Tag: sustainable lighting

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Lighting Commentary

An Immense World

The Mantis Shrimp and their dozen photoreceptors
Photo by William Warby on Pexels.com

I recently finished reading An Immense World by Ed Yong. The book covers an overview of how animals use their senses in substantially different ways from humans. Some of the information is well known. Dogs have a sense of smell that is somewhere between 10,000 to 100,000 time better than humans. Bats use an echolocation “sense” to navigate at high speeds in the dark to locate miniscule flying game. Birds of prey (eagles, falcons, etc.) have superior eyesight that allows them to see forward and sideways to best home in on a meal. The book however goes deeper and helps the reader understand that most every “superiority” is balanced.

The dog has a remarkable sense of smell, but their eyes have only two color photoreceptors, so their world looks different than what humans see. Humans have three photoreceptors, a handful are tetrachromats with the benefit of four (I wrote about this phenomenon in a previous post: “Tetrachromatic Vision” https://lightingbyjeffrey.com/2022/05/09/tetrachromatic-vision/ ) but the mantis shrimp has TWELVE photoreceptors! Wow! You’d think their sight was miraculous, but alas, they have a tiny brain (brain size and functional capacity is a crucial piece of data in these analyses) so rather than witnessing colors beyond our imagination, they use the twelve photoreceptors as a type of binary coding system. If, for example photoreceptor one, three and eleven are triggered, they know prey is within reach. If photoreceptor two, eight and nine send feedback to the brain, it is time to move, an enemy is near. All benefits are balanced by Mother Nature.

Humans are sighted creatures and we regard the world based on sighted preferences. (I wrote about this in yet another post: “Eyes, Light and Sometimes, Brain” https://wordpress.com/post/lightingbyjeffrey.com/684 ) When we do that, we ignore the needs and demands of the other animals who occupy the planet. Even other animals who enjoy sight as their primary sense, do not use it in the same way as humans. Owls need dark nights to survive. The lack of light and their ability to see in it, sustains them. Bees have three photoreceptors, but because they can see UV light, the three receptors read different information and feed that back to the brain, so their color palette is radically different from ours.

Humans have risen to the top of the community of earth’s animals and our single-minded concern with human need is unfortunately harming the greater animal community. This summation ended the book. The human need to illuminate “everything” is doing irreparable harm to other animals. It is only getting worse, despite an avalanche of data on animals and their worlds. We read books like An Immense World and still increase street lighting, parking lot lights and high-rise building illumination. After becoming enamored with the content of the book, his plea to the reader is for some kind of action.

As a lighting community, we can do better. I’ve just looked at a wide variety of new luminaires released at the January Dallas Market and still we offer light aimed up into the sky where it does no good and only delivers harm to plants and animal. We use lumen levels way beyond what is necessary and that color of light is often blue, not only bad for humans, but many in the animal community are likewise impacted.

Can we help? We are in a unique situation to do just that. We can’t help much directly with pollution, micro-plastics in the oceans or noise levels that also impact, confuse and confound animals, but we can control light. That’s what we do as lighting professionals. Could we start to include concern outside of our genetic spectrum in addition to the color spectrum?

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Lighting Commentary

Can Fashion be Sustainable?

Since my “retirement” I have had the opportunity to continue interfacing with thousands of interior designers. Through these points of connection, I have noticed a trend of questions and commentary that are driving designer’s conversations.  The topic that is top-of-mind today is “sustainability.” Specifically, how long-lived LED can possibly coexist with short-lived fashion. It is brought up in virtually every Q&A session I conduct.

Supreme is a brand of clothing that was birthed by way of the skateboard culture of the 90s to poke a finger in the eye of staid fashion nameplates. Consisting of tees, baggy pants and sneakers, it became a huge success to a point where the company is now valued at over $2 billion. What started as a “fashion-less” alternative to seasonal runway offerings is now riding atop the same tiger. To stay ahead, Supreme must now continue to create new and equally desirable products.

