Why Dark Skies?

Why Care About Dark Skies?

You haven’t seen a starry sky in a long time, if ever.  You don’t go outside much.  You’re busy, and don’t need another obligation.  You live in an apartment and do not have outdoor lights you control.  So why be concerned about whether the night sky is dark?  

Here’s why:

• Normal levels of darkness at night are a major way all life regulates functions.  All of us are affected by light and dark cycles of day and night to regulate our sleep, emotions, blood pressure, digestion, and other functions, even if we do not go outside at night.  Yes, there are other factors too, but when the most basic of life regulating systems is damaged, we cannot maintain normal functions no matter what else we do.  FYI your indoor lighting matters too.

• Every life form we have observed uses night darkness and daytime light cycles as well as many biochemical processes to regulate migration, navigation, reproduction, growth, development, seed production, and rest.  Without normal darkness and normal daylight most life eventually falters and can even fail.  Humans depend on plants for our food.  Plants depend on insects and birds to live.  If they cannot live normally, we cannot be healthy.  Humans cannot separate their survival from the plants and animals we depend on.

• Ocean life is closely dependent on night and day cycles.  Food chains from microscopic organisms to whales move and interact dependent on darkness and daylight.  The life in the ocean is collapsing in many places.  Light pollution is one of the reasons.  Fish from the sea is a critical part of human food supplies.  In  many ocean areas the food supply is diminishing rapidly.

• When plants, animals, microscopic life, and humans are exposed to several challenges at once it becomes harder to adapt to any one of them.  Air pollution, sound pollution, health problems, and other stresses of modern life join light pollution to disrupt our lives.  But light pollution has an affordable, effective, easy solution. We can do one thing that will make the whole world feel and function better.  We can reverse light pollution. 

• We all pay for electricity and are affected by continually rising costs.  Smarter lighting saves money.  Each of us will benefit from that over the years we pay our electric bills.

• If you cannot change outdoor lighting, you can support the people, businesses, and local governments that are able to restore normal night light levels.  Join up, contribute, voice support for effective, safe, affordable, healthy lighting options.