Light pollution is caused by anyone who uses electric lighting; in other words, all of us. There are several steps you can take to reduce light pollution on your property, in your neighborhood and in your municipality:

1)  Switch off all Unnecessary Outdoor Lighting. It is amazing the number of people who have outdoor lighting that is used for absolutely nothing! Check around your property for signs of wasteful lighting. You'll be surprised!

2)  Reduce your Lighting Power. Look at the outdoor lights you really do need and ask yourself, "Do I really need this much power to light up my property?"

3)  Look at your Neighbour's Outdoor Lights. Is he/she being wasteful too? A friendly neighbourly gesture to reduce his/her light output will not only reduce the light pollution in our skies but save your neighbour money on electricity!

4)  Look at the Streetlights in your Neighborhood. Observe how much light is heading downward at the street and how much light is heading up into space.

5)  Check out Security Lighting in your Town/City. If you see a large bright light halo or dome surrounding the installation, then it is very likely that some of that powerful lighting is making its way into the night sky!

6)  Observe your Night Sky. Do you see large blobs of orange-pink or blue-white light in the sky? You are looking at the sky reflecting wasted lighting. This is especially noticeable in an overcast sky where the clouds are very low (1000 foot ceiling or lower).

7)  Contact Municipal Government Representative(s). Streetlights aren't going to fix themselves! It takes ordinary people to voice concern over this wasteful practice and minimize it for the good of everyone.

8)  Contact your Local Businesses. Businesses are not likely going to change their lighting practices until you demonstrate to them the wasted money in lighting costs. They just might rethink the lighting practices they use!

9)  Look into the Clear Night Sky. Imagine how much more you could see without the large blobs of wasted light getting in the way! Toronto learned this lesson during the August 2003 blackout. Torontonians saw the Milky Way (some for the first time) without knowing what it was!