By DREW REAGAN, DarkSky
DarkSky International recently announced the launch of the DarkSky Action Fund, an innovative initiative marking a significant step forward in our mission to protect the night. The fund aims to provide immediate and direct support to projects addressing light pollution worldwide, elevating this often overlooked form of environmental degradation to the forefront of conservation efforts.
With over three decades of experience since our founding in 1988, DarkSky International recognizes that we’ve reached a critical moment in the fight against light pollution. Public awareness of the dark sky movement is at an all-time high, with more people than ever before understanding the value and importance of the night and pristine darkness. Yet, paradoxically, light pollution continues to grow globally at an alarming rate.
The DarkSky Action Fund represents a bold move to bridge this gap, turning increased advocacy and knowledge into tangible action. By supporting projects that directly reduce light pollution in places and communities worldwide, the fund aims to accelerate progress in protecting our natural night environment, responding to the urgent need for concrete steps as artificial light continues its encroachment.
Three pillars of the DarkSky Action Fund
The fund focuses on three critical pillars that form the foundation of DarkSky International’s comprehensive approach to combating light pollution:
Policy: Expand the Dark Sky policy wing to promote and implement responsible outdoor lighting ordinances compliant with Dark Sky standards at city, state, and eventually, national levels.
- Support the promulgation of DarkSky legislative and municipal ordinance templates – comprehensive and actionable measures plans for municipalities, states, and national governments to adopt as they begin the process of implementing and enforcing responsible nighttime outdoor lighting practices.
- Resource the Dark Sky Programs team to address major threats to night skies, such as lighting from greenhouses, urban light pollution from high-rise buildings, harmful new car headlights, and to advocate for responsible satellite regulations with world governments.
Conservation: Support the maintenance and expansion of certified International Dark Sky Places (IDSPs). These communities, reserves, parks, and sanctuaries around the world offer public stargazing opportunities, wildlife refuges, and preservation of natural rhythms, and provide inspiration for all communities to value darkness as an inherent necessity for the health of our planet
- Directly support the IDSP program by increasing team capacity to identify and collaborate with new reserves, aiming to exponentially grow the number of certified IDSPs.
- Provide resources to potential IDSPs in the application pipeline to achieve certification, including a small scholarship fund in 2025 for necessary equipment and support.
- Fund quarterly IDSP workshops to facilitate communication between certified IDSPs, enhancing coordination for dark sky corridors and strengthening conservation efforts.
Education: Expand outreach efforts to transform education into direct action, combating the harmful effects of light pollution.
- Launch a new virtual certification program, Responsible Outdoor Lighting at Night (ROLAN), for Dark Sky advocates, lighting professionals, city employees, and other stakeholders.
- Provide resources and tools to small IDSPs and Dark Sky places with limited means to develop and implement effective education programs.
- Support the creation of engaging, interactive materials to raise public awareness about light pollution and its impact on wildlife, human health, and astronomical research.
Ruskin Hartley, Executive Director of DarkSky International, expressed his enthusiasm for the new initiative: “The DarkSky Action Fund represents a pivotal moment in our mission. It allows us to take tangible, measurable action to reduce light pollution on a global scale. We’re particularly excited about new programs, such as innovative types of International Dark Sky Places and policy templates that will empower cities to create ordinances that effectively reduce light pollution. This fund is not just about preserving dark skies – it’s about actively reclaiming them for communities worldwide.”
The organization emphasizes that every dollar contributed to the fund goes directly toward reclaiming dark skies from the ground up. Contributions will support efforts to certify new Dark Sky Places, craft effective lighting policies, and educate the public about preserving our natural nightscapes.
Be a founding contributor
This is your opportunity to make a lasting impact on the future of our night skies. By becoming a founding contributor to the DarkSky Action Fund, you’ll be at the forefront of a global movement to protect and reclaim our natural darkness. Your contribution will directly fuel innovative projects, groundbreaking policies, and crucial educational initiatives that will shape the future of night sky preservation.
Don’t miss this chance to be part of something truly transformative. Visit the DarkSky Action Fund donation page to contribute today. Together, we can ensure that future generations will experience the wonder of a star-filled night sky. Join us in this critical mission – become a founding contributor and help write the next chapter in the story of dark sky preservation.
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