To entertain ourselves. My brother and I sometimes would sneak next to the window to watch the dark sky and start counting the stars, but since it was too dangerous to stand behind the glass when bombings are happening, my mom would tell us that for every star you count, a pimple will form on your hand that will never go away. We moved away from the window and we stopped counting the stars. Till today, I never count the stars. 12 years ago, while I was living in Lebanon, I would never thought to advocate for dark skies. I was too busy searching for light. Today, because I live in a state of lighting abundance, I can talk about light pollution. And today, because I live in a safe country, I can talk about the beauty of a dark sky. And because I can find my way at night, I can express my desire to see the Milky Way.

Welcome back to the Virtual Lighting Design Community Podcast, a global platform that empowers, inspires, educates and connects the lighting design community. This podcast is brought to you by our premium supporters Aero Hospitality Lighting, creative Lighting Asia, erco, the Signify Lighting Academy and Philix Lighting From darkness to light the impact of light scarcity on communities. Join us on this episode as we delve into a thought-provoking presentation by Nadine Balbaki, founder of Light the Detail. Based in Dubai and Beirut, nadine has over 20 years of experience as a lighting designer. Thank you where Nadine engages with Amardeep Dugar, co-founder of the Virtual Lighting Design Community and principal of lighting research and design in India. To watch the full presentation and gain access to more exclusive content, consider becoming a VLD Pro member and support our mission to provide quality insights for the lighting fraternity. Visit vldcommunity to learn more and be a part of this premier lighting community. Watch the visual version on our YouTube channel and explore a multitude of interviews and presentations like this one. Now let's give the floor to Nadine Balbaki.

Hi, my name is Nadine Baalbaki. I am a holder of a master's degree in architecture and I have been working as a lighting designer for 20 years now. I'm the founder of Light the Detail, a social media platform that aims to raise awareness about the impact that light has on our daily life. Light the Detail evolved to be a lighting design practice. 11 years ago, my husband and I took the decision to leave our country, lebanon, our home and our family. The move was not driven by job opportunities, but actually to provide our family with a stable life, a life that we never had.

Today's topic is about not all dark skies are happy skies. The topic of this presentation was actually triggered last year in the Lighthand building. In one of the presentations, a colleague shared a picture taken from his balcony during COVID times. The picture was that of the parking of a mall turned off. While presenting, he communicated his happiness about the action taken from the management of the mall and his wish to prolong those measures. As a lighting designer, I couldn't agree more and knowing, of course, the impact of light pollution on the human health and our well-being and the natural environment, but a deep, heavy feeling aroused in me, and this heavy feeling soon evolved into discomfort, anxiety and fear, a feeling that I had to investigate and I could only understand when I revisited my past, growing up in war times through severe power cuts.

I was born and raised in Lebanon, a country that has been suffering from severe power cuts since more than 40 years. Unlike other countries who suffer from light poverty, the power cuts are not attributed to the lack of infrastructure, but two different factors, to name a few war, corruption and the highly dysfunctional electrical sector. Dark skies were a constant scene in our childhood, just not a happy one. During war times, dark skies were associated with fear, with the heavy sounds of artillery and with screams. To entertain ourselves, my brother and I sometimes would sneak next to the window to which the dark sky and start counting the stars, but since it was too dangerous to stand behind the glass when bombings are happening, my mom would tell us that for every star you count, a pimple will form on your hand that will never go away. I honestly don't know if she invented it or it was a collective Lebanese mom myth, but it worked. We moved away from the window and we stopped counting the stars. Till today, I never count the stars.

Dark skies brought a huge sense of insecurity. People started looking for alternative lighting sources to light their spaces. Candle and kerosene lamps were widely available. The warm light of the candle, though, never communicated relaxation, but totally the opposite it communicated fear, anger, frustration and deprivation. We then upgraded to install battery-connected batteries, to which we connected fluorescent fluorescent tubes. Our night turned from warm to bluish, flickering white Generators. Small generators were then made available.

Life was almost normal in our home, except that now, almost in each home, almost on each balcony, a noisy machine that produces toxic fumes set aside. A stack of fuel gallons was vibrating. Who cares if it was a ticking bomb? We can study shower. We can simply see. Large generators with monthly subscriptions compensated the government's supply of electricity. The lord of the generators now ruled the game. The result is catastrophic on the environment and had significant impacts on people's health, possibly killing thousands each year in Lebanon, according to Greenpeace.

