Today we celebrate the UNESCO International Day of Light 💡

Light is so deeply integrated into our lives that we rarely stop to think about it. Beyond illumination, it quietly shapes almost every aspect of modern civilization: the way we communicate through optical fibers, diagnose diseases with medical imaging, grow food, explore the universe, manufacture technology, navigate cities, measure time, and even understand the origins of life itself.

For thousands of years, light has extended human activity beyond daylight, enabled knowledge to spread through writing and observation, inspired art and culture, and driven scientific revolutions that transformed society. Today, photons carry the information behind the internet, power precision manufacturing, and enable many of the technologies defining the future.

What is fascinating is that most of this remains invisible in our daily routines. We notice the screen, not the photonics behind it. We notice connectivity, not the light pulses traveling through glass. We notice the diagnosis, not the optics enabling it.

Light is not just something we see. It is one of the fundamental infrastructures of human progress.

Happy International Day of Light. 💡🌍

#InternationalDayOfLight #Photonics #Optics #Science #Technology #Innovation #Engineering #Light #IntegratedPhotonics

When talking to economists I often get the feeling that everything has to serve economy, including us humans, not that economy is somethig to make our lifes better. For many hard core economists everything is about expoiting ressources, and many seem to think that this is a good thing. (Not all economists, fortunately!)

We should add the value of sleep for economy to your list. A study of the RAND institute estimates that we loose hundreds of billions of dollars each year due to bad sleep, because people are less productive. For good sleep we need darkness and we need to accept that nighttime is for sleeping, not for working, physical excercise, or partying. So let's embrace the night as a ressource for restoration, not as a time we need to fill with activity to make short-term money.

On today’s International Day of Light, latter and the role it plays in science, culture and art, education, and sustainable development is celebrated.

While artificial light is the basis of our modern life, allowing activities far after sunset, on this day I like to talk about the absence of light.

In human history and perception often interpreted as bad or unwanted, in mythology and religion representing fear and death, the absence of light is something to be avoided, instead to become enlightened, to turn to the good.
In our language, this still is the case. To name a few:
- Beacon of light — a guiding, hopeful presence.
- Shed light on — to clarify or reveal information.
- Light-bulb moment — sudden insight or idea.

And for darkness:
- In the dark — uninformed or kept unaware.
- Dark days — a period of trouble or sorrow.

Thus, it is quite natural to see light as the desirable. Such as the celebration of light each year on this day, as are the words of UNESCO: „…Communities worldwide participate in activities that demonstrate how light in all its applications can help achieve the goals of UNESCO – education, equality, and peace.“
Poor darkness.

While this might sound pathetic, some facts about darkness:
2 in 3 species is night-active, the other third needs night for sleep.
3 in 3 species need darkness for Living.

With all the light being celebrated today, I ask you to turn it down and switch it off again when the actual need is gone.

PS: Darkness for Well-Being: https://lnkd.in/dPU_JGCK

#internationaldayoflight #dayoflight #darkness

IL Dark Sky Proposal Moves Ahead

https://lnkd.in/e5JKNiRb

a proposed addition to the Illinois Stretch Energy Code would limit brightness, cut light trespass to .1 lux, cut uplight have 80 degrees to 5% of luminosity, and set a maximum CCT of 3000K.

The changes to the code would also add voluntary recommendation beyond these rules, but there's no provisions for timing in either.

#lightpollution #illinois #energycodes #lightingbylaws

Preserving the Starry Night: The SKYGLOW Project

The SKYGLOW Project is a collaborative initiative between filmmakers Gavin Heffernan and Harun Mehmedinović and the International Dark-Sky Association, dedicated to raising awareness about the growing threat of light pollution. Through stunning high-definition time-lapse photography and an extensive astrophotography book, the project captures the contrast between urban "skyglow" and the rare, pristine dark skies remaining in North America’s national parks and remote wilderness. By documenting the psychological and ecological impacts of losing our view of the stars, SKYGLOW advocates for responsible lighting practices to restore the natural night for future generations.

#DarkSky #LightPollution #SKYGLOW #Astrophotography #Sustainability #SaveTheNight

Project website: https://skyglowproject.com

L.A. is about to spend $65 million replacing and repairing tens of thousands of streetlights. It's a real opportunity — if the city uses it wisely.

I talked with the LA Times about what's gone wrong with the LED transition so far (high color temperatures in the early days, light pouring into bedrooms, disrupted sleep) and what the solar overhaul could get right.

"This is the ideal time to address issues of light glare, intensity and color."

