Swabian Alb Star Park
The Star Park Schwäbische Alb project is a voluntary and independent initiative that campaigns for the preservation of the natural night sky and the natural night landscape by avoiding light pollution and thus for environmentally friendly outdoor lighting. The aim is to set up a star park and gain recognition as a dark sky park .
Project Star Park Swabian Alb
The founders and active members of the voluntary and independent initiative are amateur astronomers from Baden-Württemberg , including astrophysicists and engineers. The initiative presented the project to the public for the first time on November 21, 2011 in Römerstein- Zainingen.
The area of activity of the initiative is the Swabian Alb region , a low mountain range in southwest Germany. The starting point is the Swabian Alb biosphere area ( UNESCO - Biosphere Reserve ) with the community and road-free area of the former Münsingen military training area , which offers an almost natural night landscape and an almost natural night sky due to its low lighting. In the meantime, a few other dark areas in the Swabian Alb have been identified (including Ittenhausen, Wolfswiesen, Kochstetten, Schachen). The aim is to preserve these dark areas, to improve them and to establish them as a development area of the night. Long-term recognition as an international dark sky park is sought.
Since the last dark areas of the Swabian Alb are endangered by the long-distance effect of the lighting in smaller and larger towns, the avoidance of light pollution beyond the Swabian Alb is also a goal of the initiative.
The Star Park Swabian Alb project uses a broad information campaign to sensitize the population and decision-makers to avoiding light pollution, convey the fascination of astronomy and are committed to environmentally friendly lighting on site.
In their traveling exhibition “Fascination Astronomy” or “The Starry Sky Above the Swabian Alb”, the initiative shows photographs of the natural night landscape on the Swabian Alb, provides information about light pollution and explains how to avoid it through environmentally friendly lighting. Lectures on astronomy, the star park project and lighting technology will be held as part of the exhibition. Star tours on site bring the population closer to astronomy. The exhibition has already been a guest in the Swabian Alb Biosphere Center, in Münsingen , Bad Urach , Reutlingen , Hayingen , Metzingen and Laichingen as well as at daytime events such as the biosphere market in Münsingen, the AME astronomy fair in Schwenningen, the Sustainability Night in Tübingen and at the Nature conservation days in Radolfzell. Part of the exhibition was also on view at the Long Night of StadtNatur in Berlin. The Star Park Schwäbische Alb project also took part in the "alb-talk", a series of events organized by the Academy for Nature and Environmental Protection Baden-Württemberg and the Baden-Württemberg Energy Day.
The initiative's website has become an extensive and popular information site on light pollution and environmentally friendly lighting. The initiative has published numerous publications, especially for municipalities, including the information brochure “Save the Night”, which provides information on environmentally friendly lighting. The principles of environmentally friendly lighting are summarized under the keywords "shielded, warm white, moderate, energy-efficient".
Star park project graphic on the subject
Comparison of a street with and without light pollution
Warning sign logo Star Park Swabian Alb
Environmentally friendly lighting principles
Achievements and Awards
The topics "Avoidance of light pollution" and "Star park" were included in the framework concept for the Swabian Alb biosphere area ( UNESCO - Biosphere Reserve ).
With the advisory support of the Star Park Swabian Alb project, the Römerstein biosphere community has converted to low-light, warm-white street lighting.
On October 16, 2012, the Star Park Schwäbische Alb project was awarded first prize in the 2012 environmental competition of the district and the Kreissparkasse Reutlingen .
The avoidance of light pollution has been included in the funding conditions of the Climate Protection Plus program of the state of Baden-Württemberg .
collaboration
The Star Park Schwäbische Alb project works with the Dark Sky specialist group of the Vereinigung der Sternfreunde e. V. together, partner organization of the International Dark Sky Association . There is also u. a. Contact with the research association Loss of the Night, the Star Park project in the Rhön Biosphere Reserve and the Eifel. The initiative works closely with the Swabian Alb biosphere area on site.
The community of Großmugl in eastern Lower Austria is running a similar project for Sternfreunde in the vicinity of Vienna, which is still under development .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The sky also needs protection - GEA
- ↑ Dark areas on the Swabian Alb determined by Hans-Jürgen Merk, amateur astronomer
- ↑ Project Star Park Swabian Alb
- ↑ Pictures of the impressive night sky on the Swabian Alb from allthesky.com
- ↑ exhibitions and lectures
- ↑ Press report of the Baden-Württemberg Environmental Academy alb-talk 11 ( Memento of the original from January 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Baden-Württemberg Energy Day
- ↑ Publications Project Star Park Swabian Alb
- ↑ Framework concept - the framework for action for the next 5–8 years
- ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: Official Gazette of the Römerstein community (PDF file; 1.2 MB)
- ↑ Environmental competition 2012 ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Klimaschutz-Plus 2013 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file; 94 kB)
- ^ Research association Loss of the Night
