In a previous post, I’ve discussed sustainable aluminum as a path to further improve the sustainability of lighting. Another important metal to the lighting industry is copper. Copper is also critical for electrification, electric motors, electric vehicles, and many renewable energy technologies. The Copper Mark is a labeling program for copper producers to demonstrate [...]

  Those of us with gray hair remember that luminaire housings were primarily made of steel until the LED revolution. Aluminum became the predominant luminaire housing material because of its superior thermal conductivity that keeps LED engines cooler. Today, there is enormous interest and pressure to make luminaires from more sustainable materials. More designers are [...]

Industry discussions about sustainable lighting are increasing, but what would sustainable product regulations look like? The European Union (EU) is far ahead of North America on sustainable product regulations, and a look at what the EU is doing gives one vision of where sustainable product regulations could go in North America.

The National Association of Innovative Lighting Distributors (NAILD) and its sustainable lighting committee recently published an open letter, detailing a list of concerns with integrated LED luminaires and a set of recommendations for the industry.

The May 14 Sustainable Facilities Forum, a virtual event, will bring public and private building professionals involved in planning and executing facility projects in California to learn about new products and trends.

The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced the winner of the Manufacturing Innovator Challenge for Sustainable Manufacturing of Luminaires: the Bamboo Pendant by Brad Koerner, Koerner Design.

Until recently, roadway lighting technologies changed very slowly. Technologies like high pressure sodium and other HID lamps used in cobra head-style fixtures were state-of-the-art for decades. In response, the best practices for roadway lighting design had remained largely unchanged since the 1970s and 1980s. A growing concern for preventing light pollution in the 1990s and [...]

The international jury for the Zumtobel Group Award 2014 has selected projects from Arup of Germany, Studio Tamassociati of Italy and Elemental of Chile as the winners in their respective categories. To promote innovations for sustainability and humanity in the built environment, the Austrian lighting group had invited submissions for the award in three categories: [...]

The Bay Lights, the new LED lighting system for the Bay Bridge that was developed by Philips Color Kinetics, recently went live. Fulfilling the brainchild of Ben Davis, chairman of Illuminate the Arts (ITA) and the vision of acclaimed artist Leo Villareal, the bridge will glow as a one-of-a-kind lighted sculpture for the next two [...]