Supreme could have been the answer to sustainability in fashion, the “Mao Suit” of its generation. Alas, humans want, perhaps need change. Hemline rise and fall, lapels narrow and widen. Hair lengthens and shortens. This constant desire for change forces us all back into the retail market, continues to circulate dollars and keeps the world employed.

Magic Wand

So let’s say, tomorrow, by nature of a magic wand, trends die, fashion becomes frozen and the human desire for something new stops. What then?

First, there will be a lot of unemployment. Designers, engineers, marketers, retail associates, home remodelers, construction workers, dock worker, virtually every facet of the supply chain will be impacted. We will have a substantially more sustainable world, but we won’t have much of a world to enjoy.

I think it is safe to say, this is an unlikely scenario. Fashions have shifted almost since cavemen sought out a new pelt covering. Some variant is much more likely.

The Alternative

More realistically, we might stop buying so many variations of things in our lifetime. This would allow us to buy better quality with the idea that it will last for a longer period of time. Liken this to the difference in American vs. European roadways. America installs cheap roads with minimal foundation and limited attention to drainage that in turn, need frequent repairs and quicker replacement. European countries install much more expensive pavements based on multiple layers of substructure and ample drainage that last substantially longer and show less wear and tear during their long life.

That idea fits nicely into the use-pattern of LED. Well-built LED product can last as long as twenty to thirty years with limited need for maintenance. Better built LED product simply lasts longer.

Rethinking Lighting Use

New, more sustainable lighting still requires a bit more forethought in the development of the overall lighting design. This is a point I have been making for a number of years. The future of lighting means more functional light (that transcends fashion) and less decorative lighting (which will require replacement when the style ages,) despite the continued viability of the light source.

If we are going to blend sustainability with fashion, we will need to reassess the financial parameters used to make buying decisions. Rather than first-cost, (the initial cost of the luminaire, only) we will need to consider life-cost (cost of luminaire, repair cost, operational costs, etc.) Purchasing lifetime functional lighting that dies after ten years does not support the cause of sustainability. We will need to pay more attention to quality components, conscientious construction and whether the company building the product will be around in fifteen years, should there be a warranty issue. Our initial cost will be higher, but decades of trouble-free operations make that dollar amount easy to swallow.

I was talking to someone in the window business about the plethora of replacement window companies and the avalanche of advertisements they’ve placed on television. Knowing I live in a 90+ year old home, he said, “Despite what they say, those ads aren’t for old-old home like yours. Your windows and windows from that era are a bit less energy efficient, but are usually of excellent quality and most probably don’t need to be replaced. (There are always exceptions.) These guys are servicing the bad windows put into new construction over the last twenty-five to forty years. New tract home construction windows are getting cheaper and cheaper and they barely make it out of warranty.” The low initial cost is intriguing, but the life cost is high.

Added Opportunities and Challenges

That allows for another opportunity; the return of manufacturing to North America. The desire for “cheap” forced manufacturing to Asia. The revolving door of style and trends kept manufacturing there. The combination of geopolitical events and sustainability demands might now encourage some companies to recalculate their costs. If consumers are willing to pay more, they might be able to build longer lasting items locally.

The pushbacks are often the same. If a new home is more expensive, or the remodel too costly, fewer people will buy them. Because of that, the banking/lending industry might also need to reset in an era of more sustainability. If the cost of “living” in a house is lower, more money, as a percentage, could be allotted to the mortgage because less will be needed for repairs. Think of the money used to buy “one window” so they can get, “the second window for free!” When windows don’t need replacing and insulation doesn’t need to be added and cheap LED doesn’t need to be upgraded, all that results in a higher value of the home. If sustainability can equate to higher property value, almost everybody wins.

When all of these things happen (insert image of plates balancing on a row of sticks!) fashion can be sustainable. When a single aspect is not adopted, the whole concept fails. For sustainability to succeed, we must embrace ALL of these ideas, all at once. That then becomes the challenge. How good of a juggler can we become?

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Lighting Commentary

Sustainability Part 2 – Can Lighting Be Sustainable?

