The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light

[David Morris]

Isn't Vermont essentially a very rich suburb to Boston & NYC?

On Friday, September 6, 2013, wrote:

> I also lived in Vermont for a number of years.  It's America's best state.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: alice wellintown <alicewellintown at gmail.com <javascript:_e({},
> 'cvml', 'alicewellintown at gmail.com');>>
> To: pynchon -l <pynchon-l at waste.org <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
> 'pynchon-l at waste.org');>>
> Sent: Fri, Sep 6, 2013 6:34 am
> Subject: Re: The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of
> Artificial Light
>
>  As a child I vacationed in Vermont every year. The dirt, the rocks,
> the trees, the green, and of course, the cold lakes, the reflection of
> the sky in the lakes, the cool nights, stars brilliant through the
> firs, the giants who shed their needles softening my slides from mossy
> monsters.  One of my favorite places on Earth.
>
> JEFFERSON STARSHIP - Have You Seen The Stars Tonite / Starship <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaRlmClmEy8>
>
> On 9/5/13, Joseph Tracy <brook7 at sover.net <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', 'brook7 at sover.net');>> wrote:
> > I live in Vermont about 500 yards from the nearest steetlamp and maybe twice
> > that from the highway that passes through town.  Having lived in many rural
> > places I treasure the unimpeded starlight and the blackness of an overcast
> > evening. The only noise is the small volume of traffic on our road and the
> > creek across the street.   A few of us have helped prevent more lights from
> > going up in town and argued to reduce what we have or get lamps that are
> > efficient and direct the light down.  When one flies the sheer volume of
> > energy being used on excessive light is disturbing even though the patterns
> > are visually entrancing.
> >
> > On Sep 5, 2013, at 7:57 PM, Jill Adams wrote:
> >
> >>  Hi list, I've been lurking.... I hope BE is going to be a fun read.
> >> -Jill
> >>
> >> Contributor(s):Bogard, Paul (Author)
> >>
> >> ISBN: 0316182907   EAN: 9780316182904
> >> Publisher: Little Brown and Company    (View Publisher's Titles)
> >> US SRP: $ 27.00 US  -  (Discount: REG)
> >> Binding: Hardcover
> >> Pub Date: July 09, 201
> >> Kirkus Reviews (05/15/2013):
> >> An ardent opponent of light pollution chronicles how the darkness of night
> >> is disappearing around much of the world, why that matters, and what can
> >> and should be done about it. Bogard (Creative Nonfiction/James Madison
> >> Univ.) travels around the world to its brightest and darkest places,
> >> looking up at the night sky. This book can be seen as a companion piece to
> >> the anthology Let There Be Night: Testimony on Behalf of the Dark (2008),
> >> in which the author gathered 29 individual voices on the subject; here,
> >> the voice is his own but with generous quotes from scientists and
> >> activists whom he has sought out in his travels. Among the places he
> >> visited are not only the cities of Las Vegas, Paris, Florence and New
> >> York, but also Walden Pond, small towns and remote places such as Death
> >> Valley, Chaco Canyon, the Canary Islands and the Isle of Sark. Bogard
> >> fondly and movingly remembers times when night was really dark, but he
> >> fears that such experiences will be unknown to most of humanity. The loss,
> >> as he explains, is not merely an aesthetic or even a spiritual one;
> >> artificial lighting may be having serious impacts on our health and on the
> >> environment. The author talked to researchers who see a link between
> >> lighting and cancer and to naturalists who note the impact of artificial
> >> outdoor lighting on other species, such as birds, bats and bees. The
> >> efforts of the National Park Service to set up dark-sky preserves gives
> >> Bogard reason for optimism, and his conversations with outdoor lighting
> >> experts indicate that feasible energy-reducing approaches are available.
> >> What's needed is awareness, which the author provides in an appealing,
> >> reader-friendly way. An engaging blend of personal story, hard science and
> >> a bit of history. COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
> >
> >
>
>
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