Look Below
International Initiative in Defence of the Quality of the Night Sky as Mankind’s Scientific, Cultural and Environmental Heritage
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Flyer - Starlight Initiative in partnership with the UNESCO MAB Programme

Starlight Tourist Destinations

Starlight Destinations are visitable places characterised by excellent quality for the contemplation of starry skies and the practice of tourist activities based on this resource. The Starlight Tourism Certification System was created with the aim of encouraging, at world-wide level, the improvement of the quality of tourist experiences and the protection of the night skies in Starlight Destinations.The Starlight Certification seeks to guarantee the capacity to enjoy the view of the stars and...

Windows to the Universe

The scientific dimension of a starry night is an essential part of the legacy of the sky. The ability of the planet’s astronomical sites and observatories to detect and interpret data from outside the world we live in should be considered as a resource of extraordinary value for the progress of knowledge, as it has been throughout history. Dark skies are still the windows to our knowledge of the greater Universe. Unfortunately current areas devoted to astronomical observation do not enjoy ap...

Starlight Reserves

A Starlight Reserve is a site where a commitment to defend the night sky quality and the access to starlight has been established. Its main function will be to preserve the quality of the night sky and its associate values, whether they are cultural, scientific, astronomical, natural, or landscape-related. A Starlight Reserve will have a core or dark zone. This is an unpolluted area where natural night sky light conditions are kept intact. This core zone will be protected by a buffer or prote...

Star Parks - One Star at a Time Programme

A StarPark is a window to the firmament that each community voluntarily designates to enjoy the starry night sky. Its function is to claim and secure the right to starlight, especially for future generations.
Just as communities designate areas for recreation, sport, the enjoyment of nature or silence, these same sites and others can be places where the starry sky is enjoyed. A StarPark is an oasis that each community designates for stargazing/observing, a site where to learn under the st...
Published in News - News Features
16Jan 2015

Alternative ways of Lighting the Night: Save Energy and Recover the Stars!

starlightflyeren2On the ocassion of International Year of Light (IYL2015)


Light and the climate

Sustainable lighting and climate change

The over-illumination has become a growing phenomenon in many towns and cities around the world. Excess of artificial light increases energy consumption and is economically unjustified. It also increases the level of emissions that contribute to climate change. By contrast, today more than 1.3 billion people worldwide do not have access to basic electricity

Light and the stars

Recovering our vision of the starry sky

At present most people in the world do not have the possibility to see the Milky Way and its stars in the sky, including astronomers. The increase in light pollution is blotting out the stars from our sky, causing the deterioration of a legacy with strong cultural, scientific, environmental and aesthetic repercussions. Clear night skies also provide sustainable income opportunities as tourists and visitors are eagerly looking for sites with impressive night skies.

Light and life

Protecting biodiversity and people’s health

Light pollution also has a negative effect on many species of plants and animals, including migratory species, both in protected areas and in urban or rural areas. Too much light can affect people’s health, by changing circadian rhythms. Thus, reducing the emission of artificial light may help to protect biodiversity and improve health conditions for the general population.

Solutions

Promoting outdoor lighting with intelligent options

This would be based around three simple principles. First, only illuminate what needs to be illuminated. Second, make use of outdoor lighting only when needed. Finally, use luminaires that completely avoid light emissions towards the horizon or up to the sky. It is absurd to waste energy sending light to the stars.

Innovation

New opportunities for lighting technology

At present, eco-efficient technologies exist that make it possible to limit light pollution: luminaires, sensors, flux and time regulators, motion detectors as well as new generations of lamps. It is also possible to use more efficient lamps that do not emit wavelengths that are harmful to the environment, avoiding the use of white light, including white LEDs.

 

Biosphere Reserves, Towards a New Culture of Light

Reducing light pollution and recovering starry sky should be part of a new culture of biosphere reserves protection committed to acting on climate change and sustainable development. Eight years after the Declaration of La Palma (Declaration in Defence of the Night Sky and the Right to Starlight), over twenty biosphere reserves have now developed successful initiatives to ensure night sky quality and promote sustainable lighting.

 

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(*)Texts: Cipriano Marín (Starlight Initiative) & Peter Dogse (UNESCO MaB Secretariat)

Last Updated on Jan162016
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LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

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Starlight Initiative collaborates with the

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Starlight related links

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Covenant of Mayors Related Initiative

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Colaborating with IAU Working Group

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IUCN Dark Sky Advisory Group

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Dark Skies Awareness Project

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Partnership Unesco-MaB

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Member of the Knowledge Network

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Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias

The Starlight Initiative is designed as an international action in defence of the values associated with the night sky and the general right to observe the stars. It is open to the participation of all scientific, cultural, environmental, and citizens' organizations...

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