Around the world different people are talking about how they use full-spectrum lighting in their day-to-day lives. We feature some of the best here.
HEALTH
Vitamin D2 vs D3 Vs Sunlight | Health News and Tips
But full spectrum lamps may be much safer than UBV light alone because full spectrum light naturally limits the total amount of vitamin D3 the skin makes in the body. Research has not been done on common full spectrum CFS lightbulbs to …
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Carbonfund.org is an leading organisation in the carbon offset industry. They recently ran a blog entry on their partner Viva-Lite.
Five Ways to “Brighten” Your Life
by GREG TAYLOR on AUGUST 25, 2010
Our partner Viva-Lite shares their perspective with us in a guest blog this week. If you haven’t checked out their full spectrum lights yet, make sure you do. They make a huge difference in your mood, your health, your productivity and the way you work. Below, Viva-Lite’s founders offer their top five places to switch to full spectrum lights and brighten your life:
1. Offices and factories. Are you in charge of people who are spending the majority of their day under artificial light?…..
You can read the full blog here.
We recommend full-spectrum lighting for plantcare and also reference a number of other websites that do so.
But have you ever wondered why plants respond so well to full-spectrum light?
Ever notice how people texting at night have that eerie blue glow? Or wake up ready to write down the Next Great Idea, and get blinded by your computer screen?
During the day, computer screens look good—they’re designed to look like the sun. But, at 9PM, 10PM, or 3AM, you probably shouldn’t be looking at the sun. This little software tool called “F.lux” is all you need to change it. It makes the color of your computer’s display adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day. (more…)
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This paper reviews developments in hybrid light guidance systems.
In these daylight and electric light are simultaneously delivered into a building where they are combined and distributed via luminaires. The technology used in hybrid systems, both conceptual and realised, is discussed. The review speculates as to their likely performance in terms of daylight delivery; capital and running costs; user reaction to the systems; potential impact of the systems on the building which they light; and suitable design methods. It is noted that a substantial amount of work remains before the potential of hybrid systems may be realised, notably on their long-term economics and feasibility in different geographic locations. (more…)
In the Netherlands there is an organic goat farm which is now lighted with Viva-Lite.
The farmer wanted to light up the barn with daylight so the milk production goes up. She also painted the ceiling which in combination with Viva-Lite it makes a huge difference as you can see for yourself in the following before / after pictures:
Thanks to our distributor in Holland who made these pictures!
The following video was taken on the Finnish Housing Fair in the City of Valkeakoski between 10 July – 9 August 2009.
A special treat was one house lighted fully with VIVA-LITE and created by lighting designer Ilkka Pekanheimo from Ad-Lux:
About the Housing Fair:
The ca. 40 fair houses built on the verdant housing fair area in Valkeakoski form a multi-faceted combination. An extensible, unique house for a first home, a TV-house and a passive house with a vivid design are good examples of the extensive selection of houses. The fair includes houses built in both traditional and modern styles, one- and two-storey solutions, stone and wood houses – not to mention the latest trends and experimental building.
Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards Finalist Viva-Lite has silently built a strong and loyal customer base with so-called “Full Spectrum Lights” – products aimed at solving typical effects caused by lack of natural light, often also referred to as “Winter Blues”.
Toby Ruckert and his partner Margit Brusda moved to Waiheke from Germany in 2003 and with them they brought ‘Viva-Lite’ – their light bulb producing company that specialises in full-spectrum lighting to assist businesses whose employees suffer from headaches, eyestrain and stress.
“People can get very low emotionally in the middle of winter due to the lack of natural light,” says Toby. “People feel entirely different working under these lights as they reduce tiredness and mood swings especially if it relates to the winter blues. But the lights also improve energy levels.”
The idea of Full Spectrum Lighting isn’t new. During the 20th century the US Navy was actively researching methods to combat diseases commonly appearing on submarines where no natural daylight exposure for the crew is available for many weeks – or even months. Ultimately NASA provided a solution by creating the first natural daylight simulating tubes with added UV output to help the crew stay healthy even without actual daylight access. (more…)
Do northern hemisphere seasonal variations impact stock market volatility and return by affecting aggregate investor/trader mood? In their April 2008 paper entitled “Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and Perceived Market Risk“, Guy Kaplanski and Haim Levy test the effect of seasonal environmental factors (daylight hours, temperature and fall season) on perceived market risk as indicated by the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX).
VIX, also known as the Fear Index, is a measure of the risk perceived by traders of S&P 500 index options. Using VIX and actual volatility data and environmental measurements (for latitude 41 degrees north, Chicago and New York) over the period 1990-2007, they conclude that: (more…)
A career as a concert pianist was put on the backburner when Toby Ruckert and his partner Margit Brusda chose to light up peoples lives. Moving to Waiheke in 2003 they brought with them ‘Viva-Lite’. Their light bulb producing company that specialises in full-spectrum lighting to assist businesses whose employees suffer from headaches, eyestrain and stress.
“People can get very low emotionally in the middle of winter due to the lack of natural light,” says Toby. “People feel entirely different working under these lights as they reduce tiredness and mood swings especially if it relates to the winter blues. But the lights also improve energy levels.”
Toby and Margit say that small businesses can reduce the number of sick days by changing their lighting. “For people who get headaches in the office, this improves them. Normal fluoro tubes only have three colours and we try to bring in as much of the suns natural spectrum as possible.”
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