COMMeMOratiVe ISSue - Illuminating Engineering Society

P R E S I D E N T ’ S P E R S P E C T I V E
A conventional public education campaign on
a national scale would cost millions of dollars or
pesos and is clearly beyond the means of IESNA.
However, by partnering with other organizations
and using the power of the Internet, a great deal
can be accomplished. Where we have traditionally
partnered with other professional and technical
organizations, we now need to reach out to
public advocacy groups who can carry our message
of better lighting while serving their own
constituencies. We can provide the expertise
and the education while they provide the forum.
The IESNA Committee on Lighting for the
Aged and Partially Sighted has already shown
leadership in this area by organizing an October
event in Washington, DC, on lighting for seniors
that was recognized by the White House Conference
on Aging. At that meeting, opportunities
for collaboration with, among others, the National
Council on Aging, Shared Solutions and
AARP were identified and will be pursued. Other
initiatives are expected to be announced shortly.
While these are small steps, they are a beginning
and serve as an example of a new approach to
getting out the message of quality lighting.
IESNA has been extremely effective at bringing
together the diverse and varied interests in the
lighting industry. It is now time for us to go beyond
talking among ourselves and to begin to educate
the public about the benefits of quality lighting and
the nature and costs of poor lighting. Only then will
they demand an improved lighted environment.
Alan Laird Lewis, O.D., Ph.D.
FIESNA, IESNA President
14 www.iesna.org