DARK is the new LIGHT. That is the idea.

I know those stupid bulbs that Al Gore 'invented' are ALL the rage....especially for EarthDay. But anyone who knows me, and I've said it before here, knows I think it would make a LOOOOOOOOOOOOT more sense to

TURN. OFF. THE. LIGHTS.

Not distribute more light bulbs.

Specifically?

The OUTER BACK 40 of the Big Box parking lots. At least from 12 midnight to sunrise?? I mean, really.....what are you protecting out there?? Is someone gonna come steal the paint stripes off the blacktop????

I'm a HUGE fan of my peeps at DarkSky.

It just MAKES. MORE. SENSE.

And us? We can buy our outdoor light fixtures for our house that light our path -not the 5 closest neighbor's yards and our beautiful starlit sky.....Look for this symbol:



Picture on the below left: Eastern North American Blackout Picture on the Right: After Power was Restored.

Look at how gorgeous our skies could be!!!



I love going out at night in the dead of winter, or on a very hot muggy summer's night.....and just sitting outside alone and gaze at the stars. But we're all not going to be able to do that much longer if we keep lighting up the sky.

Just think about it.....

And if I'm not convincing enough - maybe the risk of CANCER will get you...take it from the folks at U.S. News and World Report:

The night is not what it was. Once, the Earth was cast perpetually half in shadow. Man and beast slept beneath inky skies, dotted with glittering stars. Then came fire, the candle, and the light bulb, gradually drawing back the curtain of darkness and giving us unprecedented control over our lives.

But a brighter world, it is becoming increasingly clear, has its drawbacks. A study released last month finding that breast cancer is nearly twice as common in brightly lit communities as in dark ones only added to a growing body of evidence that artificial light threatens not just stargazing but also public health, wildlife, and possibly even safety.

Those findings are all the more troubling considering that an estimated 30 percent of outdoor lighting—plus even some indoor lighting—is wasted. Ill-conceived, ineffective, and inefficient lighting costs the nation about $10.4 billion a year, according to Bob Gent of the International Dark-Sky Association, a nonprofit that aims to curtail light pollution, and it generates 38 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.

Check out the entire article here.


And they aren't just talking about standing in the middle of Times Square at 10pm -- get THIS...even a couple minutes of a bathroom light at night can be harmful!!!!

"Plus, you might want to leave on a night light in the bathroom for those 4 a.m. visits, since flipping on the main bathroom light for even a few minutes, Brainard says, could disrupt melatonin production."

(melatonin production at the dark night is needed to stay healthy, and cancer free - more at the U.S. News and World Report healthy article here)

So, DARK, the idea is DARK. And? Save tons of Carbon Dioxide a year while you help prevent cancer.


It's a WIN/WIN !! How about it Al Gore? I'd love to say you 'invented' dark skies : )


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