Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The IDA's Model Lighting Ordinance

It has been three years in the making and now the International Dark-Sky Association is ready to unveil their Model Lighting Ordinance. What, you may ask, is a model lighting ordinance? Basically it is a "single ordinance that can be used in every community" that deals with all sorts of lighting issues like glare, light trespass and more.

Every community needs a lighting ordinance. A good lighting ordinance can not only protect views of the stars for citizens and observatories, but should keep bright lights from a business from shining into neighboring bedroom windows. A good lighting ordinance doesn't keep people in the dark, but it can help people make the right choices about lighting and in the process save some money and energy too.

You can read and comment on the proposed model lighting ordinance by visiting the IDA's MLO Public Review page. If you want to read some existing lighting ordinances (who doesn't?), we have some linked on the observatory's light pollution web page.

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