Goodbye, classic Newtown. Hello, bright new world.

With the approval of a drive-through window for the Starbucks Coffee shop in the new construction at exit 10 on Church Hill Road and ongoing consideration of allowing drive-throughs for eateries in shopping centers, Newtown Planning & Zoning seems intent on overhauling our town.

Adding insult to injury, at the September 6 Planning & Zoning meeting, members voted to approve another special zoning permit that supports plans for all signage, lit and unlit, requested by the new Starbucks. This includes LED (or similar) lighting of the store sign, pre-menu and menu boards (illuminated photographs as well as descriptions, according to plans submitted, but thankfully located on the back side of the building), directional signs, and thank you and exit signs.

How much more light does this shine on one of our main streets through Newtown? Not much, according to the Tim’s Sign and Lighting Service Inc of Meriden representative at the September 6 P& Z meeting. But as a board member pointed out — before voting in favor of the zoning permit — it is additional illumination to an already well-lit commercial/industrial area. Not to mention, the new 12,000-square-foot-plus retail center housing Starbucks will have additional tenants. We can presume they, too, will want lighting.

The International Dark Sky Association promotes dark sky friendly outdoor lighting and preservation of night skies. According to this association, studies show that the human biological clock is thrown off as more artificial light in the environment disrupts this cycle, leading to various health problems. (It is the blue light emitted by LEDs that has the most adverse effects on people.)

Plants and animals are affected by light pollution, as well, from frogs to migrating birds to those animals that hunt by the dark of night. Too much artificial light throws these creatures off, and every small change to nature is reflected in bigger changes to the environment, as we have become all too aware in recent decades.

Artificial light painting the skies as much as its intended ground area hinders stargazing, once a wondrous pastime, now often relegated to planetariums and observatories.

In our personal lives, we control how much or how little artificial light we utilize. What kind of lighting we choose, how it is shielded, where it is installed, and when it is illuminated are all choices we make to reduce the impact of overlighting our environment.

We rely, however, on our town officials to be prudent in allowing lighting that not only detracts from the character of the town, but adds, bit by bit, to an unhealthy environment.

A reduced number of lit signs, thoughtfully placed lighting, and a respect for the surroundings and the creatures (including humans) is not too much to ask.

We urge our officials to look to the dark skies. Appreciate those stars we can still see above our fields, and protect this vision for future generations by disallowing the overuse of outdoor lighting for commercial purposes.

To paraphrase a grassroots slogan: Think Globally; Light Locally.