As part of ALAN 2025, there is also an optional networking event taking place on Friday October 31st, 2025:
Activating Europe’s Dark Skies: From Advocacy to Action
A Networking Event for Dark Sky Advocates and Experts Seeking Light Pollution Solutions
Date: October 31, 2025
Time: 9:30 am – 2:00 pm
Venue: Westport Woods Hotel, Westport, County Mayo
Costs ALAN attendees: included in ALAN conference ticket
Cost for networking event only: €60 including lunch
Join us for a dynamic event designed to bring together Europe’s scientific community, dark sky advocates, Friends of Mayo Dark Skies, leaders in night sky preservation and other stakeholders involved or interested in light pollution mitigation.
This interactive event aims to spark meaningful conversations and facilitate strategic collaborations to protect Europe’s natural nightscapes from artificial light at night (ALAN). This event also aims to encourage the sharing of experiences and knowledge related to light pollution mitigation across different communities.
Participants will engage in structured, solution-driven discussions focused on:
- Integrating scientific research with practical advocacy initiatives
- Developing coordinated activation and policy strategies across regions
- Enhancing public awareness and fostering sustainable lighting practices
The outcomes of these targeted conversations will be captured creatively through live illustration, collaboratively produced by attendees and facilitated by Paraphrase Studio.
Together, we’ll shape a clear roadmap toward actionable strategies and lasting partnerships to safeguard Europe’s dark skies for generations to come. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, collaborate, and catalyse change.
Organisers
Ruskin Hartley
CEO of DarkSky International
Andreas Hänel
Dark sky consultant and researcher, spokesman Dark Sky Germany and VdS, co-founder European Light Pollution Coalition
Annette Krop-Benesch
Co-chair ALAN SC, coordinator and co-founder European Light Pollution Coalition
Georgia MacMillan
Mayo Dark Sky Park Officer, Board Member of Dark Sky Ireland and Founding Member of Friends of Mayo Dark Skies
Connect with these experts
Yana Yakushina
Light pollution legal expert and PLAN-B lead researcher, coordinator and co-founder European Light Pollution Coalition
Sabine Frank
DarkSky Advocate and Fulda Dark Sky Reserve coordinator
John Barentine
Internationally recognized dark sky consultant and researcher, Dark Sky Consulting, LLC
Diane Turnshek
Co-chair ALAN SC, light pollution researcher Carnegie Mellon University
Kerem Asfuroglu
Internationally acclaimed light and darkness designer, founder of Dark Source
Salvador J. Ribas
Co-chair ALAN SC, director of Parc Astronòmic del Montsec and light pollution researcher