Dark Skies

*JBA students measuring the sky brightness at the Truman State Observatory*

**Some of the (terrible) globe lights on Truman’s campus.** These fixtures cause glare and cast unnecessary light into our environment while casting strong shadows on the ground.

DarkSky International: darksky.org

DarkSky Missouri: darkskymissouri.org

Dark Sky Truman: darksky.truman.edu

My dark sky work:

DarkSky Missouri:

Chapter Secretary for the DarkSky Missouri Board of Directors (as of 1/24) (https://darkskymissouri.org/about/people-and-operations)

Truman State:

Preceptor for the Joseph Baldwin Academy (working with the light pollution class)
Preceptor for the Freshman Symposium Illuminate Course
Member of Truman State’s Dark Sky Group

What we’ve done:

Community outreach/education
Write grant proposals to address the (terrible) lighting on Truman’s campus
Document the number and location of each outdoor light on campus with a campus-wide lighting survey (there are over 300)
Arranged meetings with lighting experts, city council members, the mayor, campus administration, etc.
Organized International Dark Sky Week events

What we stand for: Thoughtful and responsible lighting policies and practices

In principle, the solution to light pollution is easy. We can light up the areas we need without sending unnecessary light into the environment and up into the night sky. By following the 5 principles of responsible lighting, we can protect the environment and the beauty of the night sky without sacrificing the function of the light.