ICOLE Mission

ABOUT ICOLE

Our Mission
Our Recommendations for Better Outdoor Lighting
More About Us
The Council
Joining

The ICOLE Mission Statement

The Indiana Council on Outdoor Lighting Education (ICOLE) is a volunteer organization dedicated to promoting awareness of light pollution and the need for outdoor lighting design and use standards. Improper outdoor lighting designs create hazards by causing poor vision, are cost inefficient, waste energy, cause unnecessary air pollution, create annoyance, intrude into the nighttime environment, and destroy our view of the night sky. In order to fulfill its mission, ICOLE was formed:

To promote awareness of light pollution and promote improved outdoor lighting to local and state officials, lighting engineers, developers, planners, the media, the public, and others.
To offer and promote practical solutions for reducing light pollution through state statutes, local ordinances, government policies, and voluntary measurers.
To provide access to information about outdoor lighting and light pollution reduction efforts.

ICOLE's Recommendations for Outdoor Lighting Reform

ICOLE proposes that outdoor lighting should be properly designed and properly installed to increase safety through improved nighttime vision, to conserve energy, to promote cost efficiency, to reduce air pollution, and to preserve the natural nighttime environment including the night sky, through the elimination of misdirected light.

ICOLE proposes that all high intensity outdoor light fixtures be fully shielded and aimed so that all light is transmitted in a downward direction and glare is minimized to the greatest extent possible. ICOLE proposes that illumination levels should not exceed the recommendations of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America. ICOLE proposes that outdoor light fixtures should have directional control to prevent light from being emitted directly onto adjacent property and beyond.

ICOLE proposes that unnecessary lighting at closed businesses or offices should not remain on overnight and whenever possible motion detector activated lighting should be used for security lighting rather than constant lighting. ICOLE proposes that lighting fixtures of externally lighted signs should be top-mounted and pointed downward. Off-premise commercial signs should be turned off by 10:30p.m. and on-premise signs should be turned off after a business is closed and vacated for the night.

ICOLE is affiliated with the International Dark-sky Association, IDA.

More About ICOLE

Among our members and supporters are urban planners, environomentalists, neighborhood activists, current and former astronomical society officers, college professors, observatory directors, Great Lakes Planetarium Association representatives, planetarium directors, engineers, and members of the resolution calling on the Indiana legislature to direct state agencies to review policies and report to the legislature on how they can reduce light pollution. The resolution also calls on local governments to take steps to reduce light pollution.

Recent events have increased awareness of Indiana's light pollution. The electric utility Cinergy PSI distributed a brochure to its 600,000 customer addresses which states that some outdoor lighting is a problem for astronomy, a nuisance, and a potential driving danger. An increasing number of media reports focus on light pollution in Indiana.

The Council

Kevin Fleming, was ICOLE's original founder. He serves as ICOLE Chairman and its central Indiana representative.

George Nickas, professor and chair of the department of physics and astronomy, Hanover College, has also served as an energy consultant. He is ICOLE's Director and southeastern Indiana representative.

Forrest Hamilton is employed at the Space Telescope Science Institute and is an at-large ICOLE representative. Forrest is the webmaster of the IDA and a graduate of Indiana University.

Brian P. Murphy, is a real estate developer/manager, and Commissioner on the Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission. He is a life-long resident of Indianapolis and was graduated from DePauw University. As an ICOLE council member, he advises the council on urban planning matters.

Mitch Luman is director of the Koch Science Center and Planetarium in Evansville and is ICOLE's southwestern Indiana representative.

George Wyncott, past president of the Wabash Valley Astronomical Society, is an ICOLE representative from the Lafayette area. George was also a founder of ICOLE and created the ICOLE subscriber e-mail listserv.
Dr. Brian Murphy, associate professor and department head physics and astronomy, Butler University in Indianapolis. Brian is ICOLE's Indianapolis representative. He is director of the Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium at Butler.
Dr. Tim Hunter, M.D, hails from Hagerstown, IN and is a DePauw graduate. He is vice-chairman of the department of radiology at the University of Arizona. He co-founded the IDA with David Crawford. Tim serves ICOLE as advisor to the council.

Martin Burkhead, professor emeritus, IU Astronomy department, is a long time advocate of good outdoor lighting. He serves ICOLE as an advisor to the council.

Joining

ICOLE focuses on the reduction of light pollution with minimal effort spent maintaining an administrative structure. There are no dues. All participation in ICOLE is voluntary. The only requirement for joining ICOLE is a desire to reduce light pollution. ICOLE does not receive financial assistance from any person or organization of the lighting or energy industries or from any other organization.

The Indiana Council on Outdoor Lighting Education, ICOLE http://icole.home.att.net

All material here is copyrighted by its authors as noted and can be used for non-commercial purposes to promote outdoor lighting education, providing proper credit is given.