Does Collingswood Need a Light Pollution Law? Part 2

After a hot discussion last week, we circle back on the idea of light trespass in Collingswood to see whether some cooler heads can sift through the issues at work.

Dark Skies II: Mayor, Residents Weigh in on Light Ordinance Flap

After a hot discussion last week, we circle back on the idea of light trespass in Collingswood to see whether some cooler heads can sift through the issues at work.

At the end of 2012, borough commissioners heard public comment from Collingswood resident Suzanne Cloud on the issue of light pollution in town. Several weeks later, the issue surfaced again in a wish list of improvements in the borough, and finally, Collingswood Patch reported on the subject in greater depth last week. The reaction that followed was certainly greater, in many respects, than Cloud could have expected; but in many ways, she said, it was also disappointing. As the director of the nonprofit Jazz Bridge foundation, Cloud said she’s often online, talking about sometimes-controversial topics, and that she’d never encountered such a reaction to any issue with which she’s been involved. “It’s important for me to get my opinions …

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Collingswood Resident Wants to Dim Light Pollution

Collingswood resident Suzanne Cloud thinks the borough should consider a 'light trespass' ordinance to control luminous pollution.

When she goes outside at night, Collingswood resident Suzanne Cloud looks up at the sky and is disappointed. "Maybe you can see Orion, and maybe you can see The Big Dipper, but you probably can’t see the Pleiades, and you probably can’t see Beetlejuice," she says, "because it’s just too bright." As a child, Cloud beheld the arc of the Milky Way in the darkness over Pennsauken. Nowadays, she said, a hazy flood of lights from businesses, shopping centers and overanxious security timers spills out. "We’re competing with Philadelphia, that’s to be sure, but we’re also creating our own pollution," Cloud said. At the December 2012 meeting of the borough commissioners, Cloud spoke up to invite Collingswood leaders to consider a "light trespass …

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