Lighting - impact on nature and our wellbeing

This is a special edition of our newsletter from Bemari where we talk about how to not get lost in sustainability.

This monthly edition is about how to focus the energy where it matters and not get distracted by “shiny” things in various industries. Every month, we invite practitioners to share their insights on what creates the most impact and positive change in their sector.

Where energy flows, impact shows: Lighting edition.

We have invited Terry John , an expert in lighting to share some of the insights on where the biggest opportunities to drive positive change in Lighting sector can be found.

Terry’s first experience of the importance of the out lit environment coming from working in the theatre was carried over into his career in architectural and commercial lighting, founding Lifelight Studio to assist clients to get the right light, for the right people at the right time.

Where does sustainability show up in your area of work?

Manufacturing, use and disposal of hardware - in previous years, whenever new lighting was installed in whatever kind of situation, there would be a significant amount of waste that would be produced. Some of the larger, commercial or architectural luminaries may have been stripped down and the steel and aluminium recycled but this in itself is energy hungry and provides little net benefit.?

Use and impact of light on the wellbeing of people and wildlife. I want people to recognise that LIGHT, whether natural or artificial, is so much more than just an amenity that allows us to work and socialise after dark and to avoid bumping into the furniture. Instead, it is a LIFEFORCE that is essential to us as the Human Animal. Exposure to different lighting conditions can have a significant effect upon us and all other lifeforms that we share this “pale blue dot” with.

What are the main sustainability misconceptions in your area?

1. Improvements in sustainability in lighting area will be expensive and difficult to achieve. Things are definitely changing for the better. The simple fact that LEDs produce so little heat compared with previous light sources is allowing for a much wider range of recycled materials to be used in the manufacture of light fittings.

~The Swedish manufacturer ateljé Lyktan is using wool and recycled PET bottles to produce a range of luminaries named “Hood”.

~Other manufacturers are taking steps to ensure that there is an opportunity for their product to be remanufactured thereby prolonging its useful life and reducing waste significantly.

~The main driver behind the search for circularity is the SLL/ CIBSE TM66 introduced in 2021, which is rapidly being taken up by the lighting industry.

1. Lighting does not have much to contribute in the driver for sustainability. I would argue that light and lighting has a MAJOR role in moving towards a more sustainable future and beyond, to a regenerative future! Let’s look at some recent “lighting history” to illustrate my point.

“Lighting” has changed over the decades and continues to need to change in order to reduce any negative impacts on us, the planet and yes, the economy. As the human animal, we have evolved to naturally respond to the regular passing of the day into night. We have only had effective artificial lighting for around 170 years and we have not evolved quickly enough that artificial light is our natural state. Our bodies and our minds are still controlled by the natural day/ night cycle in the same way as those of our ancestors.

The various electromagnetic wavelength generated by the sun can produce an enormous variety of effect on earthly ecipients, whether that be a radio set, plants and crops or humans! Some of these effects are good for us and some are harmful. What may be invisible to us though may offer benefits elsewhere. For instance, plants tend to utilise UV light, invisible to us, to attract pollinating birds and insects.

When the first viable light source for public realm became available, the ones with the highest light output (km/w) tended to produce light at the colder, “bluer” end of the spectrum - usually above 5000k in colour temperature and with a distinct spike in the blue part of the spectrum which peaks between around 450nm and 480nm. In terms of energy and maintenance cost savings, these early LED light sources operating at much lower wattages are with much longer life cycles were taken up most enthusiastically by borough engineers and developers who looked forward to much reduced operating costs.

Not much thought was given to the effect of this new light source with its colder hue and shorter spectral wavelength upon humans, let alone the flora and fauna living beneath them. To compound the problem we began to see issues with disabling glare in many LED lanterns as the light sources had a very high surface brightness and were often “bare”, without the traditional reflector optics that had previously provided a much more benign and widespread light distribution. Complaints abounded!

Then, because the new LED light sources were seen as being so “efficient”, the temptation was for them to be installed in many more situations which had not previously been illuminated. This went some way to negate the energy savings expected, not to mention the spread of artificial light at night in areas where it could cause problems for us and local wildlife.

So, something that was hailed as a panacea to the problem of rising costs of energy and maintenance could actually en up causing many more problems that it solved!

What are the key things you wish the energy & resources of the industry were focused on?

There is a growing evidence that light, particularly the wrong kind of light, at the wrong time can have severe negative effects on our wellbeing. In addition, artificial light at night (ALAN) can also have significant harmful effects on the flora and fauna that we share our world with.

The proliferation of light at night in our towns and cities is causing real problems for nocturnal animals and insects. It affects their food chains and their behaviours and, as a result, we are suffering a real and potentially disastrous reduction in biodiversity.

If the “wrong light, at the wrong time” can mess up our circadian rhythms and negatively affect our health, then it is bound to do the same for other lifeforms that rely on the day/ night cycle just as we do.

There are answers, of course. Careful choice of colour temperature, spectral distribution and light distribution via a variety of optics can allow the use of illumination that can enhance the neighbourhood, park or building without causing “collateral damage” to the area by unwanted light.

A detailed independent lighting survey of legacy light installations can be very useful in preventing unnecessary cost while helping to achieve a successful lighting scheme.

What resources would you recommend people to read / listen to learn more?

• “Chasing the sun” by Linda Geddes
• “Incandescent” by Anna Levin
• “Light and Healing” by Milena Simeonova
• www.makelightmatter.co.uk
• Circularity guide from CIBSE

What is your favourite example of a positive change / impactful action that you have recently seen (in your sector)?

This is tricky to answer as I feel that there are two examples of positive change currently happening:

• The growing acceptance that the wrong light at the wrong time has such a negative impact on nature is leading to a growth in the “Dark Sky” movement.
• The new Technical memorandum calls for a comprehensive, holistic approach to manufacturing and all the results of the process, even down to the packaging that luminaries are delivered in.?

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