We’ve all heard about water, earth, and noise pollution, but did you know that light pollution is also a major environmental problem? In 2016, the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness revealed that as much as 80% of the world’s population lives under skyglow, which not only affects the environment but also disrupts our health. This is something that the city of Toledo wants to address.

Despite the pandemic, the Ohio city is still on track to convert all 28,000 streetlights to LED lights, and the transition should be completed by 2022. According to Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, the total cost of the investment will be $5.8 million, but the annual savings of $580,000 mean that the LED lights will pay for themselves in 10 years or less. LED lights can retrofit just about any building, so it’s not surprising that more cities are rallying to bring them in the streets, where they could solve the problem of light pollution.

Studies have shown that LED lights are superior to existing streetlights, as they have a longer service life, consume up to 75% less energy, and provide a higher quality light. “LED lights are currently having a moment thanks to the pandemic, as more and more people decide to boost home comfort with sustainable, energy-saving solutions,” explain the experts at Lepro, an online outlet specializing in LED lights that is currently thriving.

Toledo authorities plan to replace all streetlights by the end of 2021 and hope that this investment will make the city safer and more sustainable. But they’re not the first city to do so. Here in Chicago, the Smart Lighting Program, which was initiated in 2017, is approaching its end phase and, by the end of August 2021, all cobra-head street lights will have been converted to LEDs. The lights were changed under the guidance of the U.S. Department of Energy, the American Medical Association, and the Illuminating Engineering Society, which helped them determine a safe color temperature. At the end of the project, the city should save around $100 million.