We Mainers are proud, and protective, of our coastline and forests, our clear waters and crisp air. They're a big part of what separates us from the other guys.

But we don't often think of our night sky that way. And we probably should.

Most Mainers can look up on a clear night and see a dark sky full of stars, including the band of stars and light at the edge of our own galaxy. Most other Americans can't see the Milky Way from where they live. Some can see only a few bright stars.

"It distinguishes us from more polluted areas. Just like cleaner waters, darker skies are an attribute," said Robert Burgess, a bank executive from Brunswick by day and amateur stargazer by night.

Light pollution # artificial light that is reflected or shined upward # creates a glow over cities and washes out the night sky in most of the U.S. and other developed countries. It's drawing increasing attention worldwide as a problem, and not just for astronomers.

The absence of darkness and stars can interfere with the behavior of all kinds of animals, from birds to sea turtles. And recent research has linked nighttime brightness to higher rates of breast cancer in women, suggesting that humans need darkness, too.

Maine is relatively unpolluted, light-wise. In nighttime satellite images, the Down East coast and North Woods stand out as the largest, darkest spots in the United States east of the Mississippi River.

This week, the state unveiled some new technology that could help keep it that way.

Efficiency Maine, a state agency that promotes energy efficiency, provided $41,000 toward the installation of a new generation of LED sidewalk and street lamps for the Pineland business campus in New Gloucester.

The primary goal is to reduce energy use. The lights will burn only about 15 percent of the electricity used by the traditional lamps, according to the state. The change is expected to save Pineland $30,000 a year and keep more than 100 tons of carbon dioxide # the equivalent of emissions from 29 cars # out of the atmosphere each year.

Burgess, who was on hand when Gov. John Baldacci ceremonially flipped the switch to turn on Pineland's new lights, took the opportunity to enlighten the assembled luminaries about the other benefit of light-emitting diodes and other efficient technologies. Saving money, he said, can also save Maine's night sky.

One of the reasons that LEDs are more efficient is that they shine the light where it's needed, instead of where it's not, the way traditional bulbs and lamps do, said Burgess, a director of the Southern Maine Astronomers, a local club.

"That is the beauty of addressing this problem," Burgess said. "It has an immediate payback."

But, except in a few communities that now protect their darkness with lighting standards, the skies seem to be neglected the way rivers were a century ago, he said.

Burgess urged the governor to consider getting a new dark-sky certification for some of the state's parks as a way to capitalize on the much-neglected natural resource overhead.

"Dark skies are a resource, particularly for a state that's promoting tourism," Burgess said. "So many of our tourists are coming from highly light-polluted areas. Seeing a sky full of stars is something that people never forget, and if that's associated with Maine, that's a good thing."

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