Sea Turtles, Lighting, and Reflection

In some cultures, back before modern technology, when it came to be time for a teenager to mature and reflect, they went on vision quests. Essentially you throw them out in nature for a week or so, and as an effect of what I’m guessing are delusions resulting from malnutrition and/or dehydration, they have some sort of epiphany, and they know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. And while I’m sure that these ancient people have a more eloquent way of phrasing the process, that’s essentially it.

So even though I've spent these past few weeks making phone calls and taking notes, rather than foraging for berries and sticks in the forest, I find that there is still wisdom that I can take away from the experience thus far.

To answer the question, “What did you learn”, aside from the obvious answer, which is “Way too much about light bulbs”, I would have to say that as banal as it sounds, I've learned that ultimately, people want to help you. Although I’m still working towards building up interest in my peers, as I've noticed that nearly every time I start talking about light pollution their eyes glaze over, and when I finish speaking they reply with the same forced, “No, I think what you’re doing is really interesting”, most adults in the astronomy and lighting community have been very helpful and enthusiastic.

I've changed my method of working on projects, from waiting for others to volunteer to help and ending up doing it by myself, to actually seeking out those who want to help, and it’s lovely. Going back to the beginning of the school year, I should probably have started sooner. At the rate I’m going at, I’ll be lucky if I've gathered enough public support to present my ordinance at a city council meeting before December, but I remain optimistic!

With the experience of these past few weeks, I know I want to continue on with my light pollution project. The more I read, the more I realize how serious of a problem this is. Thousands of birds are dying daily, disoriented and hitting the sides of buildings. Smaller rodents are continuously underfeeding because the false daylight caused by light pollution makes it too dangerous for them to go out in the open at night. Baby sea turtles are perishing in mass numbers, being picked off easily by predators because the excess lighting from nearby cities draws them towards land, and out of safety.

There have been studies done by the World Health Organization linking excess lighting to numerous health issues for humans too. And the amount of money wasted on lighting up the sky with unnecessary, badly shielded fixtures is (pun intended) astronomical.

I've already had some absolutely wonderfully kind, brilliant mentors, without whom I don’t know where I’d be. Dr. Douglas King, of The Madison Group was with me from the very beginning, providing me with a wealth of knowledge on the subject. Dr. John Barentine, of the International Dark Sky Association made the possibility of writing an ordinance a reality. And finally Ms. Lindsay Helmbock of the Citizens Action Coalition, whom I just recently contacted, is already networking for me, and working towards finding me connections in the energy efficiency community.

With the fantastic luck I've had with finding mentors so far, I’d love to continue to make connections with anyone from the World Wildlife Fund, because they sponsor an Earth Hour, which brings awareness to light pollution and the effect it has on wildlife. I’m also eager to collaborate with anyone in the astronomy community who has an interest in light pollution. So thank you to everyone for the support so far, and if you don’t remember anything else from this post, remember the turtles.