Through a sensory experience, where children, young people, and adults could visualize how the advance of light pollution gradually reduces the natural brightness of the night sky, the Cielos de Chile Foundation took part in the second edition of the Ladera Sur Festival.
During Friday 9th, Saturday 10th, and Sunday 11th of November 2023, participants of the Ladera Sur Festival who visited the “Environmental Brotherhood” area were able to learn in a didactic way about the effects of light pollution on people and the environment. “We were very happy, as we saw that children, teenagers, and adults enjoyed equally and connected with the beauty of the starry skies,” says Daniela González, Executive Director of the Cielos de Chile Foundation.
“We wanted to participate in the Ladera Sur Festival because this festival has positioned itself as the largest environmental event in the country, bringing together companies, enterprises, and civil society organizations that care about and are involved in the care and preservation of the environment. A sense of community is generated that inspires us to share our work on the preservation of dark skies,” adds the Executive Director. It is worth noting that during the three days, more than 15,000 people visited the festival.
“Participating in the Ladera Sur Festival allowed us as the Cielos de Chile Foundation to reach an audience that has a high sensitivity and concern for environmental issues, but who may not necessarily have heard or have complete information about the causes and consequences of light pollution, which allowed us to expand our call to preserve our dark skies,” explains González.
“As the Cielos de Chile Foundation, our communication and dissemination work is essential, as there is a lack of awareness about the impact of artificial light not only on scientific development in the field of astronomy but also on our flora and fauna, as well as on our health. Artificial light is a pollutant that is even recognized in our environmental institutionality. This has been recognized in the update of the lighting regulations, so we are very interested in spreading these new and positive news,” concludes González.
