Age of Light Innovations

This event is part of the Luna Pro campaign, a six-month programme of events, interviews and cross-sector debates to build the business case for healthy lighting. This has been made possible by a team of six international manufacturer sponsors and a global network of scientists, regulators, industry bodies and media specialists. We are building on a social media campaign earlier in the year to raise awareness among teens of the impact of lighting on their health and well-being. These ‘Tik Tok’ style videos reached 2.5 million young people around the world with a click-through rate of up to 230% among German students. The young people pointed out that they don’t buy the lights. It became clear that around 80% of the professionals who buy lighting for our homes and hospitals, schools and offices have no formal training. So I set out with this brilliant team to find successful business people who had invested in better-quality lighting as a sound financial decision. And it was surprisingly hard to find. But the people I did find were passionate advocates. They were all clear that spending a bit more was good for their people, good for profit and good for the planet. So why is it so hard to find people who are really willing to talk about how better-quality lighting stacks up in commercial terms - and then put their money on the line? It’s a huge tanker to turn around: a fragmented sector with split incentives, a lack of transparency and a sector built on short term results to shift boxes rather than lighting solutions that integrate daylight and longer-term whole life costing. I'm under no illusions. But the only way to do that is build bridges outside the lighting sector - thanks to people like our amazing panel today who are not only outstanding innovators, thinkers and leaders in their own fields, but also are starting to make a real difference to the way we buy lighting.

Dr Belal Aboushi is a senior associate lighting research engineer at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. In this conversation, Belal shares some of his research into the role of light in creating a happy, healthy and productive workplace. He explains how four key dimensions of lighting combine to improve sleep duration and quality - intensity, spectral distribution, orientation and dynamic changes over time. He also describes research that explores the potential of artificial lighting to replicate some of these qualities - with promising results. If you want to reach out to Belal, see his contact information here [https://energyenvironment.pnnl.gov/staff/staff_info.asp?staff_num=3758].

Stuart Peirson is Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the Sir Jules Thorn Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institution (SCNi). He completed a PhD in Neuroscience on visual pigments and circadian biology at University College London in 2001. During his subsequent work at Imperial College, he contributed to the identification of the melanopsin pRGC system in humans as well as the characterisation of melanopsin signalling pathways. He was appointed as a Lecturer at Imperial College in 2005 before moving to the University of Oxford in 2006. His work has continued to focus upon characterising the signalling pathways mediating the effects of light on physiology and behaviour, with the aim of understanding mechanisms underlying sleep and circadian rhythm disruption.

The Norwich Biosciences Institute is a cluster just outside Norwich of four international centers of excellence in plant science, microbiology, harnessing foo for health and controlling food-related disease: the Earlham Institute, the John Innes Centre, the Sainsbury Laboratory, and Quadrant Institute of Bioscience. Steve recently oversaw the refurbishment of the lighting for two buildings in the business park.

Interview with Erik Askensjö, Manager Director, Schaeffler Sverige AB & Manager, Industrial Nordic and Baltic area 28 September 2021