TJ student is on a mission to reduce light pollution

Rushil Kukreja, a student at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, is so committed to reducing light pollution, he founded a nonprofit organization and is working on drafting legislation to address the problem.

He even spoke at a science summit at the United Nations in October on potential solutions.

Princia, the 501(c)(3) Rushil launched in 2023, includes 250 advocates across the globe working to address the environmental, health, and ecological impacts of light pollution through education, research, policy, and community engagement.

The organization has secured a grant from Cornell University to further its mission.

Rushil, a resident of Falls Church who grew up in an apartment with bright city lights, says, “I’ve always been interested in astronomy and looking at stars, but it’s difficult here.”

This issue hit closer to home when his aunt, a nurse who worked long nighttime shifts during the pandemic, was diagnosed with breast cancer. A higher prevalence of cancer among nighttime workers is linked to artificial light, he says, because “it disrupts the circadian rhythms of the body.”

That motivated Rushil to address light pollution as not just an environmental issue but also a human health crisis.

He says solutions to reduce light pollution include using warmer colored tones – rather than blue light – and having streetlights shielded downward rather than projecting light in all directions.

Rushil is working with Del. Rip Sullivan, a Democrat representing McLean and Great Falls in the General Assembly, to propose legislation to curb light pollution.

The legislation would establish an education program involving several state agencies to:

• inform the public about the adverse impacts of light pollution on public health, wildlife, and the environment;
• promote best practices for outdoor lighting, including energy-efficient technologies and appropriate lighting levels; and
• encourage citizens to report instances of excessive or inappropriate outdoor lighting.

The bill would also grant authority to the Department of Conservation and Recreation, in consultation with the Virginia Association of Astronomical Societies, to designate areas free of excessive artificial light as “dark sky preserves.”

In Fairfax County, the Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance to limit light pollution within a half-mile radius of the astronomical observatory at Turner Farm Park in Great Falls.

The Town of Vienna is working on revamping the lighting regulations it adopted in 2023 to reduce light pollution.

Rushil would like to see a similar effort in Fairfax County but notes “Cost is definitely a problem. There is no overwhelming support at the county level.”

There is more support from state officials, he says. “We reached out to dozens of Virginia legislators. Quite a few are very interested.”