State of the Planet - 2023 Report on Artificial Light at Night 

Recognizing that Artificial Lighting At Night (ALAN) is an important, yet essential part of everyday life, Smithfield is making movements to become more responsible with regards to our local lighting needs across the Town.   Smithfield also recognizes that use of outdoor lighting at night is a form of pollution & is everyone's responsibility to make conscious decisions to turn the lights off when not in use, or modify use of lights which are not needed which are great starts.  It’s simple, just a conscious decision to be efficient.  If you do not need them on, simply turn them off = efficiency.

Lighting affects every aspect of our night life.  We use them for security, we use them for guidance & we use them to make unlit areas usable during the night time.  Understanding our lighting decisions have impacts, both environmental & to health are important considerations in any development, redevelopment, retrofit or new project that occurs in our community that must be considered.

Our decisions to illuminate outdoor areas at night can have both positive & negative unintended impacts on our surroundings & our health.  Careful consideration needs to be given to avoid over-lit situations with too much light or too bright of a lighting selection. Pointing the glare of the light sources directly out to a street, an abutting property or towards freshwater wetlands must be avoided by considering careful placement & design of the lights being used during their time of placement.

When hiring an electrician to update your outdoor lighting at your building, please remember, electricians are NOT lighting designers!  They are electricans.  Be mindful & respectful of good lighting design, material selection & operation to minimize your impacts.

Did you know that Smithfield has an Outdoor Light Equipment Ordinance?  Within this Ordinance there are design standards that require adherence to for new development, including new residential home construction.  Here are some useful Do's & Don't of Responsible Lighting at Night for both indoor & outdoor applications.

Below are 5 basic best management practices of responsible outdoor lighting selection we can all do to make our outdoor spaces more enjoyable, reduce energy consumption & minimize our impacts on the night time environment.

Important catch phrases:

Light with Care, Not Glare

Stars up, Lights Down

Dark Sky doesn't mean Dark Ground

Better Lights for Better Nights

Learn more about what your community is doing to be protective of our night time environment by treating everyone's right to a dark sky as a resource.

Just by aiming lights down & minimizing use Light Pollution can be remedied.

Help make Smithfield's Scenice Sites look amazing.  Half of the Town's parks are after dark!

Municipal Buildings & Facilities Lighting Retrofit Program

Click here to take the Home Lighting Assessment to determine if you are being responsible to protect the night.

"Lights Off" is alway an alternative  too!

Below are some useful links to help our Smithfield residents & businesses better understand the impacts their choices may have when they decide to use lights at night time.  All major technical and educational authorities on outdoor lighting now recognize artificial light at night as a form of human pollution.  Please use this information to make better informed decisions about what you can do right at home to be a better steward of the night.

Design Lights Consortium

Illumination Engineers Society

Dark Sky International

Light Pollution Maps

Handy Tips to Better Lighting at your Home

Science Magazine's recent Volume on Light Pollution & its wide-spread effects

Other useful links & resources for public education: US Dept of Energy – American Medical Association – Street Lights & Crime - National Park Service