How long has it been since you saw a night sky full of a billion points of light? It’s a fair guess that you’ve NEVER seen the full extent of the heavens. According to this Light Pollution Map, there are exactly seven locations in the continental United States that are absent any light pollution whatsoever.
Light pollution equals wasted electricity. You may not pay for it directly, but you DO pay for it with your taxes. Look around your city or region one night, and check out all the lights. One way or another, you’re paying for that!
The International Dark Sky Association seeks to eliminate all unnecessary night lighting worldwide. Originally their motive was, you guessed it ~ “light pollution.” Now people are seeing it as a horrific waste of energy. A third of all that artificial light is wasted, in not being focused or concentrated on the objective surface(s).
The U.S. alone wastes $3 billion each year on diffuse lighting – ten times that much if all the lights were turned out, like they do in Tucson, Arizona. Why can’t every major city follow suit? Why can’t there be a federal law? Why isn’t anybody DOING something about it?
Scientists on the International Space Station circle the earth once every 90 minutes; as pro-active as NASA is in environmental issues, how come they’re blind to all the wasted night energy they see, day in and day out?
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Excerpted from Going Green, available as an eBook at this list of eBook retailers online.