Please find the attached article about California towns:
LAGUNA BEACH – Darker skies could come to the city as officials work to put a lid on excessive glare and light pollution.
By Claudia Koerner, Orange County Register – CA, USA, 02 May 2011
Darker skies could come to the city as officials work to put a lid on excessive glare and light pollution.
The City Council is expected to vote on an outdoor lighting ordinance Tuesday night that would require lights to be hooded, shielded and pointed downward.
Proposed exemptions include existing residential holiday lighting that’s turned off by midnight, street lights and safety lights. Residents initially brought the issue to the City Council’s attention in 2009, asking for a remedy for glare coming from the downtown business district up to their hillside homes. Referencing the International Dark-Sky Association, residents asked the council to protect nighttime views as a natural resource. According to the report, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Barbara and San Diego county are among local authorities with lighting ordinances…
Full article use link: http://www.ocregister.com/news/lighting-298782-lights-city.html
The Laguna Beach California City Council is expected to vote on an outdoor lighting ordinance Tuesday night that would require lights to be hooded, shielded and pointed downward. Proposed exemptions include existing residential holiday lighting that’s turned off by midnight, street lights and safety lights.
Written by the Planning Commission, the draft ordinance aims to reduce or prevent light pollution, glare and light trespass – a light that illuminates beyond the property on which it’s installed – while promoting energy conservation, preserving neighborhood character and enhancing night-sky beauty, according to a city report.
Residents initially brought the issue to the City Council’s attention in 2009, asking for a remedy for glare coming from the downtown business district up to their hillside homes. Referencing the International Dark-Sky Association, residents asked the council to protect nighttime views as a natural resource. According to the report, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Barbara and San Diego county are among local authorities with lighting ordinances.
City staff anticipates many of the fixes to bring home or businesses’ lights into compliance would be as minor as changing a bulb or installing a light shield. Changes would be required within 90 days of receiving notice that lighting doesn’t meet new standards. More costly repairs, like relocating or replacing fixtures, could fall under a hardship provision in the ordinance that would
allow a time extension.
allow a time extension.
Other proposed exemptions include:
•Low voltage landscape lighting;
•Fixtures on historic buildings;
•Top-mounted lighting for U.S. flags;
•Existing street lights and sports-field lights;
•Temporary emergency lighting;
•Residential holiday lighting Nov. 15-Jan 15, if turned off before midnight;
•Residential holiday lighting within a week of other significant dates, if turned off before 10 p.m.;
•Special events with a city permit; and
•Safety lights not exceeding 2,400 lumens or 150 watts per fixture and controlled by a motion sensor switch.
In similar upper end residential/commercial areas, the city of Denver doesn’t have as many street lights like those proposed for the Sedona highway. I know, my wife and I have a condo there, I made it a point to count. Since my wife and I retired, we spend part of each year here in the custom built home she designed, and time in our California and Denver homes. We are here for the scenery, golf, peace and quiet, dark nights, walking, stars. Recently dining with four community friends at Dahl’s, comments were discussed about the direction of Sedona and if selling/moving on is indicated. The west has many communities that equal Sedona for beauty. Take it from property owners with money. We vote with our shoe leather. John
It is good to know that Sedona is already far ahead of Laguna Beach in its lighting ordinance and the fact that ALL of the street lights installed along Hwy89A and Hwy179 ARE indeed Dark Sky Compliant.
What does dark sky compliant street lighting do for us? It assures that our dark starry skies are protected.
This is not the case in Laguna Beach where ALL existing street lights have been exempt from the lighting ordinance. After contacting Laguna Beach I have learned that they have no plans to turn off any of their street lights.
Celebrate Sedona! We have both night time safety efforts at work and underway that fully protects our dark skies!
Let the truth be known!
Liz
Save Sedona Now
http://www.savesedonanow.com
NO light protects night skies, any light affects it to some degree let the coyotes see on their own how to cross the road while us older folk stay home after dark like always (Surprise AZ streets are almost vacant after dusk)-come 9 PM in the summer (after sundown) NOBODY is outside-and before sundown we hate to go out too, early morning is best liking our afternoon naps.
has any one in sedona considered that in summer it’s daylight until way late? why do you folks keep wanting to pay for what comes free? for the few dozen that venture out, 90% stay in. why are a handful of malcontents getting to put the kabash on the rest of your purses? lots and lots of sheep in sedona and no cowboys. real westerners would never let the lights go up because they’re not stupid unlike the ones not born and raised here.
