The Pennsylvania city announced in August it will become a dark sky city starting in 2022, meaning that it will switch to lower wattage LED bulbs and add shades along bridges, roads and other public areas. It’s the first city in the eastern part of the U.S. to adopt such policies but it joins other cities, including Tucson, Sedona and Flagstaff in Arizona, and Fulda in Germany, in their efforts to reduce light pollution and increase energy efficiency. — Bloomberg CityLab
The dark-sky movement officially began in 1988, has produced events such as Earth Hour, and is currently expanding into other U.S. cities such as Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.
Light pollution caused by stronger “white” LED fixtures has been shown to cause health and environmental harm along with negatively impacting the circadian rhythm of both humans and animals alike. To date, Pittsburgh has committed $16 million dollars to streetlight projects which will install about 40,000 fixtures in a period of 12–18 months. The city’s push is also beneficial to the reduction of traffic accidents and sense of pedestrian safety, according to Carnegie Mellon professor Diane Turnshek.
“It’s better for the environment, if you change to these low wattage and low color temperature lights,” she told Bloomberg. “It’s better for people’s health, better stars, and just across the board they’re better.”
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