O.P.
Just this past Tuesday, Mayor Jim Hammond proclaimed that the week of April 15 – 22 will be International Dark-sky Week. The reason for this is because of light pollution. Light pollution is a very dangerous form of pollution. In the meeting, James Filmore spoke on light pollution. “The average night sky brightness has grown seven to ten percent every year for the last 12 years,” Filmore said. While this may not seem bad at all, National Geographic says otherwise. “Nocturnal light interrupts sleep and confuses the circadian rhythm—the internal, twenty-four-hour clock that guides day and night activities and affects physiological processes in nearly all living organisms. One of these processes is the production of the hormone melatonin, which is released when it is dark and inhibited when light is present. An increased amount of light at night lowers melatonin production, which results in sleep deprivation, fatigue, headaches, stress, anxiety, and other health problems.” This is very problematic. It ruins your sleep patterns and also causes health problems. So, why not help the cause? I contacted the mayor to learn what they are doing to prevent this. We’ll update this story when we hear from him.
-O.P.
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