There is light and then there is LIGHT!

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You may know how important LIGHT is to our Feng Shui training.? But, as with anything, too much is a problem.? At our school, the Intrinsic School of Feng Shui, we cover how to light up your homes and workplaces, but if you’ve taken any of our training…we preach loudly about staying away from EXTREMES!??

What follows is an excerpt from an article by Emmett FitzGerald, YES! Magazine .

Throughout history, humans have gathered in the dark to marvel at the starry blanket overhead. Nowadays, artificial light pollution obscures the night sky in much of the industrial world—which could lead to unforeseen consequences for the environment and for human health.

Since the invention of electric light in the 19th century, the night has been getting progressively brighter, but things really took off in the 1990s. “It’s about ten times as bright as it was just 20 years ago,” says Paul Bogard, author of the book?The End of Night .

The acceleration has to do with population growth, an increase in nighttime labor, and the widespread belief that more light makes cities safer. Paul Bogard says that light does increase safety, but only up to a point. Too much light at night can make cities more dangerous.

Just think how there are so few spots in this world where we are not noticing some form of artificial light.? In my opinion, we owe it to ourselves and our children to decrease this effect.? Wouldn’t it be terrible if we one day couldn’t see the stars at all!

“There’s so much light in our nights and its glaring lights that make it hard for us to see,” he says. “Too much light tends to create the illusion of safety; we think we can be reckless purely because it’s light out, and that’s obviously not the case.”

“Forty percent of Americans and Western Europeans never or rarely experience night vision,” says Bogard. “We’re in the light so much that our eyes never switch.” Even inside it’s hard to avoid the glow of streetlights, and we often glance at brightly lit cellphone screens right up until we fall asleep.

There’s a growing medical consensus that all this artificial light is bad for our health. It interrupts our sleep patterns, confuses our circadian rhythms, and inhibits our ability to produce melatonin. “Melatonin is only produced in the dark,” says Bogard, “and what scientists are finding is that a lack of melatonin in our bloodstream is linked to an increased risk for breast and prostate cancer.”

Doctors are not saying that the light in your cellphone will give you cancer, but increasingly they recognize the importance of darkness to our overall wellbeing. “We’ve evolved in bright days and dark nights, just like all life on Earth,” Bogard says, “and we need both for optimal health.”

Our wildlife is diminishing every year.? As you’ll see below, LIGHT can be the culprit.

Wildlife also depends on darkness. Sea turtles, for example, need a dark sky to navigate. When hatchlings climb out of their nest on the beach, they need to crawl their way to the sea. “They’ve evolved to swim or scurry to the brightest light on the horizon,” says Bogard, “which for all those hundreds of millions of years has been the stars and the moon reflected on the water, but now it’s the hotels and parking lots in the wrong direction.”

There’s a growing medical consensus that all this artificial light is bad for our health.

Concerned about the impacts of light pollution, a growing movement is working to reduce excess lighting in our cities and protect dark skies. This is playing out in the National Park Service, which has created the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division. “They measure how dark the skies are in parks,” says Nate Ament, who works for the National Parks in Moab, Utah. “I think they’ve taken measurements in over 400 locations. So, we have this really rich dataset of darkness all over the entire country.”

One metric for darkness is the Bortle Scale, which rates the sky from 1 to 9. Las Vegas or Times Square would clock in at a 9. Humans have lit up so much of the world that it’s almost impossible to find a Bortle Class 1 anymore, but some of the darkest skies in the country are in the four corners region, where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet on the Colorado Plateau.?

THIS is so SAD as far as I'm concerned!!

Canyonlands National Park, just down the road from Moab, has been measured at a Bortle Class 2 and was recently named an International Dark Skies Park—the seventh on the Colorado Plateau. “That’s by far the highest concentration of these parks in the entire world,” says Ament, “there’s only 28 worldwide.”

With so much federally protected land on the plateau, Nate wants to preserve a really large swath of darkness right in the heart of the West. He works with towns like Moab to cut unnecessary lighting and introduce technologies like light shields that reduce sky glow.

Smart lighting is an easy sell when you explain how much money it can save. One town that’s been particularly forward thinking is Flagstaff, Arizona. “There’s one study that estimates if the entire state of Arizona were to take up Flagstaff’s lighting practices, it could save the state $30 million a year,” says Ament. “That gets people's attention.”

For years, the National Park Service has worked to protect some the most beautiful views in the country—Sentinel Dome at Yosemite, Old Faithful geyser at Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon. Ament’s job is to protect the increasingly rare view of a clear night sky. He says that if we want our children to see the stars, we’re going to have to turn some lights off.?

Nowadays, artificial light pollution obscures the night sky in much of the industrial world—which could lead to unforeseen consequences for the environment and for human health. How can this be improved?