Photo by Jordan Hyde on Pexels.com

If like me, you always check out trend predictions, wherever and from whomever they emerge, you are seeing a reoccurring mention of sustainable products. I am constantly questioned about sustainability. Designers are hearing the request and like a canary in a coalmine, they are often the first to recognize a shift. As I pointed out in the first part of this series [link] there will be changes in our application of light. Nonetheless, the disposable nature of a heretofore endlessly reusable luminaire, continues to trouble designers, users and sustainability proponents. “There has to be a better way!” is a very common comment.

I realized this is not a problem exclusive to lighting as I read about Golden Goose, a Milan-based manufacturer of high-end casual footwear. [The New York Times (August 7, 2022) “Don’t Toss Those Old Sneakers” by Laura Rysman. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/09/style/golden-goose-sneaker-repair.html?smid=url-share ] Like lighting, once a pair of sneakers is “worn out” they are unceremoniously tossed and replaced. In an effort to extend the life of the sneaker, they are offering bespoke repairs. The problem, as few as five years ago, is that there was no such thing as sneaker repair. Because of the typical manufacturing process, the sole could not be removed from the top, so an entirely different methodology was required. By considering the classic construction method of formal shoes, a new sneaker assembly process was created that allows for the teardown and repair. While not inexpensive, their sneakers can now be repaired and reused, almost endlessly.

LED longevity makes them the perfect light source for new sustainability demand, but they sit on the edge of some shaky foundations, much like the typical vulcanized rubber sole that encases a sneaker top and precluded disassembly. We discussed aesthetic trends in the previous post. There are three additional problems that must be addressed to increase the sustainability of LED lighting.

Driver Longevity

When a LED luminaire fails, it is most likely because of driver malfunction or some sort of circuit interruption. In the industry’s quest to achieve lower costs, corners have been cut in this all-important, albeit hidden, component. Quite simply, to have a more sustainable product, better built drivers and circuitry components are required.

Proof of Longevity

LED longevity is a predicted “guess” based on calculated performance characteristics. Basically, if the system lasts for X hours, testers feel comfortable projecting that it will last 6X hours. Tests of 10,000 hours (maximum) will allow a manufacture to promise the product will last 60,000 hours. One of the reasons we cannot go much farther is because 10,000 hours is a long time! After 14 months of testing, there is a very good likelihood that a newer, better model of LED is on the market and the cycle must be started anew. Most manufactures test for 6000 hours, allowing a promise of 36,000 hour lifespan and consuming only 8 ½ months of time, still a considerable length. Some sort of accelerated testing and performance affirmation is needed.

Repair

Incandescent luminaires are like a pair of leather brogues, we can change light bulbs as easily as shoelaces. Resoling is however another thing entirely and must be completed by a cobbler. A repair professional is usually needed to replace sockets or broken chandelier arms. LED lighting becomes closer to the conventional sneaker, nearly impossible to rebuild, even by a pro, unless you rethink the entire process. That, I believe is where the luminaire manufactures are today. To meet the sustainability expectations of the near future, they must plot out a path to luminaire repair.

This might be realized in a number of different ways. Perhaps some companies can easily adapt their business to include a repair service. We might also see LED luminaire repair shops popping up around the country. We could also see lighting retailers adding LED repairs to their list of luminaire services. Only real demand will tell the tale.

“It’s Gotta Be the Shoes!”*

To meet the needs of a sustainable future, electronic repairs will need to be more common. We might see the return of TV repairmen, small appliance repairs and people who specialize in fixing our much more technological environment.

By their own admission, Golden Goose is not seeing a positive ROI on repairs. Knowing repairs are possible is however, turning out to be a substantial selling point for this expensive footwear. I think that might turn out to be the case with lighting, too. The lighting will last longer than most people expected. There will be fewer breakdowns than anticipated. The newness of LED will wear-off and failure expectations will be reduced because it is an effortless product. When needed, there will be some avenues available for resolution, even if they are not ultimately used. That may satiate the consumer.

In a 1988 Nike commercial, Mars Blackmon (a comedic avatar of Spike Lee) tried to explain the god-like moves of Michael Jordan on a basketball court. Discounting every other conceivable option, he reached the conclusion, “It’s gotta be the shoes!” despite the objections of Mr. Jordan. (If you’re not a basketball fan, Michael Jordan was an excellent player, probably even in bare feet.) Offering repairs when they might be of minimal real value, just might be the sustainable aspect we’ve convinced ourselves we need, just like the illusion worked for Mars.

