Saving the Dark

Did you know that over 80% of Americans live under light polluted skies? Light pollution is increasing more than 6% per year in our larger cities. What is lost when we lose sight of the stars and disrupt the natural cycle of light and dark in our communities? Excessive and inappropriate lighting threatens our night sky heritage, disrupts our sleep patterns, endangers nocturnal habitats, wastes energy, and more.

You are invited to attend a free public screening of the film Saving the Dark on February 3, 2023 at 7:30 PM in BSU’s Education Building, Room 112 at 2133 W Cesar Chavez Lane. The event is hosted by Boise State University Physics Department, the Idaho Dark Sky Alliance, and the Oregon Outback Dark Sky Network. Saving the Dark is a beautiful and informative documentary film by film-maker Sriram Murali that explores the need to preserve night skies and ways to combat light pollution. Following the film there will be a short Q & A with a panel of regional experts to address dark sky topics related to local government, tourism, environmental, outdoor lighting and astronomy communities. The evening will close with a weather-dependent sidewalk stargazing event.

There are many environmental issues that affect our region where solutions are hard to come by. However, light pollution is one of the easiest environmental and health challenges to address through individual and community-based solutions. More awareness and effective leadership are the keys to help protect our remaining dark skies.

Working together we can reduce light pollution in our region. We hope to see you on February 3!