In the first of a series of educational articles the Environmental Commission will be producing, Township resident Rex Parker, a member of the Hopewell Township Environmental Commission and the Director of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton, has written Of Moths, Birds, and the Milky Way, The importance of reducing artificial lighting at night. In this article he starts by saying "Artificial lighting at night is as damaging to humanity as it is for small flying creatures," and he goes on to outline the effects of light pollution and what you can do about it. 

Residents can help in the following ways:

• full cutoff shielding of outdoor light fixtures (prevent upward glare)
• use minimum light needed for the task at hand
• shut off or reduce lighting levels when an area is not in use
• use amber-yellow LED lamps outdoors, eliminate blue-tinted lights
• support preservation of open space and native plant habitat
• increase the number of native pants and wildflowers on your property