City Considers Solar Panels For Street Lights By City News Service April 21, 2011
The city of San Diego could save taxpayer money by installing solar panels on as many as 33,000 street lights due to be replaced, a councilman said today.
The panels would provide enough electricity to run the lights, and any excess could be sold to San Diego Gas & Electric for an estimated $6.5 million, Councilman Kevin Faulconer wrote in a memo to Chief Operating Office Jay Goldstone.
The savings and potential earnings could help offset cuts to city services proposed for the next fiscal year, according to Faulconer.
“It is imperative that we take action on all viable and responsible options to balance the city’s budget and avoid making cuts,” Faulconer wrote.
He asked for help from the mayor’s office to possibly include the idea in the request for bids on the street-light replacement project.
SDG&E has a pilot program in which solar panels are put on power poles.
Eight thousand solar street lights planned to be installed in MP Posted On Thursday, May 12, 2011 By Our Staff Reporter
Bhopal, India May 12:
With an objective to promote use of non-conventional energy, solar energy plants are being installed in the state. This year, the New and Renewable Energy Department has chalked out a programme to install eight thousand solar street lights in the state. The Urja Vikas Nigam has sent a number of proposals in this regard to the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Apart from this, 500 solar pumps will also be installed in the state this year.
Further, the Urja Vukas Nigam installed 1700 solar street lights last year in far flung villages where electricity is yet to reach. So far, over 5500 solar street lights have been installed in the state. The Urja Vikas Nigam has already installed 50 solar pumps for the purpose of irrigation.
Steps are being taken by the Urja Vikas Nigam to promote installation of domestic solar equipment in private houses for lighting purpose. The Nigam has so far installed 2700 solar domestic light equipment in the state. The Central and State Governments are providing subsidy to install plants run by the solar energy. Subsidy is also being provided to the beneficiaries of weaker sections of the society to install solar lamps in small houses and cottages. The Nigam has so far sold about 10 thousand solar lamps. Apart from this, two power plants have been installed in Bhopal and Rajgrh. The solar power plant installed in Bhopal has the capacity to generate 10 kv electricity and that of the Rajgarh plant is 100 kv capacity.
I couldn’t help but do my own quick search about solar and street lights. Sedona? You can be innovative. Stand on your own. Choose solar. Bet you quite a few local vendors would agree to install some lights/power for a chance to be AZ First Solar City. Why not ask.
Chandigarh, May 12 (PTI) Haryana’s Sirsa will become the “first” district in the country to get solar street lights in all its villages within a month. Solar street lights in all the 253 villages of six blocks of Sirsa district had already been installed and street lights in the rest villages of Dabwali block would be installed within a month, an official release said here today.
More than 50,000 solar street lights had so far been installed in the 253 villages of the district, with each village had been provided with 20 solar street lights.
The release said that the Renewable Energy Department, Haryana, has spend Rs 12.65 crore in the district under Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission.
Subsidy was also being provided on solar lights under the Mission. A subsidy of Rs 5,700 was provided on one solar light at a cost of about Rs 19,000.
Solar lights would also be installed at the tail heads of various canals and distributaries. A scheme to install solar lights in all the schools was also being drawn up.
Solar energy plants of two horsepower each would also be installed to supply power to the water cleaning motors at all the waterworks in the district, it added.
Do your own research. See what you can find about cities with solar and act for the future. Give the Chamber something to brag about and market. Sell the solar extra back to the utilities. Jean
By Megan Lane BBC News Magazine Excerpt:
“Through 2010, we have seen a jump in the business by 25 to 30%, specifically because of the Dark Sky Park. Up to this point, the vast majority of people had a very definite interest in astronomy. The extra visitors have come to see what all the fuss is about, but also because they have seen a dark sky on holiday and want to repeat the experience in the UK.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11949767
Nancy Baer