Don't be so sure individuals can't make a difference. Have you seen the brightness of these security lights people have been installing on their homes??? Ridiculous. Expensive, wasteful, excessive.

I know the biggest source of light pollution in my neighborhood (I live in Boston, within the city proper) is the damn blasted bright security lights people have in their backyards! I live right near Franklin Park, a huge Olmsted Park. If these morons would tone down the wattage on their lights, one could go near the park at night and see a nice patch of stars...even seeing meteor showers and such. But people think it's somehow "safer" to have the brightest light available; when actually studies have proven that the brighter the light the more dangerous for inhabitants, because they can;t see to get their keys or to discover something out of place etc. because of the glare, which also hides people more effectively than when one's eyes adjust to normal night-vision...

Saying an indiviual can't make a difference in light pollution is like saying individuals picking up their own garbage isn't important, because it won't make a "dent" in global pollution...this attitude is part of the problem! If people turn off their lights or replace high-watt bulbs with lower watt ones, maybe their neighbors will ask why, and then education and awareness begins...no effort is too small or insignificant.