Dark Sky Initiative

Artificial light at night has revolutionized the way we live and work outdoors, but it has come at a steep price. Light can be a pollutant. When used indiscriminately, outdoor lighting can disrupt wildlife, impact human health, waste money and energy, contribute to climate change, and block our view of the universe. We work to return the dark of night to our wilderness and reclaim our extremely rich night sky heritage.

Start at Home

Inspect your outside lighting.
Ensure lighting is being used only where it’s needed.
Ensure lights are no brighter than necessary.
Are lights turned off when not needed - are timers and motion sensors used to control lights?
Are warm color lamps 3000 Kelvin or less being used?
Are lighting fixtures fully shielded – light is pointed down where it’s needed?
Replace dark sky unfriendly lighting with dark sky friendly lighting.
Appy for your TWC Dark Sky Friendly Lighting Certification (This program hasn’t been developed yet.)
Go to the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) website darksky.org to learn more and apply for their Dark Sky Friendly Home Certification.

Be a Citizen Scientist

The Globe at Night project relies on individuals to make bright sky measurements. No experience is needed. The Globe at Night website provides everything required.
The Dark Sky Meter app makes use of the iPhone camera to record night sky brightness.
The Loss of the Night app, available for Android and iPhones, walks the user through making sky brightness measurements using your eyes.
The MySkyatNight project allows you do your own analysis of all available sky brightness data.
The Cities at Night project relies on citizen scientists to map and identify photos taken from the International Space Station to better assess light pollution around the world.

Be an Advocate

Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors – you can be a powerful advocate for your neighborhood, city, and state.
Advocate for a Lighting Ordinance in your town if it doesn’t have one. If your town does have a lighting ordinance advocate for changes if it is not dark sky friendly and for enforcement.
Become a member of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) – help support their purpose, “to protect the night from light pollution.”
Become a member of the IDA Ohio Chapter – support local actions to protect our night sky.

Partner with us!

We want to help your business, development company or homeowners association become dark sky friendly. Contact us to learn more about our consulting services.