You’ve traded that stale overhead office fluorescent for the warm lights of your home. Instead of too-white, too-bright desk spotlights and screens, you are working from home and illuminating your desk or table with natural sunlight or some warm-tone lamps. There’s no argument that your home’s lighting is more comfortable than most offices — but that calming spectrum of light may be wreaking havoc on your at-home productivity. 

A recent study from the University of Toledo suggests that blue light from digital devices as well as the sun transform vital molecules in the sun’s retina into cell killers, according to phys.org. 

We need light to grow things, that’s a pretty fundamental part of farming -- and life. Which is why the notion of growing plants in the deep vacuum of space is such a tough problem to solve. 

When you’re an astronaut on a long expedition however, a replenishing supply of plant-based resources sounds much better than freeze-dried food, and may even be necessary as we embark on longer missions into deeper space. 

Twice a year more than 5 million birds from at least 250 different species fly through the city of Chicago alone as they head toward Canada in the spring and return south toward Central and South America in the fall. Though beautiful, the Windy City’s skyline can prove fatal to a number of birds who collide with glass-covered or illuminated buildings. 

Studies have estimated at least 100 million bird deaths related to light pollution in cities throughout the United States per year, and some estimates put that number closer to one billion deaths per year. 

Ecotourism has become a worldwide traveling phenomenon for those desiring nature sights and experiences, and there is a reason for the rising popularity. Ecotourism pairs global travel and exploration with environmental conservation and protecting indigenous communities, with sustainability at its heart. This article explores a more comprehensive definition of ecotourism and the benefits of its impact on communities and destinations all over the world. 

If you don’t actively stay up-to-date with developments in the lighting industry or international news, you may have missed the recent ban on halogen lighting in Europe. On September 1st, 2018, the use of halogen light bulbs was banned by the European Union. All halogen light bulbs are now prohibited and will be substituted with environmentally-conservative, energy-efficient light-emitting diode technology and compact fluorescent bulbs.

In October 2018, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Street and Area Lighting Conference (SALC) convened in Orlando, Florida, to discuss the most recent developments in lighting solutions and energy efficiency. In contrast to previous SALC’s, this conference emphasized the challenges LEDs face when trying to simultaneously provide safe environments, meet the expectations of constituents, and remain observatory-friendly. Below is a summary of the event and a few thoughts from ourselves here at CWES.