*Mars Blackmon – 1988 Nike commercial with Michael Jordan and Spike Lee

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Lighting Commentary

Sustainability Part 1 – More Utilitarian, Less Decorative – The Future of Lighting

2009 SAAB 9-3 Convertible – The original sustainable vehicle?

I drive a 2009 SAAB 9-3 Convertible. This is, without question the best car I have ever owned and despite its age, still looks great. I purchased this car a few months prior to SAAB exiting the automobile business. I never owned a SAAB prior, but I quickly found out that there is a joyful cult surrounding current and former SAAB owners. When the closure of the manufacturer was announced, fellow SAAB owners would pull up next to me, open their window and ask, “What are we going to do?” I learned that many SAAB owners were SAAB owners for life. Like me, they liked the solid, dependable build and the quirky stylings that made the design impervious to trends, fads and the constant waves of the “next best thing.”

For the last few years, I have been predicting a lighting “future world” where fewer decorative lighting products are used and more (much more) functional lighting products will be installed in residential spaces. We will still have centerpiece items featured in dining rooms, over multiple areas in the kitchen and foyers, but the rest of the home will see lighting hidden in, over, behind, inside and below architectural elements in the room. Like recessed cans, lighting will be indirect, easy to use and impervious to the stylistic shifts that are inevitable in the home furnishings industry. Product that forgoes style fads, like my SAAB will maintain relevance farther into the future than flash-in-the-pan ideas.

Why is This Occurring?

Because of the rapid adoption of LED technology, a couple of things have occurred. First, the LED diode is small. Very small. This has allowed for the development of tiny functional light. LED Tape has, in just a few years, become a ubiquitous method of lighting. It is filling trays, coves, toekicks, cabinets and over-cabinet areas. It is very fairly priced, has proven to last for a long time and the lumen output options are many. Versions of LED Tape are also finding their way into integrated luminaires. Designers are taking advantage of the tiny size and reimagining decorative lighting.

LED diodes are expected to last between 40,000 to 50,000 hours. Operating six hours a day, that calculates to somewhere between 18 and 24 years! When the average luminaire is replaced every 7-10 years, it is easy to see that the viability is not matching demand. We can and will use functional products longer, because they have no impact on aesthetics. They will last over three or four home remodels before replacement is needed.

Sustainability is of growing concern to the consumer. It is more important right now to the younger buyer, but those customers will be around for many more years and their peak spending years on home furnishings are starting now and will rise as we move into the future. As this group mature and younger people age into home ownership, it is predicted their demand for sustainability will NOT disappear. Products removed and replaced long before their end of life will not jell with a sustainably conscious consumer. Knowing that 75% to 90% of the lighting could last longer and perhaps only one or two luminaires would need to be replaced due to a dated appearance, will be much more palatable. These new realities will change how designers interact with customers and together how they interact with lighting.

Meanwhile, Back On the Road

A constant question or comment shouted from other drivers to me centers around longevity.

“How many miles does your car have?”

“What year is that?”

“I drove my [fill in the year and/or model of their SAAB] for [fill-in a HUGE quantity of miles]”

SAAB owners know that timeless design allows them to ignore trends. They will receive the benefit of great performance and extended years of use because the engineering is solid. LED is earning the same reputation. Early on, people worried about what would happen when the LED “burned out.” They are finding that it just doesn’t happen that often. My “ALL LED” kitchen has been humming along for fourteenth year with nary a problem. It is not an anomaly.

To fully take advantage of this longevity, a shift is occurring. More indirect light, more functional light. More utilitarian light. A greater reliance on recessed lighting. Fewer decorative pieces. This change makes sense for the room, the ecologically sensitive consumer and perhaps more importantly, the planet. As designers, we need to make this work aesthetically. Trust me. That is the easy part. Reducing landfill. That’s the tough one.

143,130 miles…and counting.