[Summit] lights left on all night

[Martha Fraenkel]

There is alot of private lighting  that stays on all night for 
security.  But the cop I talked to recently said that the vast majority 
of the property crimes he sees are so fast that lighting is irrelevant.

Anyway,  there is a big down-side to all night lighting.  Artificial 
light at night has negative health consequences.  Among these, it raises 
the risk of breast cancer by interfering with tumor suppressing 
hormones, including melatonin.   See info from the American Medical 
Association (as mainstream as it gets)  at 
http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/csaph/a12-csaph4-lightpollution-summary.pdf  
And it makes it hard to sleep.

A better option is to replace all-night lighting with motion-sensitive 
lighting.  Also saves energy.  Or, you can use  cut-off or"shielded"  
light fixtures that send light down only, so that your light does not 
illuminate your neighbors.   It's only fair to ask your neighbor before 
you illuminate their property.

Martha