Aouli — Hawaiian for “the vault of heaven”
Lighting advice that keeps Hawaiʻi’s night sky dark.
Independent consulting on night-sky-friendly outdoor lighting for homes, businesses, and developments across Hawaiʻi — from someone who has spent more than two decades working to protect Hawaiʻi’s dark night skies, for both astronomy and the endangered wildlife that depends on darkness.
Why it matters
Most light pollution is an easy fix.
Poorly aimed or overly bright fixtures disorient and endanger native seabirds and sea turtles, waste energy, and wash out the stars over one of the darkest, clearest skies in the world. Protecting wildlife and protecting the night sky call for the same fix: almost all of it can be corrected with a few sensible choices — shield the fixture, warm the color temperature, and light only what needs it, only when it needs it.
Services
How I can help
Residential Lighting
Practical recommendations for homes, yards, and landscaping — lighting that feels warm and welcoming without spilling upward or onto your neighbors.
Commercial & Resort Lighting
Guidance for businesses, hotels, and developments balancing safety and ambiance with dark-sky best practices.
Ordinance & Permit Compliance
Help meeting county and state outdoor lighting requirements, including the special rules protecting Maunakea’s astronomy reserve.
The Opportunity
Dark skies are becoming a destination.
Stargazing is one of the fastest-growing parts of Hawaiʻi tourism, and a resort with a genuinely dark night sky has something most destinations can’t offer: real, unfiltered stars. Once the lighting is right, that darkness becomes an amenity — stargazing decks, astronomy programs, and a night sky worth building a story around.
Process
What working together looks like
Site Review
We look at your property, plans, or existing fixtures together — in person, or from photos and drawings.
Recommendations
A clear, practical lighting plan — which fixtures, where to place them, how to shield them, and what color temperature to use.
Follow-Up
Support through permitting, product selection, or installation questions as they come up.
About
Richard Wainscoat
For more than twenty years, Richard has worked to preserve Hawaiʻi’s dark night skies — protecting the view from Maunakea, one of the most important astronomical observing sites on Earth, and the endangered seabirds, sea turtles, and other native wildlife that light at night puts at risk. His expertise spans both fields, not astronomy alone. Richard has a Ph.D. in astronomy and is an active member of the Outdoor Nighttime Environment Committee of the Illuminating Engineering Society.
Get in touch
Ready to talk about your lighting?
Send a bit about your property or project, and I’ll follow up to schedule a time to talk.
Email RichardServing clients across the Hawaiian Islands.