More from the IDA Annual General Meeting

The second full day of the annual general meeting of the International Dark-Sky Association brought a wide-range of sessions. Paul Bogard previewed his anthology, Let There Be Night - Testimony on Behalf of the Dark, which is due out this fall. Of big news to some: the long-awaited Model Lighting Ordinance is finally expected to be out this July.

Perhaps the most interesting talk to me was by Dr. Rubin Naiman, a sleep specialist. According to him, light at night is the single most overlooked factor in sleep disorders and an astonishing 76% of American adults have at least 1 symptom of a sleep disorder. 40 millions American adults have insomnia. Lights at night are not the only factor here, but they certainly do not help people to have a good night sleep.

One of the cool things that conference attendees got was the Bulbrite Dark Sky fixture-within-a-fixture. It is a great way to retrofit a fixture without having to buy a new one. It is energy efficient and dark-sky friendly.
Finally, at the end of the IDA meeting it was time to bid farewell to Dr. David L. Crawford, founder and executive director of the IDA. Dave and his wife Mary have put their hearts and souls into the IDA for two decades. The legacy of their work will be with us for years to come. Now many of the rest of us know how to implement intelligent lighting that is good for human health, the environment, astronomy, and more.