I'm catching up on the course videos and hit a snag on the Module B Section 4: Designing for Beauty video.
Jack slipped up with a casual comment of "...and you should light these up at night" when talking about garden focal points. I don't think it was meant as wholly, factually instructive (and I'm not trying to attack you, Jack!), but I just want to give everyone a reminder or notice that outdoor lights at night cause significant ecological problems and can muck up human wellbeing as well.
Light pollution is a problem much bigger than our gardens, but our gardens shouldn't contribute to the problem. Given that we are relying on insects for pollination as well as birds and bats for a whole-of-system sustainability, let's not add to the stress that wildlife populations experience from our night light sources.
(Of course, there is also the fact that lights consume energy and/or resources: even a solar light is not neutral because of the energy and resources required to create it.)
Here's a range of sources about the problem of light pollution, depending on the kind of source you feel comfortable reading:
National Geographic, general article: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/arti ... pollution/
News summary of peer-reviewed research (2015): 'Light pollution shown to affect plant growth, food webs', https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2 ... 093003.htm
Peer-reviewed scientific article: 'Light pollution is a driver of insect declines' (2020): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 0719307797
Outreach site: https://sustainableamerica.org/blog/can ... llinators/
Light pollution: avoid garden lights
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Thanks for sharing this. We appreciate the candid insights you bring to the course and forum.
Jack won't take it as an attack.
You bring up a very valid point. My home place is hugely impacted by light pollution from a business park and gas station that lights up the entire night sky. We can't even see the stars on the darkest night.
Jack won't take it as an attack.
You bring up a very valid point. My home place is hugely impacted by light pollution from a business park and gas station that lights up the entire night sky. We can't even see the stars on the darkest night.