Dark Sky Lighting is one of a few companies that offers ‘wildlife-friendly’ lighting, that points downwards (to avoid lighting up the entire sky) and uses orange-hue light (rather than blue light which disorientates bats and other creatures, and attract important insects that die en-masse). The company offers lighting design advice, along with lights (some solar-powered) for residential and commercial use.
To protect our night skies, be sure to report broken street lights. This helps birds (who sometimes wake up at night to start singing – turn off lights when not in use, use tasklights and close curtains to help stop birds flying into windows. Not lighting your entire house up at Christmas is another way to help.
Abroad, sea turtles are leaving the sea to ‘follow the moon’ and ending up laying their eggs in artificially-lit car parks. Our skies are now so ‘light-polluted’ that millions of people have never seen the Milky Way. Read Saving the Night to learn more about how to protect our night skies.