Our skies were still dark, but we never looked. Those scenes were not taking place in a rural, disconnected town. Those scenes were actually happening in the heart of the capital, beirut, in one of the main streets, on the 9th floor of a very modern residential building. Light, over time, became a symbol of wealth that families were able to afford electricity from private generators. The more your house was lit, the more amps you could afford. My first memory of a happy dark sky was at the age of 14 or 15. The long war was over then and unsustainable solutions were made available to enjoy electricity whenever we wanted and whenever we needed. It was my first time that I look at the sky and with my cousin and literally enjoy the scene of the dark skies and the scene of the dark skies and the stars. It is now that I realized that enjoying the dark skies was really two main factor lighting abundance and availability, and safety and security. I will re-approach these two factors later on in my presentation, but first let's talk about light poverty.

As per Wikipedia, light poverty is defined to be the state or condition in which people or communities lack artificial or electrical light after sunset. This originates from many social and economic reasons, including inability to afford efficient lighting. As of 2019, 1.1 billion people do not have access to light. Light poverty, therefore, is associated with the traditional concept of poverty that relates to water, food and shelter. Countries subject to light poverty typically include those with limited access or remote areas Sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, southeast Asia, parts of Latin America, remote islands and territories, and conflict-affected regions. According to the International Energy Agency, iea, around 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity.

In today's modern world, light is considered a fundamental service and, in my opinion, a basic human right. Without light and energy, life ceases to exist. As we know, while the rest of the world continues to live life after sunset, the 1.1 billion people's life is dysfunctional Children are unable to study, businesses are forced to shut down and shops and communal life becomes engulfed in darkness. Human Rights Watch concludes that the internationally protected right to an adequate standard of living includes the right of everyone, without discrimination, to sufficient, reliable, safe, clean, accessible and affordable electricity. What are the challenges that faces communities? With facing light poverty, the simple task of studying becomes a struggle, while inadequate lighting increases the risks of accidents, crime and violence. Light poverty contributes as well to poor indoor and outdoor quality by resorting to lighting sources that produces toxic fumes. Limited access to electricity hinders economic development. Opportunities for communities. Opportunities for communities. Opportunities for communities. It affects businesses' operating hours, productivity and ability to access markets and information. Social and recreational activities are often limited after sunset due to safety concerns and lack of lighting infrastructure, while healthcare facilities may lack adequate lighting for medical procedures, light poverty exacerbates inequalities and limits opportunities for socioeconomic development in affected communities.

Yes, candles and oil lamps are an option. Yes, candles and oil lamps are an option. However, these primitive sources of light result in 1.5 million deaths a year. Light poverty also results in respiratory illnesses. From a financial point of view, light poverty plunges the poorest people on the planet into even more financial stress. Every year, families in the Democratic Republic of Congo spend around 30% of their income on fuel to power kerosene lamps, while Africans spend the equivalent of 65 pounds per kilowatt hour on primitive style after dark illumination. This is 100 times what the average Westerner spends. I will leave you now to watch little bits parts of a video that I searched and I found in the video like a summary to the impact of light poverty on communities.

I'm very honored to be here today, to be speaking to you about energy solutions through women's enterprise, and I'm so excited to be here, in fact so excited that when I landed and I'm so excited to be here, in fact, so excited that, when I landed the first thing I did was to check my suitcase, check my clothes I found they were a bit rough and I called the hotel and asked them if they had an iron, because I was not going to take the chance that I would wake up in the morning and there would be no electricity to iron my clothes. And then it dawned on me that I'm in London and in London NEPA does not take the lights. Nepa, for those who don't know, is the Nigerian elected. The second story is actually one which inspired Solar Sister, the setting up of Solar Sister, and we call it the Rebecca Chicken story.

So the founder of our organization, catherine Lucy. She came to Africa on a mission. She went specifically to Uganda, and the mission was providing solar kits to homes and schools for charity. So they had chosen this family who was a pastor, a local pastor, and he was to be given a three light system, a solar home kit, three light system. The pastor happened to be Rebecca's husband. On getting to the house they found that he had four rooms. But he said he was so excited to get the system and he said I know what to do With the three bulbs. Please put one in my living room so that I can entertain my church members whenever they come. Put the second light in my bedroom for my wife and I. And the third light put it in the passageway so it shines across the other room so that my whole house is lit.