Reducing artificial light pollution is indeed crucial for preserving the environment, promoting human health, and allowing us to enjoy the beauty of the night sky. Here are several ways we can work towards improving the situation:

1. Use of Shielded Lighting: Encourage the use of shielded outdoor lighting fixtures that direct light downward rather than allowing it to scatter in all directions. This helps to minimize light pollution and ensures that light is focused where it's needed.
2. Regulations and Policies: Implement regulations and policies at local, regional, and national levels to control light pollution. This might include ordinances that limit the brightness and direction of outdoor lighting, as well as requirements for efficient lighting technologies.
3. Promote Energy Efficiency: Encourage the use of energy-efficient lighting technologies such as LED lights, which not only consume less energy but also emit less light pollution compared to traditional lighting sources.
4. Educational Campaigns: Raise awareness about the importance of reducing light pollution through educational campaigns targeting both individuals and businesses. This can help to foster a culture of responsible lighting practices.
5. Preserve Dark Sky Areas: Establish and protect dark sky reserves and parks where artificial light is minimized to allow for optimal stargazing and to protect nocturnal wildlife.
6. Smart Lighting Systems: Deploy smart lighting systems that can adjust brightness levels based on factors such as time of day, occupancy, and ambient light conditions. This ensures that light is only used when and where it's needed.
7. Community Involvement: Encourage community involvement in light pollution reduction efforts, such as organizing local initiatives to retrofit outdoor lighting fixtures or hosting stargazing events to promote appreciation for the night sky.

By implementing these strategies, we can gradually reduce light pollution and mitigate its negative effects on the environment and human health, while also preserving our connection to the wonders of the night sky.

1.???? Glare and Reduced Visibility: Excessive lighting can create glare, which reduces visibility and makes it difficult for pedestrians and drivers to see clearly. This can increase the likelihood of accidents and create hazardous conditions on roads and sidewalks.

2.???? Disrupted Sleep Patterns: Artificial light at night can disrupt natural circadian rhythms and interfere with sleep patterns. This can lead to fatigue and decreased alertness, which in turn can increase the risk of accidents and impair decision-making abilities.

3.???? Ecological Disruption: Excessive artificial light can disrupt the behavior and habitats of nocturnal wildlife, leading to imbalances in ecosystems. This can have cascading effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, ultimately impacting human well-being.

4.???? Skyglow: Overly bright urban areas contribute to skyglow, which is the brightening of the night sky caused by artificial light pollution. Skyglow not only obscures our view of stars and celestial objects but also interferes with astronomical research and observation.

5.???? Energy Waste: Excessive outdoor lighting results in unnecessary energy consumption and contributes to carbon emissions and climate change. This is not only environmentally unsustainable but also economically costly.

To address these issues, it's important to adopt a balanced approach to outdoor lighting that prioritizes safety and security while also minimizing light pollution and its associated negative impacts. This can be achieved through the implementation of smart lighting technologies, the use of shielded fixtures, the enforcement of lighting regulations, and public education and awareness campaigns. By finding the right balance between light and darkness, we can create safer, healthier, and more sustainable cities for all.

1.???? Melatonin Production: Exposure to light, especially blue light, inhibits the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Melatonin levels typically rise in the evening in response to darkness, signaling to the body that it's time to sleep. However, exposure to artificial light, particularly from electronic devices like smartphones and computers, can suppress melatonin production, making it harder to fall asleep.

2.???? Circadian Rhythm: Light serves as the primary cue for our internal body clock, synchronizing our circadian rhythm with the natural day-night cycle. Exposure to natural light during the day helps to regulate our sleep-wake cycle, promoting alertness and wakefulness during the day and promoting sleepiness at night. Conversely, exposure to artificial light at night can disrupt our circadian rhythm, leading to sleep disturbances and daytime sleepiness.

3.???? Quality of Sleep: Exposure to light at night, particularly blue light emitted by electronic devices, can disrupt the quality of our sleep. Research has shown that exposure to blue light before bedtime can delay the onset of sleep, reduce the amount of REM sleep (the restorative stage of sleep), and lead to poorer overall sleep quality. This can result in daytime fatigue, impaired cognitive function, and mood disturbances.

4.???? Shift Work and Nighttime Lighting: People who work night shifts or are exposed to artificial light at night, such as shift workers, may experience disruptions to their circadian rhythm and sleep patterns. This can increase the risk of sleep disorders, such as insomnia and shift work disorder, as well as other health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

5.???? Light Therapy: On the flip side, exposure to bright light, particularly in the morning, can be used therapeutically to reset the circadian rhythm and alleviate sleep disorders such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and delayed sleep phase disorder. Light therapy involves using specially designed light boxes that emit bright light to mimic natural sunlight and help regulate the sleep-wake cycle.

In summary, light plays a critical role in regulating our sleep patterns and circadian rhythm. Exposure to natural light during the day and minimizing exposure to artificial light, especially blue light, at night can help promote healthy sleep and overall well-being.

If you can, talk with your politicians and get them to strongly consider the impact on our world!

Please visit www.IntrinsicSchoolofFengShui.com .?? We are a unique Feng Shui school that certifies new consultants in special ways, and they make a big difference in their communities and with their loved ones.