A journey through the bright night Playful learning even if the topic is very sober? Together with my children Benjamin (10) and Viviane (8) have I designed a board game on the impact of light pollution on nature. For some life forms it is useful, others are harmed by the additional light. In many cases …
We are living in dark times. Let’s be honest, this year did not start well. Bush fires in Australia, war-mongering in the Middle East. Then we received news about a virus in China, which now holds the entire world in its grasp. So on top of all the other worries we’ve been having, another, very …
If we talk about protecting the the enviornemtn, these days we very much focus on climate change. Scientist have known since more than years that we have a problem. And so did politicians like Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. Seriously, we have a huge problem at our hands and we are running out of time. …
It’s that time of year again. The days are getting darker and shorter. The moods are getting heavier. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel – Christmas. And like every year it’s promising to get even brighter and more colourful than last year. To make this clear, I do like Christmas …
Please read the petition by Sibylle Schroer from Stars For All. She suggests to limit light emissions to sensible levels and conduct more research on light levels used in outdoor settings. Here is the full petition, if you like to sign, here is the link to the EU petition. Here is a short article about …
Five o’clock in the morning. Lake Stechlin is dark and silent. Only a few lights are moving at the Old Fisherhut. The LakeLab scientists are getting ready to work. We get into the boats, switch off our lights, and drive out onto the lake. After a few moments the eerie glow of the LakeLab becomes …
If you’re at the sea, and it’s a warm night, what would you do? I would walk along the beach and take in the night with all its beauty. Start with the sound of the waves, savour the outlines of rocks, add some starlight and the moon. Perfect! Alas, these days this turns out to …
‘Wait, I’ll show you something!’ We are standing on a balcony, looking over the bush at night. Viktor, our South African host turns on a spotlight at the side of his house. We don’t have to wait long before we see a shadow flitting through the beam. A bat hunts for insects at the light. …
Everyday we move through our city, enwrapped in light. We are so used to this lightscape that we usually don’t think about how the light affects us or if we really need it. But this was exactly what I went out to do last week with 20 volunteers from social and ecological projects on a …
So there has been another climate conference, where the powerful have discussed how to save our world. Main topic, was usual, is the CO2-production. Let’s be honest, most countries find it challenging to reduce their CO2-output, some flatly refuse to try. But some years ago, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel of …