MYTH #1: THE MORE LIGHT THE BETTER
"The more light the better" is the same
type of reasoning as saying the more salt on your food the better, or the more
fertilizer the better, or the more medicine the better. Obviously, there comes
a point where you can have too much of a good thing. Eventually, it becomes
wasteful or even harmful. Nighttime lighting is that way. We need well-lit
streets, security lighting, and parking lot lighting. However, we do not need
glare, clutter, confusion, light trespass, light pollution, and energy waste.
Excessively bright, numerous, unshielded lights cause all of these things.
The
amount of light you need depends upon the task. For example, you use low
wattage colored bulbs for Christmas tree lights, and perhaps a 60 watt bulb for
a porch light. If more light is better, why are night lights in a bedroom dim
instead of bright? The next time you are at an airport at night look at the
brightness of the taxi lights (blue color) or the runway lights (white color).
They are relatively dim so as to not harm the pilot's night vision and cause
confusion. Even the rotating airport
beacon is not especially bright. The strobe lights on tall chimneys and radio
towers are of low wattage, yet they are visible for miles. Those who claim "the more light the
better" often are salespeople or manufacturers who pander to people's
misconceptions to make a quick sale rather than educate their customers about
truly effective and environmentally responsible lighting.