ZLI's Bearanoia Campaign

ZLI's Bearanoia Campaign addresses challenges of mental health and its relationships to light, wildlife and the environment. Taking the difficult imagery of bears pacing in zoos, responding as best they can to unnatural conditions in managed care, ZLIs Bearanoia Campaign seeks to foster greater understanding of the relationships between the environment and mental well being. 

ZLI's Bearanoia Campaign is particularly concerned with the impact that departures from natural conditions, such as biodiversty and the physical complexity of natural light, have for human communities. The Campaign seeks to alleviate anxieties, and to encourage rational decision making where often the problems may seem, and actually are, overwhelming. 

Ecological and wildlife conservation challenges are widely understood to be daunting and exhausting for the individuals knowledgeable of the dire straits that animals are in. However, the contributions of artificial light at night (ALAN) to mental health struggles is far less talked about, despite clear research-based evidence. ALAN modifies key hormone cycling in humans and bears alike, making it more difficult for either to face challenges directly. Bear pacing for example, it has been theorized in peer reviewed research, is a natural response to undue environmenal conditions that vary too greatly from the norm. For humans, artificial light poses another threat, as it contributes heavily to biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. The combined direct and indirect challenges of artificial light for mental health, have to be addressed.

ZLI's Bearanoia Campaign seeks sponsors and donations to help fund research, offer educational and entertainment programming, create wildlife advocacy media and to create international partnerships serving a global and optimistic vision of the future.