Article that appeared in the Tahoe Bonanza on 2/20/09

Those of us dedicated to a sustainable economic and ecological future for our precious Lake Tahoe Basin have long considered that in addition to declining lake clarity, artificial night lighting pollution has seriously degraded our fragile environment. While many communities around our country have successfully adopted sky-friendly night lighting ordinances, we have yet to act upon this easiest to remedy environmental blight.

After years of data collection and deliberation, the International Dark-Sky Association has released its long awaited draft of the Model Lighting Ordinance which through public comment will be finalized in April 2009. You may download and review this document at: "http://www.darksky.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=84399&;orgId=idsa.”

In this the International Year of Astronomy 2009 and the 400th year celebrating Galileo’s revolutionary telescope, we can also use this moment to be proactive and solve one of the most pervasive of human-caused environmental degradation — light pollution. Cost-effective technology to vastly reduce night lighting glare and stray illumination of the sky has been available now for years. Fact: By simply eliminating mercury vapor and metal halide based exterior lighting in favor of low and high pressure sodium shielded fixtures, we would not only reduce night lighting electrical costs by more than half, but significantly reduce the dome of light and glare that plagues all communities in our region. In Incline Village alone, there are dozens if not hundreds of old degraded mercury vapor fixtures affixed to trees which has been deemed illegal by TRPA since 1986, but not enforced.

If we simply eliminate these useless power hogs, we would significantly reduce our collective electric usage while eliminating a source of destructive glare and benefit by saving tens of thousands of dollars per year. In this fractured economy, such savings are not only prudent financially, but absolutely consistent with our national goals toward reducing carbon emissions while obtaining energy self-sufficiency.

Inappropriate night lighting is the one form of pollution that costs less to correct than to ignore. I implore the trustees of IVGID, the board of governors of TRPA, local city and county governments take immediate action toward enforcing existing lighting ordinances and implement the recommended IDA Model Lighting Ordinance standards. By acting now, we will enjoy immediate quality of life benefits and proudly prove that we are capable of unanimously solving one of our many environmental challenges.

Paul Guttman is an Incline Village resident and president of Space Science for Schools.