But Rebecca interjected and she had her suggestion and she said I know where we can put the three lights. Can we put one light outside so that when I'm coming back from the garden in the night I can see my way? We'll put the second light in the living room so that you can host your church members, but the third light we'll put it in the chicken room. Sounded odd, but what Rebecca knew, and others didn't, was that chickens only eat what they see. So what that meant was that Rebecca's chickens were able to eat around the clock. It resulted in her chickens being the healthiest and the fattest in the region. So what that meant was her chickens laid more eggs. She took the eggs to market. She was able to buy seeds, planted the seeds in her garden, had crops, was able to sell those crops. She bought a goat. The goat had kids, sold the kids bought a cow. Today, rebecca is a successful businesswoman in Uganda.

So it's a very inspiring story and how one light can transform people's life, Light and social status. People's life, Light and social status. In energy and light deprived societies, light becomes in many contexts a wealth and power indicator. Having access to electricity and to light signifies economic prosperity. People having access to lighting, whether through electricity, generator, solar power, will be perceived as wealthier or more privileged. The shift and the mindset derived from the majority of those communities would then attribute light to wealth, and excess light will no longer be perceived or associated with light pollution, but with wealth.

Now coming to the two factors that I was discussing in the beginning of my presentation about the abundance and the opposite of the scarcity how can the abundance and the scarcity impact our well-being? While researching the term abundance and its impact on human behavior, the post-scarcity term popped when defining abundance in economics. As per Wikipedia, abundance or post-scarcity is a theoretical economical situation in which most goods can be produced in great abundance with minimal human labor, so that they become available to all very cheaply or even freely. While the abundance of resources lowers the level of stress, scarcity can lead to a range of psychological and behavioral responses the psychology of scarcity and how it impacts the behavior. The psychology of scarcity refers to how people's behavior and decision-making processes are affected by perceived lack of resources, and we're talking about any type of resources, whether it's money, time, other essential goods, water, and in our case, in the case of the presentation, we're talking about light, the psychology of scarcity and how it affects people's behavior. It affects people's behavior. The first, let's say, behavior that we can commonly see in the scarcity environment is the tunnel vision. When people are preoccupied with their limited resources, they tend to focus only on immediate needs and desires. They may become less able to think about the long-term consequences of their actions in favor of short-term gains. Impulsiveness Scarcity can also lead people to make impulsive decisions without a study of the aftermath of the decision and the solution provided. So this is basically the case of Lebanon and what we are facing with the use, with the excessive use of generators and the impact that is having on our physical health from the light, from sorry, the toxic fumes that are produced in the air. Another layer would be the anxiety and the stress. Living with scarcity can be stressful and anxiety leading.

The second point that I highlighted is the safety and the security concern. We all know that assuring safety and security in communities is a governmental responsibility and it requires the collaboration between several government entities to implement effective strategy to fight crime. In general, Although there is no clear evidence or studies that increased outdoor lighting deters crime, clear evidence or studies that increased outdoor lighting deters crime, light remains a factor that increases the perception of safety In light-deprived societies. People tend to correlate light with safety and security, and I state below some aspects of this relationship. Perception of safety Adequate lighting, especially in public spaces and at night, can enhance people's perception of safety. Well-lit environments are often perceived as less threatening and more secure compared to dark or poorly lit areas. The visual clarity and awareness While good lighting conditions improve visibility, it allows individuals to perceive their surrounding and the potential hazards In dangerous or unsafe environments. Lighting plays a role in deterring criminal activity by making it more difficult for perpetrators to conceal their their actions. And we cannot forget about the comfort that light can have on individuals and influencing their emotional state and overall sense of comfort.

I'm sharing with you here two images and how those images and the context that I was traveling from to changed or altered my perception and analyzing the light. So the first image was taken to Dubai and it was during my travel from Lebanon to Dubai, so I was actually traveling from darkness to light Dubai, so I was actually traveling from darkness to light. The sight of the lights of the city of Dubai brought a huge sense of relief for me, While in the second image, I was traveling from Dubai to Istanbul and I was traveling from a city of light to another city of light. The side of the city from above generated another emotion, the emotion of discomfort, but this time because of the light pollution and how it's affecting our environment. So here we can see two cities, two different emotions, depending on the context and where we're coming from. In this image, taken from our neighborhood in Lebanon, the lack of light associated with the absence of safety measures increases anxiety among residents and prevents people from walking during night times, While the second image is also taken from our neighborhood in Dubai, the low levels of lighting makes it enjoyable to relax and walk during night times. Therefore, trusting systems can lead to trusting darkness.

Can light poverty lead to light pollution Compensation for lack of lighting? Living under limited or even no access to artificial light after sunset? Societies develop over time a craving for light. Like any form of deprivation. Scarcity can lead to a need to overcompensate. Quality, quantity, efficiency and other factors become irrelevant. Overcompensating may result in keeping lights on for longer periods than necessary, using multiple lighting fixtures simultaneously or using brightening lighting settings to ensure adequate lighting.

