Restoring Darkness

Yep. Our first politician. And she’s on our side. Senator Ellman got Bill SB3501, The Outdoor Lighting Control Act, passed in both houses in Illinois. Senator Ellman will admit she didn’t get everything she wanted in it, but as she says, this is just one step on the path (this IS politics after all). We were impressed with her humility, honesty, and down to earth approach - politician or not. NOTE: There were some video and audio issues with Senator Ellman, but we deemed them not bad enough and the content too good not to release the episode. State Senator Laura Ellman was first elected to serve in the Illinois General Assembly in November of 2018 and re-elected in 2022. Senate District 21 includes parts of Bolingbrook, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Lisle, Lombard, Naperville, Wheaton and Warrenville. Senator Ellman currently serves on a number of committees, including Agriculture; Appropriations, Chairperson of Environment and Conservation; Vice-Chairperson of Financial Institutions; Transportation and Veterans Affairs. Senator Ellman was the first child to attend college in both her parents’ families. After graduating from Grinnell College with a degree in mathematics, she earned a masters’ degree in applied statistics at the University of Iowa. Professionally, she has more than 25 years of experience working in manufacturing and engineering and dealing with regulations and policies. Senator Ellman currently lives in Naperville with her husband Pete, a musician and small business owner, and they are proud parents of two adult children.

Connect with Senator Ellman: http://senatorlauraellman.com/ https://www.facebook.com/senatorellman/ https://www.instagram.com/statesenatorlauraellman/  

Highlights from this episode:

Sponsored by Evluma

https://evluma.com/dark-sky-friendly-lighting/

Intro and outro music by Doctor Turtle

Headlines and Sources at restoringdarkness.com

Beautiful Merrymeeting Bay in Maine, is an important area for wildlife habitat, and for humans. For decades, people have enjoyed a pristine view of the night sky - until the local electrical utility replaced two towers and lit them up, right at the iconic Chops, lighting the area for miles around. Ed and the Friends of Merrymeeting Bay got that changed, but they ended up out of the frying pan and into the fire with an aircraft radar detection system. And the battle continues. On the Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (FOMB) Steering Committee since the winter of 1993, Ed has been Chair since 1996. In this work he has written major grants and initiated projects in the areas of land conservation, research, advocacy, and education. Two projects, Aquatic & Upland Habitat Assessment of Merrymeeting Bay over time utilizing historical and current aerial photography combined with GIS to look at land use and vegetation changes over time; and Caged Bivalve Studies on the Kennebec and Androscoggin to monitor PCBs and dioxins, have been the first projects of their type in the state of Maine and quite successful. A multi-year Circulation Study of the Bay and six tributaries was also a major accomplishment. Most recently FOMB has been on the cutting edge of affordable PFAS sampling. 

Patrick is the DarkSky International delegate in the Fargo North Dakota area. Patrick has found that framing the light pollution argument around astronomy, animal life, ecosystems, etc. can cause some audiences to nod off and glaze over. What gets everyone’s attention is “light trespass,” and human health. Lead with that and then people will listen to the other reasons why light pollution is a problem. And of course, there is the one argument that gets EVERYONE’S attention. Turn off your lights and save money! Patrick Sommer has been a lifelong enthusiast for the night sky, space exploration, and in late 2019 translated that enthusiasm into an application to be a delegate for the International Dark-Sky Association, now known as DarkSky International. Representing the organization in the Fargo, North Dakota area, by 2020 he was working social media accounts and as the world moved in and out of COVID restrictions getting in front of local sustainability and astronomy clubs. Additionally, he has represented the night to the now dormant Red River Valley Climate Action Committee and presented information on light pollution to the City of Fargo’s Sustainability and Resiliency Committee and the City of Moorhead’s Streetlight subcommittee. Of late he has been active with Starry Skies North, a conglomerate of Dark Sky enthusiast and activists based in Duluth and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Connect with Patrick: @StarrySkiesND on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X
https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-sommer-28926b58/

Connect with The Soft Lights Foundation: https://www.softlights.org 

The Darkness News Update is a biweekly series that explores current events in light at night – be it biological research, new developments in lamps, actions by advocates, and changes in policy.

