Activity Description: Scouts investigate light pollution by documenting local lighting and creating a plan to reduce its impact.
- Fulfills Step 5 of GSUSA Cadette Space Science Researcher badge requirements.
Info Needed: Light pollution is excess artificial light at night that can harm animals, waste energy, and affect human health. Good lighting design helps protect wildlife, conserve energy, and support healthy sleep patterns.
Items Needed:
- Camera
- Pen or Pencil
- Star Notebook
- (Optional) Low-light app
- (Optional) Clipboards or hard surface for writing
Instructions (Estimated Total Time: 45 min):
- Introduce the concept of light pollution and its effects. (5 min)
- Explain how glare, light trespass, and unshielded lights contribute to the problem.
- Scouts explore the area and take photos of poor lighting examples. (15 min)
- Look for overly bright lights, lights pointing upward, or light spilling into unintended areas.
- Take notes about each photo in their Star Notebook.
- Organize and review observations. (5 min)
- Scouts label and sort their notes to prepare for group discussion.
- Work in small groups to brainstorm solutions. (10 min)
- Discuss ways to reduce light pollution and improve lighting design.
- Use drawings or diagrams to show ideas.
- Create a plan of action. (10 min)
- Scouts write down steps they could take to make changes.
- Include who to talk to, what research is needed, and how to fund the improvements.
- Share additional questions that came up during the activity.
The Badge Archive 