CieloBuio-coordinamento per la protezione del cielo notturno (Coordination for the protection of the night sky) is a non-profit organization that operates inItaly for the protection of thenight sky by promoting a culture of eco-friendly lighting and raising public awareness about the phenomenon oflight pollution.
Created inLombardy in 1997 around a mailing-list of people interested in the topic of light pollution, CieloBuio now brings together professional and amateurastronomers, environmentalists, lighting engineers, and simply interested people throughout Italy. The current president is Fabio Arcidiacono.
In its fight against light pollution, CieloBuio has as a reference model to support and promote the law of theLombardy region n. 17/2000, in all its forms and extensions. This law is based on the criterion ofzero pollution, according to which, with very few exceptions, no streetlamp can send light above the horizontal plane.[1]
CieloBuio in recent years has played a crucial role in the approval of other regional laws inspired by the Lombard model, among which we mention those in force in the regions ofEmilia-Romagna (LR 19/03),Marche (LR 10/02),Abruzzo ( LR 12/05),Apulia (LR 15/05),Umbria (LR 20/05),Friuli-Venezia Giulia (LR 15/07) andVeneto (LR 17/09). In addition, the law passed in Lombardy has also inspired the drafting of laws in theCzech Republic (the first country in the world to enact legislation against light pollution, which applies throughout the country) and inSlovenia.[2]
CieloBuio works in collaboration with the Italian section of theInternational Dark-Sky Association and various scientific organizations to promote a national law protecting the night environment in the whole of Italy.
CieloBuio is divided into the following bodies, more or less formal:
In 2000, for the fundamental role played in favor of the law against light pollution in Lombardy, the amateur Gruppo AstrofiliBrianza honored CieloBuio with the dedication of the asteroid13777 Cielobuio, discovered by members of this alliance atSormano (Como, Italy) on October 20, 1998.
In 2003, the European section of the International Dark-Sky Association awarded the president of CieloBuio, Diego Bonata, with theGalileo Award, an award presented annually to individuals or groups that stand out inEurope in the fight for the preservation of the darkness of the night sky.
In 2004, CieloBuio was among the winners of theInnovazione Amica dell'Ambiente (Environmentally Friendly Innovation) Award, delivered by the Italian environmentalist organizationLegambiente in recognition of the results obtained in terms of quality of light, energy saving and environmental protection through the application of the regional law n. 17/00 of Lombardy.