Highlights from this episode:

Sponsored by Evluma

https://evluma.com/dark-sky-friendly-lighting/

Intro and outro music by Doctor Turtle 

Headlines and sources for this episode can be found on restoringdarkness.com

Nearly all animals see light differently than we do. Dr. Seymour endeavors to understand how light drives organismal behavior. To that end, he tries to bridge the gap between astronomers, light engineers and biologists. Each of these camps has elements of tools and measurement models that he thinks could be brought together collaboratively and synergistically to benefit our ecosystem and the study of it.

Dr. Seymoure’s research program is interdisciplinary and combines physiological, histological, and astronomical methods to understand the importance of natural light as well as the consequences of artificial light on animal behavior and ecology of animals. Overall objectives of his research are to: 1) determine how light cycles have driven visual adaptations and predator-prey dynamics; 2) quantify and investigate the myriad effects and consequences of artificial light at night on animals (mostly insects, spiders, and reptiles) from the cellular to landscape level; 3) investigate visual and morphological (e.g. coloration) adaptations that render individuals more evolutionarily successful; 4) develop techniques for quantifying light in a non-human and biologically relevant manner; 5) quantify and monitor insect populations in the Chihuahuan desert; and 6) utilize current biological research to increase learning efficacy in undergraduate courses. To accomplish these objectives, Dr. Seymoure relies upon both field and laboratory work that ranges from electrophysiology of animal eyes, automated video tracking of animal behavior, and predator-prey experiments under natural conditions.

The Darkness News Update is a biweekly series that explores current events in light at night – be it biological research, new developments in lamps, actions by advocates, and changes in policy.

Highlights from this episode:

Sponsored by Evluma

Intro and outro music by Doctor Turtle 

This one isn’t exactly about light pollution, but you’re going to want to hear it anyway. It’s all about 5G. No, not the “5G cell towers are giving you Covid 19” conspiracy, this is about the deleterious effects of radio frequency waves on your health. With the lack of updated standards, and the usual corporate protectionism, this train is full speed ahead unless people like Odette can cut the tracks. Take your phone away from your head! 

Odette Wilkens has been a technology transactional attorney for over 20 years, having represented multi-national corporations in entertainment, finance and technology.  She co-founded Wired Broadband, Inc. (WBI) a non-profit in New York City, and The National Call for Safe Technology, a coalition of over 100 organizations and individuals nationwide.  Both organizations advocate protections for the public by promoting safer telecommunications.   Expanding her efforts in NYC, she founded the NYC Alliance for Safe Technology, a coalition of NYC residents, civic leaders, and community board leaders and members, advocating for the responsible placement of wireless facilities.  In her various roles, she has been promoting the benefits of wired broadband connectivity to bridge the digital divide for the unserved, underserved and disabled communities. 

Connect with Odette: National level: https://thenationalcall.org/ Local level (NYC): https://www.wiredbroadband.org/ www.facebook.com/wiredbroadband linkedin.com/in/odette-j-wilkens-esq-8153a32

The Darkness News Update is a biweekly series that explores current events in light at night – be it biological research, new developments in lamps, actions by advocates, and changes in policy. This series is sponsored by Evluma.

Highlights from this episode:

Intro and outro music by Doctor Turtle 

Headlines and Sources can be found on restoringdarkness.com

Epidemiology. From the Greek “epi,” meaning “among,” and “demos” meaning “the people.” In modern usage, epidemiology is the study of disease in populations. Professor Edwards uses this term for the “disease” of road traffic accidents. He has done extensive research on this in relation to reduced street lighting, by compiling data from scores of municipalities in Britain and has come to the conclusion that… well you’ll have to listen to the episode. Phil Edwards is a Professor of Epidemiology & Statistics at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, one of the world's leading public health universities. His research has focused on road safety (particularly of pedestrians), and he has used interrupted time series analysis methods to evaluate the effects of 20 mph traffic speed zones on road injuries in London and the effects of reduced street lighting on road casualties and crime in England. Most recently, he has researched construction site injuries in lower income countries, where rapid urbanization requires construction on an unprecedented scale.