Darkness Matters: Light Pollution’s Threats and Simple Ways to Help

Summary Darkness is a vital, and often overlooked, component of our ecosystems. Unfortunately, we’re losing it to light pollution. Decreasing the light pollution around your home will not only benefit the environment but will also benefit you because you’ll be able to see better without all the excess glare and will save money because you aren’t paying to light up the sky. 3 things you’ll learn from this episode:

• Why darkness is so important.
• What light pollution is and how prevalent it is.
• 4 simple ways you can combat light pollution around your home.

Studies mentioned in this episode:

• Light pollution wastes energy and money and damages the climate
• The new world atlas of artificial night sky brightness
• Citizen scientists report global rapid reductions in the visibility of stars from 2011 to 2022

Other Backyard Ecology resources:

• BirdCast: Revealing the Mysteries of Bird Migration
• Light Pollution and Its Impacts on Birds and Other Wildlife

Thank you Thank you to our amazing Patrons who go above and beyond every month to provide financial support which helps us create so much free content for everyone to enjoy and learn from. Opportunity for ongoing coaching and support If you would like personalized help creating your own pollinator and wildlife habitat, then we invite you to join the Backyard Ecology™ Community. Because while there’s lots of great “big picture” information available about creating pollinator gardens or larger habitats for pollinators and wildlife. There are far fewer opportunities to say, “This is what I want to do. This is what I’m struggling with. How do I make it work on my property?” That’s part of what the Backyard Ecology™ Community offers its members every day. Learn more: https://www.backyardecology.net/community/