Please sign this light pollution petition

[MLParkinson]

Hi!

I just signed the petition "NSW State Government: Require councils implement outdoor lighting regulations." on Change.org.

It's important. Will you sign it too? Here's the link:

http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/nsw-state-government-require-councils-implement-outdoor-lighting-regulations?share_id=ZxQzulirXZ&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition

Thanks!

Murray

[Regulus]

Done. Will make the same moves down here in Tasmania too. Although we are not short of dark sky sites in Tas, the loss of open night skies for those in towns and cities is like an industrially induced claustrophobia.
The sense of wonder is lost to some extent.

Trevor

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup: Done .
Brian.

[gary]

Wildcard Innovations fully supports this.

High efficiency street lighting with properly designed cut-offs and intelligent street
lighting systems in some areas that, for example, possibly only turn on when
motion is detected are the low hanging fruit that governments can readily address
to help reduce energy usage, costs to rate payers, carbon emissions and light pollution.

As a company directly involved in the manufacture of accessories to the global
amateur astronomy market, reducing light pollution has a flow on effect in that
it can help employ skilled Australian workers at a manufacturing facility in
Sydney's west.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[bojan]

I am from VIC, but still done this one with pleasure.

[astroron]

Queenslander and very happy to sign :D
Cheers:thumbsup:

[mithrandir]

Done.

[Ric]

All signed

Most definitely a worthwhile cause

[MLParkinson]

So true Gary! We would have gone a long way towards meeting our obligations under the Kyoto Protocol simply by introducing light pollution ordinances. However, that was an opportunity lost due to ignorance.

Thanks for your intelligent comment, Murray

[peterl]

Done.
A great cause.

Peter Langdown

[trek1701]

Done :thumbsup:

[DJT]

Done, Total no brainer.
Thanks for raising the petition:thumbsup:

[killswitch]

Done.

[alan meehan]

Done with pleasure

[h0ughy]

done

[Larryp]

Done

[Baddad]

Me Queenslander, me put my "X" on record too.

Cheers:)

[Little Johnny]

Done.

[Saturnine]

Added to the growing list.

Jeff

[MLParkinson]

It is very important for one of the big three eastern sea board states (Vic, NSW, Qld) to take the lead and implement progressive light pollution ordinances. All it will take is one major victory with one of the big three and the rest will follow. The other states will look backwards if they don't follow. The big challenge is finding a powerful state leader with the understanding and vision to initiate change for the better. Unfortunately, federal politicians are presently too distracted and it might be a long time before they can shift their focus back to some of the more important issues like light pollution.

I think it is wonderful that people from other states are happy to sign the NSW petition.

[scagman]

:thumbsup: Done

As you say, if one changes the rest might follow.

Cheers

[el_draco]

Signed that petition with Glee. Had to deal with that disgusting beacon over Hobart and someone needs to take a stand.

[sheeny]

Done

[BlackWidow]

I'm in! Signed

[GraemeT]

Done!

[Nikolas]

Done from Melbourne

[Yogie-One]

Done.
I hope this will spread to South Australia too. We need something like this to combat the runaway waste of the night sky. Where I live, we can see only about 6 stars, and that is on a good night.

Y/O (Yogie-One)

[MLParkinson]

Some people don't think that Australia has a problem with light pollution because the central desert is one vast dark sky park (she'll be right mate). For the vast majority of Australian citizens, the light pollution problem is as bad as in the Northern Hemisphere because our population is one of the most urbanized on the planet. I live in Sydney and it is a 5 hour drive to reach a true dark sky location. Most of our friends in the Northern Hemisphere have to travel similar distances to find a reasonable approximation to pristine night. Australia has a very serious light pollution problem.

[04Stefan07]

Done!

[AstroJason]

Done here.

[Patterson]

Count me in with bells on. Wayne Patterson in Melbourne pollution.

[chappo]

Done!

[MLParkinson]

Does anyone know Steve Fletcher? I think he is the guy who created the petition. I hope we are not wasting our time.

[spacezebra]

Done!

Cheers Petra d.

[Occulta]

Me too!

[l3gendluk3]

Luke D in perth :)

[mswhin63]

I in Perth as well. I got mail from Steve Fletcher too, appear legit as a way to host a site specifically for partitioning or making changes.

The next step once gathered is forwarding onto the correct authorities.

[lacad01]

Done, thanks for the heads up.

