I think we should increase our awareness of good lighting in the city.  Lighting that escapes up to the sky and causes the glow we call light pollution.  It is pollution nonetheless, but it is also energy waste by letting light go up to illuminate the bottom of clouds and birds rather than pointing it down where it belongs.  I know Midland has been growing, and I am concerned about the amount of bad lighting and energy waste in Midland/Odessa.  I love the dark skies of Western Texas.  It's always the first thing I think about when I go back home.   I remember looking up at the sky from my home and seeing the Milky Way shining like a silvery belt across the moonless night. I remember being spellbound by the thousands of stars and asking how many there were.  

By installing full cut-off light fixtures by both businesses and street lights, a lot of energy can be saved instead of escaping up.  Full cut-off prevents any light to go above a horizontal plane and stops a lot of sky glow and allows more light needed on the ground where it belongs.  It also saves energy by installing lower wattage lights since most of the light is directed downward preventing the need of a 250 watt bulb where a 50-100 watt bulb could do the same job.

Seems to me the time is right, if only the country would get serious about energy conservation.  Outdoor lighting control represents the biggest bang for the bucks.  It's not that I am against lights, rather it is what I seek to promote, i.e., cost efficiency, increased visibly through reduced glare, dark skies to enjoy the stars, etc.

As a member of the International Dark Sky Association (IDA), I am very involved in promoting darker skies and better lighting techniques to save energy (saves money) and dark skies.  I care for my home in Texas and would love to preserve the beauty of the night skies in my home town of Midland.