Lost in Light II – a short film on Light Pollution





Sriram Murali

Being under a sky full of stars makes you feel tiny, humble, kind and caring. But, thanks to light pollution, most people lack this connection. Millions of kids are robbed of finding their passion for Astronomy. We’ve lost the potential for thousands of great minds. We are losing our identity only increasing the difference between us. In less than hundred years, we have drastically altered our night time environment.

Light pollution affects our health, disrupts our sleep patterns, increases the risk of cancer, diabetes, hormonal disorders and other diseases. Millions of birds are killed each year colliding into brightly lit buildings. Baby sea turtles(hatchlings) are often confused by bright lights and never make it to the sea. And we’ve only begun to understand the effects. But, fortunately, there are ways to fix it. The International Dark Sky Association recommends using shielded lighting, low color temperature LEDs(2700K and less), motion sensors for safety than leaving lights on all night.

Unshielded bright LEDs create a lot of glare and impairs vision. Several cities and municipalities have recently switched to dark sky friendly lighting and people are welcoming the change – they’ve hardly noticed any difference in lighting and in fact, hated harsh bright lights. Tucson, Phoenix, Montreal, the state of Georgia are all examples. It makes me really happy and optimistic hearing these success stories. Fighting light pollution does not mean turning all your lights off, it’s about being wise with our lighting choices.

Music: Imagine by Ryan Taubert

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