Free, efficient, non-polluting light is now available to the world's poorest people, thanks to LED (light-emitting diode) technology and solar panels.

Here's some helpful information about how our brain, eyes, and LEDs (light-emitting diodes) interact with each other.

Let's start with a bit of biology. Apparently, the human brain has a really easy time compensating for changes in color intensity but they're not so good at discerning differences in light intensity.

Did you know we have something in common with birds? And no, I'm not talking about our mutual love of trees. Both birds and humans can suffer from health problems as a result of excessive light. This isn't an issue new to this website, but I think it's important to reiterate over and over again.

It seems to me that university campuses have always led in green building design and implementation. The new Princeton University buildings being designed for the New Jersey campus are a great example of this leadership.

A Night Blight campaign was launched in England by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) in 2003 to encourage the dimming or extinguishing of lights at night, especially in the countryside. The campaign group welcomed ideas and plans from the public on how to reduce lighting energy costs and light pollution by shutting off or dimming lights at night.

Need some ideas for creating a beautiful, outdoor oasis with light? Look no further. Summarizing ideas from this article, I’ve got a list of unique options you can use to amp up the style of your outdoor lighting.

Many of us want to increase the value of our property by adding beautiful lighting designs. We also want to be safe. But as this author points out, a floodlight with two 150-watt conventional bulbs can add $100 to the electricity bill every year, and in hard economic times like these, none of us needs to be wasting money like that. Smart designs are more efficient, easier on the pocketbook, and better for the environment, too.

Reading this article in the MinnPost reminds me again of the threat our star observatories are facing because of the growing problem of light pollution. Pretty lights can certainly be viewed from this once-dark spot, but it’s not the light of distant stars, it’s the light of encroaching city illumination.