Outdoor Lighting

Improper use of outdoor lighting can waste energy, create safety issues, and keep the night skies from being dark, impeding amateur astronomy and appreciation of the night sky. Members of Acton’s former Outdoor Lighting Education Committee have written up this guide to proper outdoor lighting, and are available for consultation at outdoorlighting@greenacton.org.

Background: Good Neighbor Outdoor Lighting

Light pollution from excess artificial light causes problems for people and wildlife. Sometimes we cannot even see the stars because of unnecessary artificial lights shining upward. We can reduce the problem through community awareness, legislation (for example, requiring shielding on outdoor lights), and improved lighting technology.Detrimental effects of poor outdoor lighting include glare, light trespass… Continue reading →

Natural Gas Infrastructure

Green Acton interacts with issues around natural gas (NG) infrastructure, both existing and potential, in at least two areas: (1) the multitude of leaks in NG infrastructure across the Commonwealth, including Acton, and (2) the building of new NG infrastructure in the state and locally. We advocate that NG leaks need to be repaired/eliminated, and that building new… Continue reading →

Energy

The flows and stores of energy in any system act to organize that system. How Acton and our region deal with generating, transporting, and using energy is one of the key indicators of whether we are moving toward sustainability, or digging ourselves more deeply into environmental trouble.