Sample Letter to Your Municipal Environmental Commission
The sample letter shown below is intended to provide you with an example of how a resident of a municipality can prepare a letter to their local environmental commission. I recommend that you avoid using Astronomy phrases such as Save the Stars, Dark Sky Friendly or even Turning off all your outside lights is the best security. Such wording is generally understood to be typical Astronomy Lobbyist spin. It can scare-off potential supporters who feel that Astronomers are often asking for too much. Remember, preventing misdirected and excessive lighting is the best deal you’re going to get.
Talk and work with others in your town who may also want to complain about light pollution. (Use different wording to avoid the appearance of a “form letter”)
To: (Name)
Chairman, (Municipality) Environmental Commission
(Address)
Re: Light Pollution
Dear (Name)
I have read the article “Fighting Light Pollution”, appearing on Page 14 in the Spring Issue - 2007, of the ANJEC Report and cannot understand why (Municipality) has not yet adopted an ordinance to control Light Pollution. It’s time for us to join Eatontown in preventing wasteful Glare spilling in unwanted directions so that we can all see better at night. Also, excessive levels of lighting are a waste of energy.
Eatontown has been regulating its outdoor lighting since 1993 to the satisfaction of the residential and business community, based on the guidelines of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America. It is time to work with ANJEC and learn how to stop this environmental abuse and to save energy.
Sincerely,
(Name of Resident)
