Unshielded and misdirected outdoor lights don't just help light up our streets; they shine directly upwards or sideways, not only is it blinding for drivers, but it also essentially creates this giant dome of light around the city. This unnecessary light pollution wastes energy, costs taxpayers' money and it hides all of the beautiful features that used to define our night sky.

For generations people would look up at our night sky with awe and wonder and now it's being taken away from us.  Whether you're religious or not, the night sky has always been a beautiful natural gift given to us. For me, it's a God-given natural gift that expresses the beauty of creation itself. Psalm 19:1 (NIV) tells us: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." When artificial light washes out the skies, it deprives our community from seeing creation and all of its glory as it was meant to be seen.

Money and energy are also being wasted. When a light bulb isn't shielded, up to 50% (or more) of the light shines straight up or sideways into empty space. Unshielded lights force the city to use more energy just to get enough usable light down onto the ground, this extra energy increases operational costs for Tifton's municipal budget. This means that every kilowatt of energy wasted to illuminate the sky is just taxpayers' money that is being thrown away every single night. The fix is extremely simple, use fully shielded lights. Fully shielded, down-facings lights direct 100% of its light down onto the ground allowing us to use lower-wattage, energy-efficient bulbs that essentially produces the same ground visibility while significantly reducing energy bills.

Most people in Tifton have never seen the milky way because of light pollution, I've even met some people in Tifton who didn't even know it was possible to see the milky way from earth. As sad as that is, it's the reality we're living in.  Restoring our dark skies will give this city a unique advantage: nearby travelers, photographers and tourists actively visit towns with clear, starry skies. This would increase the revenue of hotels, shops and restaurants here in Tifton. It would also give the community chances to see things that most people today will sadly never get to see. Like a sky filled with stars, constellations, meteor showers and POSSIBLY a view of the milky way.

Reducing light pollution would also reduce blinding glares that most drivers get at night. This would make nighttime driving a lot safer, especially for people who have poor vision. It also reduces the amount of light shining into residents' homes at night which in turn improves sleep quality and can potentially help protect local wildlife.

What are we asking from the city? We're not asking them to turn off any lights or have them all replaced overnight but we're also not saying that existing light fixtures shouldn't be mandated. Waiting years for old lights to naturally burn out means Tifton will continue to waste money every single night and it means that we'll have to wait longer to get back the gift that has been naturally given to us. We are simply asking city leaders to: 

1.  Mandate new light installations: require that all lights and commercial fixtures be 100% downward shielded to prevent making our current light pollution problem worse.
2.  Use different light bulbs: new and old lights should use a warm-toned LED (2700K or lower) to reduce overall energy consumption.
3.  Phase in retrofits or replacements for existing lights: Create a targeted plan with a realistic timeline to retrofit or replace existing lights. Prioritize the highest polluting municipal lights and unshielded fixtures in high-glare residential and high-traffic areas first.
4.  Add shield attachments: Where replacements aren't immediately possible, install low-cost glare shields to direct light downwards.
5.  Leverage energy savings: Use the immediate electricity bill savings from retrofitted, lower watt LEDs to offset initial installation costs.