At a meeting on Wednesday to explain the new and complex Greenwich lighting regulations, recorded here, we learned:
Greenwich is a test case. Greenwich is the first town in the State to have aggressive lighting regulations to curb light pollution. Advocacy group, Lights Out CT, will point to Greenwich as a model to convince other towns to do the same.
Greenwich residents did not have much input. These strict regulations are an interpretation of the Town's 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) and because they are not called an "ordinance", they did not need to be approved or vetted by our elected representatives on the Representative Town Meeting (RTM).
Heavy on regulations, light on solutions. These new rules are educational but hard to enforce. James from Old Greenwich had a complaint about light pollution into his house from bright street lights on Sound Beach Ave. He was told that, even under the new rules, the Town can't solve this problem. He must pursue his complaint with the utility (i.e. the powerful Eversource) or contact his local representatives. Good luck with that.
Spoiler. A courageous resident and member of the RTM named Ryan Brumberg stated that these heavy regulations should be "voluntary best practices" not a rule. He said his neighbors in back country did not see the need for it. He is gathering signatures on a petition to rescind this. He gave his email address: brumbergrtm@gmail.com in case you want to sign it.
Between the lines: A resident asked how she and other citizens can mobilize to help in identifying and reporting homes that have excessive lighting. Her first name is Karen.
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