Skip to content
News Press release

Leading a Movement: IDA 3-Year Strategic Plan (2019-2021)

Protecting the night sky from light pollution is a critical mission that supports human health and heritage, preserves wildlife habitat, saves money, and provides visual access to celestial discovery for professional and amateur astronomers alike. The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) leads the way globally in the mission to protect and preserve the nighttime environment.

The need to protect and restore dark skies is more urgent than ever. The negative impacts of light pollution, consistently confirmed by emerging evidence, affect the environment, wildlife and its habitat, human health and heritage, and our visual access to the cosmos.

Technological advances in lighting provide increased energy efficiencies, making bright lights cheaper and more accessible. As these technologies advance, more light is being used to brighten our neighborhoods, our streets, and in turn, our skies. A study released in 2017 by an international team of scientists measured a 2% increase in light pollution each year over the previous five years.

Looking Forward
To carry out our mission, and achieve a world where the public holds a cultural view of the natural night as a common space worth defending, the International Dark-Sky Association has developed this three-year Strategic Plan to help us remain focused and effective in our efforts to protect and preserve the natural nighttime environment.

We have identified three goals which we believe, over the next three years, will make the organization stronger, more visible, sustainable, and effective as we aspire to a world without light pollution. Each goal is supported by objectives and benchmarks to measure progress.

Strategic Goal #1
IDA will lead a worldwide movement by developing programs and operations that advocate evidence-based best practices in outdoor lighting, public policy, and conservation in support of our mission: To preserve and protect nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies through environmentally responsible outdoor lighting.

Strategic Goal #2
IDA will be a financially sound and sustainable organization with the financial capacity to support our mission.

Strategic Goal #3
Members of IDA’s Board of Directors will be informed leaders who support our mission by operating under a shared vision and governing with strategic policies and streamlined processes.

View the IDA 2019-2021 Strategic Plan.