persuade communities to make change, the primary argument to push for is to improve conspicuity. The glare caused by outdoor lights needs to be reduced in order to prevent irreversible mistakes from taking place due to the lack of visibility.
Another suggestion would be to promote cutoff light sources that help streets become more evenly lit and reduce energy waste, all at a low cost. This might help communities spend less money on electricity while still keeping streets safe.
Question 4. Is it more difficult to make changes in modern times as outdoor lights become more common?
Nowadays, more people have become aware that lights need to be shielded. Many people experience the glare of outdoor lights while driving and thus they may be more willing to support changes than before.
Mr. Boros inspired me to make steps in transforming my community as well. We're seeing unregulated outdoor lights becoming more common in today's society and Mr. Boros showed that we can make changes today that can affect the generations of tomorrow.
I would like to thank Mr. Lawrence Boros for being able to discuss with me about this crucial topic. I'm excited to see how Project DeLight will grow in the future!
(This picture is taken by me (Michelle Park) using the Slooh Canary Two telescope)
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