In 2009 Ojai Valley Green Coalition representatives attended City Council meetings and proposed a new Ojai light ordinance. It’s been a year now and it’s time, we feel, to get a move on!
“Please add your support by calling or writing to our city representatives with a request for Ojai to be more light responsible . . . for the skies, for the plants and animals, for money and energy savings, and for a smaller carbon footprint.” stated Energy Committee member Gail Topping
We had expected a response from the city within six months, but staff cuts and other priorities kept it on the back burner. However, it’s been a year now and it’s time, we feel, to get a move on. During the last year, the need to diminish our environmental impact and increase money-saving policies at the local government level has only intensified.
As Gail so aptly put it in a recent Ojai Valley News guest editorial: “It’s simply about using the right amount of light, and only when and where it’s needed. The ordinance has no mandatory retrofitting clause, no compliance orders, and no penalties. It can be used as a blueprint for voluntary changes to lower energy costs. It will provide a structure for the future, so that the City of Ojai and the entire valley can continue to develop with darker night skies in mind."
We encourage you to read the proposed light ordinance and then please make that call and write that letter. City Hall contact information can be found at http://ci.ojai.ca.us.
