Sea Turtle Awareness:
The Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) has been providing educational tools and programs to engage the public since 1993. The Sea Turtle Conservancy provides various education programs to inform the public about sea turtles, and has a specific page on the impact of light pollution on sea turtle hatchlings. The conservancy also provides outreach materials through its education program including, brochures and bumper stickers to raise awareness about light pollution and promote the conservation of sea turtles.
Steps that can be taken by those who live in coastal communities to reduce their light pollution impact on the sea turtle population:
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Turn off lights visible on nesting beaches or use special fixtures to shield the lights from the beach.
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Use low-pressure sodium-vapor lighting (LPS) instead of normal lights;
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Use Turtle Safe Lighting— these red lights emit a very narrow portion of the visible light spectrum, which is less intrusive to nesting sea turtles and hatchlings;
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If disoriented hatchlings are found away from the sea, call local law enforcement;
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Tint windows that face the beach;
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Close opaque curtains or blinds after dark to cover windows visible from the beach.
For Teachers
The education program provides educator resources with lesson plans and activities that are specifically designed for different grades. With the use of these educational resources, the Sea Turtle Conservancy is increasing awareness of sea turtle species, the importance of their conservation, as well as the effects of light pollution on the sea turtle population.
http://www.conserveturtles.org/educators.php?page=educatorresources
Light Pollution Education
Astronomy Interests:
Astronomy organizations are interested in reducing light pollution for the purpose of preserving the night sky. The artistic and visual damage to the beauty of the night sky is being increasingly threatened by light pollution (Gallaway, 2010). Furthermore, due to air pollution, the economic value of scenic assets is being decreased as a result.
An organization that has an interest in preserving the night sky and eliminating light pollution is the International Dark-Sky Association, which was founded in 1988, with its purpose of raising awareness of the increasing impact of light pollution. Their main mission is education, and the association provides materials for educators and the general public to inform various communities of the negative impact of light pollution.
The International Astronomical Union will be setting up wide-ranging activities with the successful Globe at Night program to help raise awareness of light pollution (Walker, 2011). Globe at Night is an international campaign to raise awareness of the impact of light pollution by encouraging the public to measure night-sky brightness and submit their information online or through the use of their smart phones (Walker, 2011). These two organizations among other astronomy-based groups are increasing public involvement which will allow for increased supporters and activists today, as well as teaching the future generations about the issue.
The International Dark-Sky Association provides lesson plans for educators as well as a student award that can be earned by a K-12 student for their project related to light pollution. Additionally, the IDA provides a Mini-Page activity page for kids specifically about light pollution.
What You Can Do:
For Yourself:
Four simple steps that can be taken to reduce your individual light pollution impact:
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light only when necessary
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use the lowest luminance possible
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minimize the amount of light emitted upwards and particularly a close to the horizontal
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dim or turn off lights during the evening hours (Clanton, 2013).
For Your Health:
Ways in which you can reduce the impact of artificial lighting on your health:
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Install room-darkening shades to extend the dark period at night,
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Turn off devices that give off light while sleeping.
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Avoid watching television or working on the computer right before you shut your eyes
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Use a different night light than a dim red one due to the suppression of melatonin production from red light (Spivey, 2010).
Interview with Professor Harold Geller:
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Term Associate Professor at George Mason University and is the Director of the College of Science Observatory. While working at GMU, Professor Geller and his staff has provided the International Dark Sky Association with data on their images of the night sky.
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Professor Geller stated that, “many people think the safest thing to do is to have the brightest light you can, unfortunately doesn’t get across to them that isn’t the case, light is dependent on location and brightness.”
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He further went on to state that, “no one is saying you don’t want lights to prevent criminals from hiding, but low-level lights instead of big bright lights that shine everywhere.”
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Professor Geller emphasized the assumption on the linkage between safety and more light, instead of the focus on where the light is.
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Around Research Hall at GMU, where the observatory is located, they put lights that shined up impacting their visibility. Those lights have been fixed but they are still having problems with the lights from the Art school building.
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Professor Geller mentioned that it’s difficult to educate people about this and that here is no concern about needing to see the night sky, but people should care because light shining up is a waste of energy and money.
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Final thought: Interesting how the placement of lights wasn’t thought out when the observatory was put in place.
Helpful Links:
http://darksky.org/for-teachers/ida-lesson-plans
http://darksky.org/for-kids/student-projects
http://www.darksky.org/assets/documents/education/MiniPageLightPollution.pdf