The psychology of the psychological comfort and well-being. Constantly living in light scarcity. Individuals may experience anxiety and discomfort and anxiety due to the lack of illumination or even in low-level illuminations. As a result, brightly lit environments are often perceived as more inviting, comfortable, aesthetically pleasing, influencing their emotional state and cognitive functioning. From my personal experience, I can see a strong correlation between light scarcity and the overuse and misuse of light. When individuals experience a strong desire for light, they may be inclined to use lighting sources excessively or if inefficiently, contributing to light overuse and potential light pollution.

As a reminder, 150 years ago the whole world was living under light scarcity and life after sunset ceased to exist. Today we can clearly identify the consequences of the behavior of deprived communities once presented with abundance. Twelve years ago, while I was living in Lebanon, I would never thought to advocate for dark skies. I was too busy searching for light. Today, because I live in a state of lighting abundance, I can talk about light pollution. And today, because I live in a safe country, I can talk about the beauty of a dark sky and because I can find my way at night, I can express my desire to see the Milky Way. Thank you.

Hi Nadine, this is a fantastic presentation. I am really amazed at a completely different perspective about this whole concept of dark skies, light pollution, more so because I recently published a paper on the whole concept of dark skies and biodynamic lighting, where I was talking about life-centric lighting, where how light pollution is affecting different types of light forms. And I see another presentation where you see that whole concept about chicken farming, where there was more light given to chicken so it was used as a business model, and this has completely altered my perspective. And the second thing was I just recently visited Lebanon and beautiful country, beautiful people, and I would have never thought about dark skies from this perspective, especially with the whole concept of safety and security when there's a war-torn country. It's a lot to take in at this point of time and I think dark sky advocates need to really start looking at it from perspectives of different people, different areas, because darkness means so much more to some people. So thank you for this perspective.

Thank you, thank you. I really appreciate and thank you for the feedback coming from you because on a personal level, your opinion matters a lot. So thank you very much. No, the idea is that there are insecurities that come with darkness that only people that relate to the same, sometimes life conditions can relate to.

I'm not against dark skies and I'm not, on the other hand, I really like and I enjoy, but this comes after a series of things procured. It's not only lighting designers work, it's a whole chain of collaboration, as I said, between government entities, between lighting designers, because darkness is beautiful when it is accompanied with safety and security, but when there is fear inside of it, it doesn't speak. It doesn't talk and doesn't relate the same way, and when you live in a deprived society, we don't take lighting for granted. So it kind of brings, and the purpose of this presentation is to mix both what is personal experience, what is emotional, because we know lighting is about emotions, about evoking the emotions. And when we want to advocate for dark skies, we want to do it right, with the right steps in mind, and this doing it, the right step, will have to include all perspectives from different backgrounds.

So very true, and I completely agree on this front, because we tend to be so parochial in our approach and we look at it from a very blindsided view. It's so important to look at a worldview, looking from different directions, different dimensions of the whole concept, from different directions, different dimensions of the whole concept, and this presentation really speaks to you in terms of what darkness is. And if you really are advocating for dark skies, you better advocate it in the right manner, looking at all the options available.

Exactly because today, even me as a lighting designer 20 years, my perception of how I design the light changed a lot between when I was living in Lebanon and when I moved and lived in Dubai, because now the parameters have changed. The brief that comes from clients living in Lebanon is totally different from the design brief that comes from clients living in Lebanon, is totally different from the design brief that comes from people that live in lighting abundance, and I could see that there is a discrepancy somehow, and the discrepancy does not only come from the education, but it comes also from certain fears, traumas and so on.

Thank you, I completely agree, and that's why this whole platform was created as a mode of virtually connecting people, connecting activists, connecting lighting designers, connecting decision makers has to come together and actually discuss these key aspects. Because it's not so. I'm glad people are discussing about these concepts and ideas, but the whole intent of discussing it in the right manner, connecting all the peoples together, connecting all the dots and coming up with some solutions, is the whole idea of this platform. For those of you who know me, hello good to see you again. And those of you who are seeing it for the first time, this is Amardeep Dugar. I'm one of the founders of the Virtual Lighting Design Community platform. Sorry to interject here into this presentation, but it's been great. Nadine is a dear friend and I'm glad to be a part of this whole discussion and presentation.

Thank you very much. Thank you, dean, thank you, amartya, thank you.

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