The inspiration and protection of the sky are two key themes in Antonia Varela's talk at TEDxAdeje.
Antonia Varela, director of the Starlight Foundation, delivered a talk at the TEDxAdeje event, which brings together professionals from diverse fields to share ideas and inspire others.
2024 / 06 / 17
The Auditorium of Adeje, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, hosted the renowned TEDx talks on 13 June 2024. The event, entitled "The Symphony of Tomorrow," brought together leading professionals from various fields to share their insights on a range of topics, including music, the power of sleep, the secrets of the seabed, sport, and, of course, the night sky.
The event featured a number of distinguished speakers, including Antonia Varela, PhD, astrophysicist and researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, director of the Museum of Science and the Cosmos of Tenerife, managing director of the Starlight Foundation, and president of the Association of Businesswomen BPW Canarias. Dr. Varela, who was recently awarded the Gold Medal of the Canary Islands, is renowned for her ongoing efforts to safeguard the night sky and promote sustainable tourism models through astrotourism.
Credit: TEDxAdeje
Varela began her presentation by challenging attendees to consider the implications of a sky devoid of starlight. She posed the question, "What would happen if we ran out of stars?" The astrophysicist then proceeded to outline the detrimental effects of waste and excess artificial light at night, glare, the presence of excessive satellites in orbit, and light and sky pollution on ecosystems and the health of life. He concluded his presentation with a plea for the protection of the sky as a sustainable development objective.
The director of the Starlight Foundation has shared these first TEDxAdeje talks with the neuroscientist Raquel Marín, the clarinetist Daniel Broncano, the influencer Kristina Akopyan and the famous neurosurgeon Jesús Martín-Fernández.
The event featured a number of inspiring speakers who delivered their messages of enthusiasm and motivation to a crowd of one hundred attendees, including a number of distinguished guests, including the mayor of Adeje, José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga, and the councilors of Presidency, Manuel Luis Méndez Martín and Social Welfare, Raquel Rodríguez Alonso.
As stated by Anna Bugrina, the organizer of these TEDxAdeje talks, the HR director and professional coach: "This event demonstrates that, when we work together, we can achieve remarkable results."
