Being left in the dark in Muskoka is not always a bad thing

In March, I attended a lighting seminar where industry leaders had the chance to show off the latest technology in street and industrial lighting available to municipalities. It may have attracted the best and brightest minds from Ontario and Quebec, but the lights themselves were far from bright.

As long as street lighting has been the norm across North America we have tended to use too much light to brighten our city and town streets. It costs more than it should to run a lighting system and the bright lights, usually left on all night, are a huge waste of energy and cause light pollution.

I sat fascinated, listening to how technology is available to run an entire city’s lighting grid from a laptop computer at the cottage. If it’s a bright moonlit night in midwinter, with the press of a button the entire lighting system could be turned down a notch or two. If there is a fireworks display around a lake, a few streets could be darkened to enhance the light show. On hot, muggy summer evenings the lights could be turned down a touch to make sure there is no surge in power when the air conditioning units are fired up for a cool night’s sleep.

One of the most interesting displays was from a company that spent years creating a system that uses a fraction of the power but gives off the same amount of light. It may not have been that impressive to look at — after all, it maintained the status quo — but it was great to see that people are out there working to improve our energy consumption and protect Canada’s night skies.

Of course the cost of replacing outdated systems means that nothing much will change in the near future. Municipal light standards will not be updated and light pollution will continue to spread.

Fortunately, there are pockets of resistance to bad lighting practices. Richmond Hill is a pioneer in dark sky lighting regulations. Areas in Toronto around Lake Ontario have been found where it is possible to do some stargazing. Here in Muskoka, new developments are striving to protect the night skies. The Muskoka Wharf in Gravenhurst is a great example.

The word is spreading.

David Suzuki can be found on Canadian porches replacing wasteful light bulbs with more efficient ones. Earth Day went global from its Australian roots, and millions of people and businesses worldwide joined in and turned down the lights for one day.

It has now been five years since the eastern seaboard was plunged into darkness and for a night or two, or three in remote areas, people had to get by without electricity. A lot of good things happened that night and one of the upsides was that it was a fantastic night for stargazing. So good, in fact, the Muskoka Star Party was born the following year to celebrate the night skies. It is back again this weekend with events at Echo Valley Observatory, Clevelands House and the Torrance Barrens Dark Sky Reserve between Gravenhurst and Bala. At past parties there were storytellers and musicians around a fire, but it was soon realized the real stars of the show were the stars themselves. This is your chance to turn off the cottage lights for the night, think about how your property could be better lit and, if the clouds stay away, take in the Perseid meteor shower and really appreciate the natural light show Muskoka has to offer.