[BlackNebula]

Done!
Too many kids growing up now have no idea what a dark sky looks like, very sad

[MLParkinson]

Thanks to all of those people who have taken their time to sign the petition. It is reassuring to know that a large fraction of the IceInSpace community actually cares about the issue – well, at least enough to sign a form anyway. But will anyone do anything more than that? I have spoken to many astronomers over the years about light pollution and it saddens me deeply when I discover that many of them are comfortable with the exponential growth in the use of the electric light bulb. I guess at the end of the day they are more concerned with their own social status and fear of the dark than preservation of the natural world. Changing that aspect of human culture is at the heart of the problem. How can we create a culture whereby people gain a sense of status by eliminating artificial light, rather than buying it at ever-increasing levels of intensity? Use of the electric light bulb has gone far beyond just eliminating fear of the dark - it has become largely a way of asserting affluence and status.

[multiweb]

I reckon we should have a 'light' tax. And you get 'light' credits if you use candles at home. :lol:
Seriously that won't go away unless penalties or money are involved.

Residential area don't seem to account for much of LP compared to Industrial zoning, in the west anyway. If you jack power pricing right up the cost will be passed to the consumers in the end so that wouldn't work at all.
I don't know of any pollie who would have the balls to pass a legislation to switch the lights off or 90% of them in non critical areas such as industrial areas at night but that's where it would/should start.

Maybe financial incentive to turn them off? Tax cuts? I'm dreaming aloud here. :lol:

[mswhin63]

Yes an unfortunate slow growth in the light use causes people to be unaware of the real effect. If something like this happened quickly, there would be numerous more complaints.

I shared the link on my Google Community for Astro-photography, received a couple of likes.

[MLParkinson]

Marc, sincerely, these are terrific ideas and very realistic and achievable. We shouldn't be defeatist and assume our politicians will fail us, because many of them are very sincere genuine people who want to make a difference (I suspect that everyone will criticize me for that one). According to the IDA website, France has been introducing light pollution laws, including a requirement for all businesses to switch off their lights when they shut up shop. That sounds like very sensible legislation to me. My impression is that Australia, as usual, is 10-20 years behind Europe and USA on this issue. We mustn't give up. The world can change for the better. Solving the problem of light pollution is largely just a matter of persistent public education. When everyone understands the issues clearly, they will want light pollution laws and taxes, just like they want to save trees, dolphins and whales. I firmly believe that the common person wants to see the Milky Way, or at least know it is there to be seen.

[mswhin63]

I think Earth Watch was one of the programs that tried the 1 day no lights blah blah, but unfortunately some of the business people objected to this because of potential theft issues. There are a lot of for and against issues regarding light remaining on but the most business favours lights on to regulate against theft at night.

[multiweb]

Not defeatist, just realistic. I mean we're really a minority. What are the odds? Any change will be driven by the majority and economics. I realise that they might have passed laws overseas and you feel we're behind but you have to realise that the situation there is very different from here. You'd be hard pressed to find a dark patch under their skies. Electricity prices in France are also skyhigh so the motivation might be to save a buck or two as well and I suspect that's the real drive.

We still have very dark quality skies downunder. We just have to go a little further. I'm all for change and a firm believer that there isn't much to do to achieve a reasonable result or compromise in industrial parks but that'd be a hell of a lot of lobbying with local councils to get them to turn the lights off. Where do we start? Do you think a petition is going to make any difference? Somebody mentioned earlier that even registered clubs/organisation don't add much weight to the argument. :shrug:

[GraemeT]

I was more than happy to sign up, but quite unprepared for the spate of emails from change.org wanting me to sign multiple other petitions!

[MLParkinson]

All we need is 8 more people to sign the petition. Surely there are 8 more people prepared to sign it? I guess it could all be a waste of time.

[gaa_ian]

In the words of the band Redgum "If you don"t fight you lose"
I will promote this to our club.
We were successful in limiting the light pollution from a large development here in the NT.
YOU can make a difference !!!

[h0ughy]

yep i agree - i have now blocked the site - the only thing i could do

[solissydney]

So where is the proof that Premier Barry O'Farrell "Require councils implement outdoor lighting regulations" ???

Ken
SOLIS

[mswhin63]

The petition is to encourage the action as it is not taking place. The Premier is not making this action.

NSW is a different situation, there is a current action being undertaken to reduce carbon footprint but may not provide action of light pollution.

[bigjoe]

Done also, and gladly.

[gaa_ian]

Well done Murray on getting your 100 signatures !

[mozzie]

steve is a grafton boy and when i was a member there of the astro club he was quit adament of light pollution and giving grafton council lots of facts...he e-mailed me a few weeks back to sign this petition and it was apleasure to do so..seems to be a passion of his and knowing steve he will not give up on this..
and yes i to also blocked this site with a heap of pesty e-mails..i think he is also a member here...

[mozzie]

just checked in the community and he is active no posts but was on earlier this year...if you wanted to contact him to find out more on this subject pm him at steve fletcher..

[gaa_ian]

This thread I have started might be of interest to those of you passionate about the fight against light pollution.
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=111423