The lighting you choose matters greatly to both aesthetics and sustainability. With more to consider for the latter than just using the latest LEDs and lowering energy consumption, sustainable lighting can help the natural climate as well as your budget.
Choice of venue
Start with choosing a venue with plenty of natural light and an open plan. In the UK we don’t always have the luxury of relying on sunny weather to host stunningly lit outdoor events, but the right venue will give you the maximum value for any lighting options you choose.
Automate it
Your lighting may not be needed all of the time. Automatic or motion sensitive lights can save on energy in bathrooms which don’t have people in at every hour of the day, storerooms for staff, or exhibition and meeting areas which lay dormant if not in use.
Energy Sources
Just because the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing, doesn’t mean you can’t rely on sustainable energy sources for your event. With progressions in energy storage and clean generators you can easily power your event with clean energy. Just check out companies like Sunstore.
Retaining natural habitats
Outdoor lighting at night has a devastating result on wildlife, reducing nocturnal pollinator visits to flowers by 62% in some areas of the UK, according to Buglife. Not only is pollination a crucial factor to maintaining crops, but by losing insect populations the displacement of food chains could have disastrous effects on entire ecosystems. You can help, try reduced lighting, have lights angled down – not skyward, and install low-level path lighting.
Light pollution
Many of us are living in an area which we cannot see a natural night sky. Taking responsibility to avoid contributing to light pollution only takes a couple easy steps as outlined by DarkSky. Firstly, warm coloured LED bulbs help to reduce energy and avoid harmful white or blue light sources, blue light especially at night should be avoided with its larger reach and secondly, avoid excessive or unnecessary indoor and outdoor lighting at night.
Clean up
According to Industville, dirty light fixtures emit 30% less light than clean light fixtures, lessening the brightness and quality of light your venue receives. So, if you think your lights are looking a little dim, don’t jump to replace them – lighting fixtures should be cleaned twice a year with regular maintenance and dusting, and you may be able to use less energy.