I really think that this is the best place to post this
Isn't the night sky also a Sacred Site?!
I just adopted the Starlight Declaration of the Starlight Initiative.
Here's the link: http://www.starlight2007.net/videoeng.htm
DECLARATION
a. An unpolluted night sky that allows the enjoyment and contemplation of the firmament should be considered an inalienable right equivalent to all other socio-cultural and environmental rights. Hence the progressive degradation of the night sky must be regarded as a fundamental loss.
b. Knowledge—armed with education—is a powerful vector that can heal the growing rift between today’s society and science and contribute to the advancement of the mankind as a whole. The dissemination of astronomy and of the scientific and associated cultural values should be considered as basic contents to be included in educational activities.
d. Control of obtrusive light must be a basic element of nature conservation policies since their impact on several species, habitats, ecosystems, and landscapes.
c. Protection of the astronomical quality of areas suitable for the scientific observation of Universe must be given priority in national and international scientific and environmental policies.
e. The intelligent use of artificial lighting that minimizes sky glow and avoids obtrusive visual impact on both humans and wildlife should be promoted. This strategy would involve a more efficient use of energy so as to meet the wider commitments made on climate change, and for the protection of the environment.
f. Tourism, among other players, can become a major instrument for a new alliance in defence of the quality of the nocturnal skyscape. Responsible tourism, in its many forms, can and should take on board the night sky as a resource to protect and value in all destinations.
Necessary measures should be implemented to involve all parties related to skyscape protection to raise public awareness—be it at local, regional, national, or international level—about the contents and objectives of the International Conference in Defense of the Quality of the Night Sky and the Right to Observe Stars, held in the Island of la Palma.
Dated 20 April 2007, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
OBJECTIVES
Promote the World Declaration on the Right to the Starlight as a common heritage of mankind.
Promote international action in defence of the quality of the night sky and the observation of the stars, reinforcing the right to their enjoyment and use as a scientific, cultural and environmental resource and a vector of technological development to the benefit of mankind.
Help to spread the culture of valuing starlight, guaranteeing access to it for present and future generations.
Make an international call on the need to limit impacts on the quality of observing the sky associated with light, radio-electric and air pollution, including the impact of air traffic, in the areas of astrophysical observation.
Promote public awareness of the personal right to contemplate the stars and to the conservation of nocturnal landscapes.
Identify and promote initiatives to enhance the value of material and intangible cultural heritage associated with astronomy, hence reinforcing our knowledge of the skies and of the associated cultural expression diversity.
Open a window on the new forms of sustainable and creative tourism promoting starlight and the firmament as basic resources in responsible tourism destinations, with special emphasis on actions taken in mankind heritage sites, biosphere reserves and areas of astrophysical observation.
Generate proposals aimed at the protection of night sky quality, promoting the creation of privileged areas for star observation and launching international campaigns and agreements aimed at consolidating genuine “Starlight Reserves” as windows to the firmament.
Promote the concept of Starlight Reserves in protected natural areas and surrounding zones, as an element of the strategy to conserve biodiversity and the manifestations of night life: “life manifests itself 24 hours a day”.
Develop the clean skies initiative within the framework of UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves, as they are laboratories for science and sustainable development and they can act as worldwide benchmarks for enhancing the value of environmental resources.
Develop the proposal to create an international network of institutions and bodies supporting the quality of the light of the night sky and the right to observe the stars.
Identify, disseminate and promote local, national and international legislative initiatives aimed at protecting this legacy for science, development and culture.
Help to disseminate the benefits associated with the development of
astrophysics and observatories, in the technological and industrial
dimensions and in the area of job creation and the influence they have
on the advancement of other socially interesting applications.
