ALA-member manufacturers, join us. Be part of the ALA effort to include circadian lighting as a feature in new residential fixture designs. You will work one-on-one with the Light & Health Research Center (LHRC) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City to develop new fixtures for your product line as well as lighting design recommendations to improve sleep, health and well-being. 

This effort involves the idea of “circadian lighting” or how light can be used to provide the bright days and dark nights that are needed to entrain strong circadian rhythms people need for healthy sleep. The ALA is working with Dr. Mark Rea, co-director of the LHRC and Jennifer Brons (Jen), LHRC staff, who is a lighting designer and educator with some 20 years of lighting design experience.

Several ALA manufacturers are already involved. To join, please contact Jennifer Brons at 518-961-0779 or Jennifer.Brons@mountsinai.org to set up an online appointment. If you would prefer to have ALA also involved in that initial meeting, Terry McGowan, ALA’s Director of Engineering, can be included. Contact Terry at 216-570-2686 or tkmcgowan@att.net.

Those manufacturers who wish to be involved will jointly fund a $50K contract between the ALA and the LHRC. To participate in the program, larger manufacturers will be asked to contribute $5,000 and smaller manufacturers will be asked to contribute $2,500. We believe there are significant benefits for the lighting industry moving forward to be able to quantify standards relating to light and health.

Each participating manufacturer will work with the LHRC separately on fixture designs and will receive a written report and photometric evaluation of prototype fixtures. In order to move forward with this partnership, we need 10 to 12 ALA-member manufacturers involved. Currently, seven have expressed interest.

You have probably noticed an increase in information about light and health and, more specifically, circadian-effective lighting. It is being covered in lighting trade press articles, presented in webinars, and appearing on conference programs. As an introduction to the subject, check out ALA’s new podcast series “That’s Brilliant.” Episode 1 is titled “Bright Days, Dark Nights” where ALA’s Raelle Bell and Liz Ware learn about circadian lighting from the LHRC experts. Click here to listen.

2022 is already on track to be a year of change with new ideas and products, as those who attended the January Lightovation have reported. Take this opportunity to learn how this new approach to residential lighting can be part of your product line – and your business.

Sincerely,

Eric Jacobson

President and CEO

American Lighting Association