I have something to mention. It's called light pollution. When was the last time you were able to see the stars on a clear night in a truly dark location, with no haze of artificial light interfering? If you have never witnessed the amazing spectacle of stars in a truly dark sky, you are missing one of the most awesome sights on the planet. The reason many people have not been able to experience this is light pollution, from poorly designed artificial lighting.
Check out the International Dark Sky Association website www.darksky.org for a huge amount of information on this issue. Their site is rather cluttered, but if you have a little patience you will be enlightened. Those of us who want to alleviate this problem of light pollution are not advocating some wacky notion of outlawing outdoor lighting. Smart design is what we are pushing for. Better designed lighting actually works more efficiently, doing it's primary job better, while curbing wasteful spillage that causes the light pollution. Simple really. It's a win-win situation.
If you city-dwellers find yourself on vacation or traveling in an area far from city lights, try taking a few minutes some clear night, look up, and see what you're missing. You too may become a believer! Down with light pollution! Yes to better lighting design!
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