Getting streetlight design right isn't just about aesthetics, but an opportunity to reduce the unintended ecological and human health impacts of bad design.

https://lnkd.in/gecE4wx8

#bridgeengineers #lightingdesigners #lightingmanufacturers
& friends…

Your Free “Illuminating World of Bridges Book”. Learn about bridge eco-systems & light.

#infrastructure #cityidentity #monument
https://lnkd.in/eCaadGsH

On the occasion of the Urban 7 international summit, held in Nancy as part of the French G7 Presidency, Agora Makers is proud to contribute to the collective reflection on the major challenges shaping the cities of tomorrow. 🌍

Climate transition, evolving urban uses, resilient public spaces, mobility, quality of life and territorial attractiveness: today’s urban challenges call for cross-disciplinary approaches combining design, innovation, sustainability and services.

Within this dynamic, Agora Makers, alongside its brands and partners, will present an urban demonstrator installed in the heart of Nancy. Conceived as a real-scale experimentation space, this project embodies our vision of public spaces that are more adaptable, greener, smarter and more human-centered.

Because cities are no longer just infrastructures — they are places for interaction, shared experiences and new urban lifestyles.
Shaping places together for the future. ✨

#Urban7 #AgoraMakers #SmartCity #SustainableCities #UrbanInnovation #PublicSpace #UrbanDesign #Nancy #FutureCities

www.agora-makers.com

🎉 Hello World 🌍 🌎 🌏

🎬 Today marks the 9th edition of the @unesco International Day of Light!

🔆 Join us in celebrating the marvels of light science, innovation, and technology, and the rol

Today marks the 2026 International Day of Light, and it feels like an important moment to reflect on a question that sits quietly beneath so many of today’s economic and societal challenges: not how long we live, but how well we live, and for how long we can continue to contribute.

We are entering a period where two powerful trends are colliding. On one hand, populations are ageing and working lives are extending. On the other, healthy life expectancy is moving in the wrong direction. The real risk isn’t longevity itself, it’s the growing gap between lifespan and healthspan.

This is where the conversation needs to shift.

Productivity is often framed through the lens of technology, AI, or economic policy. But beneath all of this sits something far more fundamental: human biology. Our ability to think clearly, stay resilient, learn, collaborate and perform is not abstract, it is physiological. And physiology is shaped every single day by the environments we design and create.

Light is one of the most powerful and maybe the most overlooked of these environmental inputs.

It regulates our circadian rhythms, our sleep, our energy, our hormones, and even cellular function. Yet modern life has fundamentally altered our relationship with it. We spend most of our time indoors, under lighting conditions that bear little resemblance to the natural signals our biology evolved to depend on.

The consequences are subtle at first, but cumulative: disrupted sleep, reduced cognitive performance, metabolic strain, and over time, a quiet drift away from optimal health.

If we accept that people will need to work longer, then we also have to accept responsibility for the conditions that determine whether they can.

Because the future of productivity will not be decided solely by innovation or policy, but by whether we are designing environments that support long-term human capability, or erode it.

On this International Day of Light, it’s worth recognising that light is not just a design feature or a question of aesthetics. It is infrastructure for health. And increasingly, it is infrastructure for economic resilience.

If we want longer, healthier, more productive lives, we have to start with the environments we create and the signals we give to the human body every day.

The full article explores this in more depth, linking healthspan, ageing, productivity and the role of light in shaping the life curves of individuals and populations.

#InternationalDayOfLight #Healthspan #FutureOfWork #LightingDesign #Wellbeing #Productivity #BuiltEnvironment #CircadianHealth #Heath #HumanSustainability #QualityofLightisQualityofLife

The Power of Light, Seen Through Different Perspectives
 
How does lighting influence the way we live, move and feel?
 
As part of the International Day of Light Day of Light, I’m sharing an image that reflects the positive impact of light in our everyday lives.
 
Lighting is a passion of mine, it impacts on virtual every thing we do and all environment's we may find ourselves in and this includes the absence of artificial light to enable us to enjoy the pleasure of natural light, the night sky. As promoted by Lighting Europe and ourselves within WSP light has a value. Well designed lighting enables us to go out at night in safety, promotes the local economy and facilitates leisure and sporting activities without adversely impacting on the environment.
 
Now I’m passing the light to Fiona Venn, Lilian Fu, IALD, CLD, LC, MIES and Adrianna Barr to share an image and their own perspective on how light makes a difference.
 
