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Think about the darkest sky you’ve ever seen. Did you see the Milky Way? Did starlight cast shadows? Author Craig Childs argues that protecting darkness does not mean eliminating useful lighting: it means using outdoor light only where, when and as much as needed—and keeping more of it pointed at the ground.
In an interview with Jenni Doering for Inside Climate News and Living on Earth, Childs describes a nine-night bicycle journey from the bright Las Vegas area toward darker desert skies. His account offers a personal way to consider how night changes across a landscape, while guidance from DarkSky International and the Illuminating Engineering Society offers practical steps for reducing unnecessary light.
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Why darkness matters in Childs’s account
For his 2025 book, The Wild Dark: Finding the Night Sky in the Age of Light, Childs and his companion Irvin rode fully loaded mountain bikes roughly 200 miles through desert backcountry over nine nights. They began near the bright Las Vegas area and traveled toward darker skies. Childs says they wanted to notice the gradual transition rather than hurry to the darkest destination.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →He relates those nine nights to the nine classes of the Bortle scale, which he describes as running from Bortle 1, the darkest skies, to Bortle 9, the bright sky over Las Vegas. The scale gives readers a vocabulary for variation: a night sky is not simply dark or light. His journey and memories of seeing the Milky Way are personal testimony, not a controlled study or an independently verified expedition log. [Doering’s interview with Childs]
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The central point is practical rather than nostalgic. Artificial light can serve real needs, but it can also spill beyond its intended purpose and obscure the night sky. Childs says some lighting engineers he spoke with think society may be approaching “peak lighting.” That is their impression as reported in the interview, not evidence that a measured global peak has been reached.
How outdoor lighting can be less wasteful
DarkSky International and the Illuminating Engineering Society’s Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting offer five checks for a home, business or public space. Their guiding sentence is: “Light where you need it, when you need it, in the amount needed, and no more.” The principles are lighting guidance, not a product test or guarantee of certification. [Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting]
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- Useful: Give each light a clear purpose. If it does not help people see or safely use a space, consider whether it needs to be on.
- Targeted: Direct light only to the area that needs it. Shielded fixtures can reduce light escaping upward or into neighboring properties.
- Low level: Use no more brightness than the task requires. More light is not automatically better lighting.
- Controlled: Limit lighting to the times it is needed. A timer, dimmer or motion control can reduce how long a light operates.
- Warm-colored: Where the task allows, choose light with fewer shorter wavelengths; warmer-colored lighting can help meet this principle.
For a quick household check, look for light that shines into the sky, across a property line or onto an area that does not need illumination. Re-aiming or shielding a fixture, lowering its brightness, changing its color or controlling when it switches on are options to consider based on the actual task.
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What the interview says about wildlife
DarkSky International says research indicates artificial light at night can disrupt wildlife navigation, migration, feeding and reproduction. This is a broad summary of ecological concerns, not a claim that every light has the same effect on every species. [DarkSky’s positions and statements]
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Childs also recounts insects drawn to city lights and birds around memorial lights. Those are his observations as reported in the interview; they should not be read as quantified study results. Reducing unnecessary light is a way to address the concern without assuming that all outdoor lighting can or should disappear.
What is—and is not—established about health and visibility
Childs discusses circadian rhythms and mentions breast cancer prevalence among women who work night shifts. The interview does not cite a study or establish that artificial light causes a health outcome. His comments should therefore be understood as part of his account, not as medical guidance or a scientific conclusion.
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He also says he encountered an estimate that 80 percent of people cannot see the Milky Way from where they live. He notes that the figure may be about ten years old, and the interview does not identify its original study, publisher or publication year. It is not a verified current statistic on the evidence cited there. [Doering’s interview with Childs]
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Childs points to Flagstaff changing some street lighting and Boulder City protecting comparatively darker skies. These are examples reported in the interview; it does not establish the cities’ current policies or designation status. DarkSky’s International Dark Sky Places program recognizes parks, communities and other places pursuing protection of the night environment. [DarkSky’s programs]
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Community action can shape lighting on streets and public spaces, while the same principles can guide choices around a home or business. The aim is not darkness at any cost: it is to preserve useful light while reducing spill, excess brightness and unnecessary operating hours.
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