Campaign For Dark Skies

 Good Lighting Award

The British Astronomical Association's Campaign for Dark Skies presented Mr Ashley Nicollson, the owner and director of the well known Paintworks establishment, a consortium of small businesses, at Brislington, Bristol, with a special award for outside lighting of a type which greatly reduces light pollution in that area and contributes to a general improvement in the nighttime environment in this part of Bristol.

The award, the first to be made in Bristol, was presented by Mr Bob Mizon ,National Coordinator of the Campaign for Dark Skies,and members of the Bristol Astronomical Society were also present including Mr John Meacham , local representative for the Campaign.

BAS members Ron Sparrow, Eddie Carpenter, Chris lee, Janine Derry and John Meacham were present when CfDS National Coordinator Bob Mizon presented the Good Lighting Award to Mr Ashley Nicollson  

Good lighting depends on lighting units which cast light downwards rather than sending it upwards into the sky where it causes sky glow .This is the visible glow created by scattering and reflection from atmospheric droplets ,even on what seems to be a clear night , veiling the stars and degrading the environment above.
Light pollution is not just an astronomers problem .The quality of many people s lives,whether or not they observe the stars is seriously degraded by poor quality exterior lighting. Overbright and poorly directed lighting can dazzle those who need to see, concealing rather than revealing. Much sports floodlighting and vastly overstated “security lights “ fall into this category.
Over the last few years many improvements have been made , notably Bristol street lighting ,with the fitting of units which by British Standards , cast light downwards. However a great deal of better quality lighting is needed ,particularly at industrial sites, sports grounds and other premises where installed lights are often too bright for the purpose ,shine into places where the emissions are not needed, and in many cases simply unnecessary.

Correct type lighting can greatly reduce energy use and waste and the most visible aspect of energy waste is that of night-time lighting.
Improvements can and should be made ,such as this example at the Paintworks .
 "The problem from a national and indeed international point of view  is getting worse. Between 1993 and 2000 light pollution increased 24%, nationally, the amount of truly dark sky in this country fell15 to 11% and light saturated sky rose to 7%." ( The Campaign to Protect Rural England ,2003 Night Blight Initiative )