The International Dark-Sky Association was founded 12 years ago in Tucson Arizona, and it now has nearly 4,000 members from 70 countries. IDA's goal is to promote quality outdoor lighting to reduce glare, improve visibility, conserve energy, and preserve the beauty of our night skies. Everyone wins!

Around the globe, many communities are facing the problems of light pollution and taking actions to solve them. For example, in Greece there is a new educational campaign to teach school children about light pollution. In the USA, the governor of New Mexico, signed the "Night Sky Protection Act" on April 6, 1999. Also, Governor George Bush recently signed a new law controlling all state funded outdoor lighting in Texas. Last summer, Canada created a new Dark-Sky preserve in Ontario. Yes, we are making great progress internationally!

For additional information, please visit our web site at www.darksky.org You will find lots of helpful information there. We have past newsletters, images, and more that 100 information sheets to explain light pollution and how to stop it. The solutions are win-win. Just use shielded lights, at lower levels, when and where needed. It's simple!

We must protect our magnificent night skies. It is an important part of everyone's heritage. Please join us as we work to preserve our starry nights!

We would like to invite all people from Jordan to join the International Dark-Sky Association. There are many benefits, and you would be helping everyone preserve the beauty of our night skies. We publish a quarterly international newsletter and have many other resources available to help you control light pollution. If you need to order materials or would like to join IDA, please write our main office at IDA, 3225 N. First Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA.

Mr. By Bob Gent is a Volunteer Public Relations Officer at the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). He can be reached at BobGent@aol.com .