Are we in danger of spoiling our village?

Having moved to Martinstown from a city in recent years, one of the things I valued most about living here was the darkness at night. Needing to take a torch with me when going out in winter was a novelty.

But it has become noticeable how many more lights have been installed around the village lately; bright security ones, garden flood and solar lights, many of which stay on all night.

This is a pity for a number of reasons, and members of Green Martinstown feel it is a cause for concern.

The impact on wildlife

Light pollution poses a serious threat in particular to nocturnal wildlife, having negative effects on plant and animal physiology,

altering behaviour patterns and changing predator-prey relations.

Consider the threat to creatures such as hedgehogs, moths, frogs and toads, owls and bats, to name just a few.

The loss of our dark sky

Being able to see thousands of stars and the Milky Way galaxy in our night sky is such a privilege, lost to many living in towns and cities. The natural night sky is our common and universal heritage

and future generations need to experience it. Here in Martinstown we should not allow artifical light to wash out our starry nights.

Glare from nighttime lighting can also be a safety hazard.

The waste of energy

Over-illumination, even with energy efficient bulbs, is a waste of money and increases our carbon footprint.

The good news is that light pollution can be reduced fairly easily by shielding lights properly or directing them down, only using the minimum amount of light necessary, and fitting motion sensors or timers.

We call upon you, our friends and neighbours in the village, to consider whether your lighting is really necessary and if you could reduce the impact of it on the neighbourhood in some way. Please do make sure no lights are unnecessarily left on all night.

Let’s reclaim the night for ourselves, for nature and for the planet.

Katie Wilkinson