Studies show that only one in three Americans can see the Milky Way at night from where they live. Recognizing this problem, a group of astronomers and biologists began a campaign to take back the night.

The Dark Sky movement was created for the purpose of protecting and preserving the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies. Dark Sky compliant fixtures are constructed to reduce the effects of light pollution - that luminous glow that haloes cities and brightly lit suburbs, which prevents us from seeing stars and disrupts the behaviors and environments of nocturnal wildlife.

Light pollution is one of the most rapidly increasing contributors to the destruction of our natural environment that is caused by humans. The adverse effects of artificial light pollution is evident in a large number of plants and animals, from nocturnal migratory birds, which use the light from the moon and stars for navigation; to sea turtles, whose hatchlings are fatally disoriented by the city lights and crawl inland rather than out into the ocean; and even tree frogs, whose hormone production is altered by excess light exposure, causing variations in their natural biological rhythms.

Dark Sky compliant fixtures:

• Produce downward projected, "full cut off" light.
• Shield light from being emitted upward into the sky.
• Direct light in a low spread manner so as not to affect surrounding areas.

You can do your part to put the real light show back in the sky by choosing Dark Sky compliant exterior lighting for your home.