WSP Places WSP Transport & Infrastructure WSP in the UK & Ireland

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🚨 EARLY GIVEAWAY ALERT 🚨

We are giving you a head start to celebrate UNESCO #lightday2026 with our shareable banner! 🎨

Download them from our website and share them on your socials tomorrow and join the celebration of light science and technology worldwide 💡🎊

Remember to tag us, as you share your events
and outreach updates on socials💥

May 16 Banner
➡️ https://lnkd.in/enEDRWqZ

Official hashtag: #lightday2026

🎯 9th edition focus theme: Light for a Sustainable Future

📣 It’s never too late to register your event, every effort matters!
➡️https://lnkd.in/ev9_FA8a

Best wishes all 🤩
Team IDL2026

#lightday2026 #eventoutreach

📸May 16 Banner Credits: Carmen Daalman | ASTRON
Thank you Carmen🤩

Pasco County’s new Pasadena Ridge development is to install 300 new solar-powered streetlights from Streetleaf to enhance safety and power reliability

Le 24 juin, au Salon des Lumières à Paris… on éteint tout.
Pas de lumière. Pas de repères. Pas de confort.
La Journée Blackout Paris vous plonge dans ce que chaque organisation et chaque famille redoutent : une panne totale. Un blackout.
Le matin, trois conférences pour comprendre ce qui se passe vraiment quand tout s'effondre. Ce que révèle le noir sur vos décisions, votre leadership, votre organisation. On y aborde ce que peu d'experts osent nommer : l'antifragilité.
Cette capacité rare à ne pas seulement résister aux chocs… mais à en sortir plus fort.
L'après-midi, trois ateliers immersifs pour passer à l'action. Mises en situation, travail d'équipe, décisions sous pression. Et parce qu'un blackout ne frappe pas seulement les organisations, l'un des ateliers vous emmène là où la crise touche le plus profondément : la famille. Comment protéger ses proches ?
Comment maintenir le lien quand tout s'effondre autour de vous ?

Une journée. Six expériences.
Un seul objectif : savoir quoi faire quand la lumière s'éteint.
Parce que la résilience ne se prouve pas quand tout va bien. Elle se construit.

Lieu : Salon des Lumières - Paris Date : 24 juin
Lien d’inscription : https://lnkd.in/eJnyGjZ7

https://lnkd.in/evvMY6Q2

#blackoutpreparedness #crisismanagement #businesscontinuity #organizationalresilience #criticalinfrastructure #systemicrisk #emergencyleadership #crisiscommunication #resiliencetraining #riskmitigation
Raphaël De Vittoris Chaire Gestion et Communication de Crise Crisalyde; ChapsVision for Security & Resilience Institut des hautes études du ministère de l'Intérieur (IHEMI) Institut d'étude des crises de l'intelligence économique et stratégique IFACI - Institut Français de l'Audit et du Contrôle Internes EMILIE COUDEYRE Master 2 Gestion Globale des Risques et des Crises Karine Maréchal-Richard Alexandre Fournier

TL;DR: Expanding Focus: The Dual Threat of Light and Noise
Light and noise pollution are far more destructive together, slashing wildlife communication effectiveness by over 60%. Because these threats are so intertwined, I am expanding my focus from just light pollution to light + noise to better protect biodiversity.


Four years ago, when I realized how detrimental light is to all things alive, when exposed to at the wrong time, I started this account and shared the good, the bad and the ugly findings, reports and recommendations in the topic of #lightpollution.

Recently, after reading into the review of PLAN-B Project (link in the comments), it struck me, how close light pollution and #noisepollution are in its effects on #wildlife.

Light and noise each have an impact - however combined, things exaggerate: "Effectiveness in communication was maximum when there was a reference (0.88) and minimum when there were isolated noise (0.63) and isolated ALAN (0.59). The greatest decrease was when it was in noise and ALAN exposure, when the effectiveness was reduced to 0.31, which is more than 60 % of that in the reference conditions." (Selvakumar et al. (2025)) (ALAN: Artificial Light at Night)

With this knowledge I have to widen my focus and will open this account to share insights, information, science and recommendations on both topics.

Two people walk the same path at night.
One scans the path ahead. The other scans the shadows, the edges.
The same space - not the same 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, especially after dark.

We plan for the path, design for forward motion. 𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.
The person scanning the edges was never the stakeholder - yet, half of the people walking that path at night are 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻.

What she needs is just enough light to read the space: to see before being seen, to distinguish what surrounds her, to know where she can go.
𝘞𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳? | 37 comments on LinkedIn