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Procure site lighting with light pollution in mind
ROADS AND LANDSCAPE
Segment Family Class
30
12
0
SDG Alignment
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
SDG Target
15.5
Target Description
Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss off biodiversity and, by 2030, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
Level of Effort
Level of Effort Scale
1
1 -Quick Wins: solution involves adding criteria for the good or service being purchased (ex: certifications), minimal internal process changes.
2 -Long Term Adoption: solution requires some changes to internal processes and/or more capital investment (ex: digital transformation to reduce paper use).
3 – Disruptive Opportunities: requires significant investment and changes to internal processes (ex: retrofitting building)
Category Assessment
Assessment
•Collaborate with internal stakeholders to prepare a lighting plan that specifies areas where alternatives to lighting are possible (ex. Retro-reflective markers) according to safety and security lighting requirements, (ex. minimum number of lights required or lowest luminosity limit) by workplace safety regulators (CCOHS, OSHA).
•Identify light intensive activities that could be restricted to day-time hours.
•Engage with your current supplier to identify what colour, lumen options, and fixture designs are available.
•Use the current amount of energy used and cost for lighting on-as a baseline for KPI reporting.
•Determine the number of at-risk wildlife in the region using broadly applicable monitoring data (ex. ABMI, ECOS) to establish a baseline for KPI reporting.
Opportunity Identification
Business: Cost-savings as fewer and lower-wattage lights require less energy. Increased safety as workers' visual range is enhanced by minimizing glare and excessive lighting, enabling them to perceive potential dangers concealed behind light sources and in shaded areas.
Sustainability: Minimize habitat loss and mitigate problems around reproduction, migration, and diapause by fighting light pollution in sensitive areas. Additionally, the reduced energy intensity of lower-wattage lights leads to decreased emissions.
Strategy Build & Execution
•Use the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) glare requirement as a guide for permanent lighting.
•Begin by retrofitting existing permanent light fixtures:
-Direct lights at intended areas to avoid lighting spill.
-Procure timers, sensors, and switches to reduce lighting when unnecessary.
•When building new permanent light fixtures:
-Refer to lighting plan to determine if a permanent light fixture is necessary.
-Identify where fixtures with full cut-off luminaries can be implemented according to minimum safety and security requirements.
-Procure amber instead of bluish-white light bulbs.
-Where possible, purchase lighting that has the Fixture Seal of Approval (FSA) certification from the International Dark Sky Association (IDA).
•Use government grants to help fund retrofits and new dark-sky preserving fixtures, for example through the Canadian government’s Habitat Stewardship Program. Use the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) glare requirement as a guide for permanent lighting.
Begin by retrofitting existing permanent light fixtures:
Direct lights at intended areas to avoid lighting spill.
Procure timers, sensors, and switches to reduce lighting when unnecessary.
When building new permanent light fixtures:
Refer to lighting plan to determine if a permanent light fixture is necessary.
Identify where fixtures with full cut-off luminaries can be implemented according to minimum safety and security requirements.
Procure amber instead of bluish-white light bulbs.
Where possible, purchase lighting that has the Fixture Seal of Approval (FSA) certification from the International Dark Sky Association (IDA).
Use government grants to help fund retrofits and new dark-sky preserving fixtures, for example through the Canadian government’s Habitat Stewardship Program. Use the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) glare requirement as a guide for permanent lighting.
Begin by retrofitting existing permanent light fixtures:
Direct lights at intended areas to avoid lighting spill.
Procure timers, sensors, and switches to reduce lighting when unnecessary.
When building new permanent light fixtures:
Refer to lighting plan to determine if a permanent light fixture is necessary.
Identify where fixtures with full cut-off luminaries can be implemented according to minimum safety and security requirements.
Procure amber instead of bluish-white light bulbs.
Where possible, purchase lighting that has the Fixture Seal of Approval (FSA) certification from the International Dark Sky Association (IDA).
Use government grants to help fund retrofits and new dark-sky preserving fixtures, for example, through the Canadian government’s Habitat Stewardship Program.
Supplier Negotiation & Contract
•Negotiate for the proper disposal of unnecessary lightbulbs and fixtures with your supplier if they cannot be retrofitted or reused.
•Negotiate with suppliers for discounts on complementary light reduction and energy saving products such as timers, sensors, switches, and full cut-off luminaires.
•If a fixture is necessary and there is no FSA-certified option available, include a dark-sky compliance clause in RFPs for fixtures and service providers.
Supplier Performance & Management
•Track progress by regularly reporting on cost-savings from reduced energy usage.
•Continually monitor wildlife data to determine the lighting plan’s impact on regional biodiversity and population growth.
•Educate suppliers on the importance of reducing light pollution and incentivize FSA certification by communicating the growing benefits of being listed as dark-sky friendly.
Resource Links
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