This article mentions rebates being used to help low-income workers make the switch to quieter, cleaner, electric equipment.

Calls to Action

Level 1-3

• Ensure that Lights are Only On When Needed this can be done by manually turning them on and off as you use them or when expecting guests/when they go home. Alternatively you can install motion sensors

• Only Light the Area that Needs Light Paths, steps, doorways, driveways and roads often need some light to be safe. Hooded lights can be directed to only light the needed space, instead scattering light horizontally where it can blind drivers and wildlife. Most of all you should avoid lights that face upwards as these are particularly dangerous for flying animals such as owls and other nocturnal birds.

• Be No Brighter than Necessary Lights are constantly being designed as brighter, with the theory that "brighter means better!" but this is a problem on multiple levels. Bright light damages our eyes, and going from a dark environment to being flashed by bright lights doesn't give our eyes proper time to safely adjust. If we are driving this is particularly dangerous, as it takes a while for our eyes to adjust to darkness again, leaving us and animals temporarily blind, increasing the chances of accidents and death.

• Minimize Blue Light Emissions can be particularly problematic to bioluminescent species such as fireflies who are already dying out quickly.

• Eliminate Upward-Directed Light Lights that face upward are particularly disruptive to bird migrations, but can harm other animals too. They also contribute to our increasing inability to see the stars at night (something that was very important to our ancestors and their cultures). Perhaps worst of all is that they contribute to energy-related emissions without contributing any use to anyone.

• Don't use strobing lights! These are particularly disorienting and blinding to animals including humans.

• Avoid Fireworks The brightness and sounds they produce cause serious distress, panic attacks, and even PTSD flashbacks for veterans, war refugees, autistic individuals, pets, and wildlife. Some wildlife literally die of fright because of fireworks, while others will abandon their nests, causing their offspring to starve to death.

• Talk to Neighbors about light trespass and eco-friendly alternatives to currently lighting. Again, this might just involve putting their outdoor lights on a motion sensor or timer. Turning their lights off when they get home or go to bed.

Level 3

• Ask Local Leaders, Utility Companies, & Businesses to mandate and install wildlife friendly lighting on streets and buildings. This might include putting hoods over existing road lights to that they only light the road instead of into nearby bedroom windows or up at the sky.

• Ask Gas Station and Shopping Center Managers to replace, reorient, or hood halogen lights that face roadways or into forests.

Level 4

• Tell Your Representatives to Enforce a Light Ordinance

International

North America

USA

• Audubon Society: Lights Out Program