Restoring Darkness

Steve Mariconda became so passionate about light pollution that he decided to make it the subject of this master's thesis! In his research, he learned about its real impact on human health. Mark Baker suggests that we use the word “carcinogen” when referring to light pollution. That’ll perk up officials’ ears! Steve Mariconda lives in Bergen County, New Jersey, about 10 miles from NYC. He is finishing his master's degree in public health at Rutgers University. His final thesis is on indoor and outdoor artificial light at night (ALAN) and its impact on human health and safety. He is a DarkSky International Delegate, one of three in New Jersey, and a member of the DarkSky New Jersey Chapter. He currently make a living as a nursing home musical entertainer. 

Highlights from this episode:

Sponsored by Evluma

https://evluma.com/dark-sky-friendly-lighting/

Intro and outro music by Doctor Turtle 

Headlines and Sources on RestoringDarkness.com

We invited Dan onto Restoring Darkness to discuss wallpacks, those glaring lights you see on the sides of commercial and industrial buildings that seem to point straight into your eyes when you're driving on the road or walking on the sidewalk. As these lights are purportedly for safety and security, the conversation morphed into a discussion about the need for light at night. Dan points out that there is light needed for safely walking down the sidewalk, light to feel safe and secure, and light to know where you are. There are many nuances to solving this, but as Dan points out, we can at least start with the glare from wallpacks. Dan Weissman, AIA, IALD, IES is an award-winning Architectural Lighting Designer, researcher, and craftsman specializing in sustainable design and digital technologies. As Associate Principal and Director of Lam Labs at Lam Partners, he collaborates on innovative projects and engages with leading academics to advance the field. Dan serves as Chair of the IES Daylighting Committee, is an active member of the IES Sustainable Design committee and Solemma’s Climate Studio Product Advisory Group, and sits on the Board of Directors of the Flint Collective. He periodically teaches at Harvard Graduate School of Design, and is a frequent guest lecturer nationally and internationally. An avid musician and amateur luthier of mandolin-family instruments, Dan also tends a garden, and two children along with his artist wife Lanie, and bakes two sourdough loaves a week. 

Highlights from this episode:
 - A Hotel in Maui
 - Responsible Astrotourism
 - Nevada
 - Vote Against Light Pollution

Sponsored by Evluma
https://evluma.com/dark-sky-friendly-lighting/

Intro and outro music by Doctor Turtle

Headlines and Sources can be found at www.restoringdarkness.com

Louis the XIV made Paris the first city to be lit at night and now, ironically, it seems France may be the leader in mitigating light pollution. David tells us about France’s law that shops must turn off their lights after the store is closed. Of course we have local ordinances in North America for that, but France seems to be better at enforcing the law. David contends that our cultures’ fear of night and the dark is Alfred Hitchcock’s fault. David is a French engineer, musician, amateur astronomer, and motorcycle enthusiast who speaks 3 languages and has worked in cybersecurity. He discovered the light pollution phenomenon 5 years ago, and is now acting to make people aware of this problem, and to fight it. David maintains that the difficulty is that people do not care, because they are not informed. 

The Darkness News Update is a biweekly series that explores current events in light at night – be it biological research, new developments in lamps, actions by advocates, or changes in policy.

Highlights from this episode:

Sponsored by Evluma

https://evluma.com/dark-sky-friendly-lighting/

Intro and outro music by Doctor Turtle

Full Links and Show Notes at https://restoringdarkness.com/

If you’ve driven in the country and experienced a car coming at you with their high-beams on, you sort of know what Michael Evenson experiences. Regular low-beam LED headlights are so bad for him that, wherever he is on the road, he has to stop until the “terror brightness” passes. Michael points out that we should look at Europe where headlights must be shielded or aimed to point only on the road. Why can’t we do that here?

Born in 1945 at the head of the Boomer Generation which meant that anything Michael was interested in became a fashion for much of the country.  He got a liberal arts degree from UC Berkeley, and headed for the hills to carve out a life with other community building individuals, raising children, and preserving environmental health. He turned to farming and ranching, and has owned the Lost Coast Ranch, from the late 60s to the present.  He is the owner and founder, in 1986, of OldGrowthTimbers.com specializing in dismantling old buildings to salvage the precious old redwood, while routinely trucking lumber and livestock on the back roads and highways of California.  He is the long time President of the Mattole Salmon Group, spending a lifetime restoring salmon to the Mattole River.

Highlights from this episode:

Sponsored by Evluma

https://evluma.com/dark-sky-friendly-lighting/

Intro and outro music by Doctor Turtle 

Headlines and Sources can be found at restoringdarkness.com

We’ve all experienced a camera flash that leaves us blind for a couple of seconds. Now imagine that happening every time some LED headlights hit your eyes from cars on the freeway. And you’re going 60 MPH.That’s what happens to Johanna Wilson. Ironically, emergency lights are the worst of all! It’s so bad that she cannot drive at night. Let’s get these LED lights off the road! (https://www.facebook.com/p/Petition-to-ban-LED-headlights-100066336797916) Johanna Wilson is a seasoned business management professional with focuses in business administration, operations, and regulatory affairs. She is also deeply committed to her community, regularly volunteering for organizations in women’s leadership and human trafficking prevention. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and boxer-lab mix, Kingsley. 

Highlights from this episode:

Sponsored by Evluma

https://evluma.com/dark-sky-friendly-lighting/

Intro and outro music by Doctor Turtle 

Headlines and Sources can be found at RestoringDarkness.com