MEDIA, Pa. — Timothy Lawlor, professor of physics at Penn State Brandywine, spoke with the Middletown Township Environmental Advisory Committee on Sept. 24 about the harmful effects of light pollution.
“The goal of this talk was to communicate two things with the audience: how broad the problems are with light pollution and how irresponsible artificial light at night is, but also how simple the solutions can be,” he said.
The committee advises the Board of Supervisors in Middletown on matters concerning the conservation and preservation of natural resources, like light pollution, that affect the township. Pauline Thompson, professor of psychology, is a member of the committee, and she coordinated the speaking arrangement.
It’s not the first time Lawlor has worked to increase awareness of the harms of light pollution in an effort to create darker skies for people to see more stars. Lawlor researches stellar astrophysics — how stars come to be, evolve and eventually die.
“As a child growing up in Northeast Pennsylvania, the stars in the moonless nighttime sky were so bright that I felt like I could touch them, and the glow of our Milky Way Galaxy was easy to see. This left me with a deep sense of wonderment and curiosity,” he said. “I'm afraid if we don't slow or even reverse the accelerating light pollution, that experience may be lost forever. It's currently estimated that as much as one third of humanity can no longer see the Milky Way's glow and that 80% of the world’s population has a view of faded skies.”
Lawlor is a board member of the West Chester Green Team, a civic environmental group in Chester County, and has co-chaired the team’s Dark Skies Committee since 2023.
“The Dark Skies Committee likes to think of itself as a responsible lighting committee because while light can be good to have at night, it’s oftentimes improperly used,” he said. “Using lights properly is more important than not using them at all. I prefer using them as little as possible, but if you’re going to use them, point them down and shield them so they’re not creating glare, ‘sky glow’ and light trespass — when lights shine into other people’s homes.”
The Dark Skies Committee works with partners across the region, including: consulting with the Downingtown Borough Council, West Chester Borough Sustainability Advisory Committee, Chester County Sustainability Committee and the Malvern Planning Commission about light pollution; public outreach and education with the Mather Planetarium at West Chester University; and providing public input for New Castle County’s lighting ordinance. The committee has also consulted with Illinois legislators, which led to the statewide dark sky law, Ellman Law, which took effect in January.
In addition to the issues that light pollution causes for astronomical research and its related educational programs, Lawlor noted excessive and irresponsibly directed outdoor light can harm the nocturnal feeding and migrations of wildlife. He also explained that irresponsible lighting can contribute to health concerns, such as sleep interruption.
Lawlor said he plans to continue sharing his expertise and passion for responsible lighting and wants to inspire communities to take simple steps forward toward reducing light pollution.