On International Day of Light, groups of people interested in citizen science and the care of dark skies gathered in squares, universities, museums, and parks in 10 cities in Chile to report sources of light pollution through the Glowatch application.
On Wednesday, May 15 at seven in the evening, the “Glowatch Walks: observing our nocturnal environment” took place, organized jointly by the Fundación Cielos de Chile, Ciluz, the Center for Astrophysics and Related Technologies (CATA), and Lighting Detectives. The activity brought together 70 people at 14 meeting points across the country, in the cities of Antofagasta, Copiapó, La Serena, Santiago, Navidad, Concepción, Frutillar, Puerto Varas, Coyhaique, or Punta Arenas.
During the walks, people were able to learn about what light pollution is, which according to the Ministry of the Environment, is caused by wasted, unnecessary, or inappropriate light, generated by outdoor lighting, which impacts health and the lives of living beings.
Throughout the activity, attendees were able to report different cases of light pollution: by glare, poorly directed light, cold light, or intrusive light. All contributions were systematized in Glowatch, a citizen science tool that allows easy registration and reporting of light pollution sources through WhatsApp.
Light Walks
Around the Los Dominicos Metro in the Las Condes commune, José Utreras, researcher and content dissemination manager at the CATA Center, met with a group of people to explain how to use Glowatch and subsequently make reports in the area.
For José, the activity allowed participants to observe more consciously how the city is illuminated. “One becomes aware of how poorly lit everything is. Through the walk and being attentive to searching, one realizes several places that are sometimes overlooked where there is light that is really not contributing,” he pointed out.
Something similar happened in Antofagasta, says Juan Pablo Valenzano, project coordinator at the Fundación Cielos de Chile, who was a monitor for the walks in this city. At the Coloso Campus of the University of Antofagasta, he met –mostly– with members of the educational institution, who commented that they had never noticed lights within the campus that generate light pollution, despite frequenting these spaces.
“The participation of the group was quite proactive, making reports. These activities are of great importance, as they bring a problem that also affects them closer to the citizens, but is often invisible, inviting them to take action and seek solutions that arise from the same territories,” added Juan Pablo.
Ximena Muñoz, executive director of the Fundación Ciluz, was in charge of guiding a group of citizens through Plaza Ñuñoa and inviting them to question the design of the lighting in this public space. “Many participants did not know the issue of light pollution in detail. They were extremely enthusiastic about continuing to observe and report, which is great, because in the end, we are creating ambassadors of good light,” she concluded.
How to create your reports
To make a report, it is not necessary to wait for a next Glowatch Walk. You just need to go to Glowatch.cl and click on the WhatsApp icon available on the platform. From there, users can report cases of light pollution coming from, for example, billboards, spotlights, luminaires, among other sources, which due to their intensity, direction of light, or color, are negatively affecting people or natural environments. Additionally, on the web portal, they can access the complete and georeferenced database of all received reports.
