Reducing Light Pollution

There are many very simple ways to reduce light pollution. One way is to direct light downwards instead of upwards, which is referred to as Shielded Lights or Full Cut-off.  This will decrease the effect of the dispersed light (Natural Lightscapes Overview).

 Examples of bad and good light fixtures (Natural Landscapes Overview)

The IDA Practical Guide offers three additional ways to reduce light:
only use light when and where needed, use needed amount of light only, use efficient light sources outdoors. Lastly, the best way to reduce light pollution is to turn off unused or extraneous lights (Narisada and Schreuder 18). Many cities in Massachusetts and throughout New England have adopted lighting regulations; however, Boston is not one of them. Light pollution is deceptively dangerous environmental concern and it deserves more attention.