Parma, 11 February 2026 – This year once again, the University of Parma is taking part in M’illumino di meno, the National Day for Energy Saving and Sustainable Lifestyles.
There will be two events at the University: on 16th February, a EU GREEN seminar on light pollution with physicist and astronomer Fabio Falchi; and on 20 February, the customary switching off of lights in several university buildings.
On Monday 16 February at 5 pm, at the University’s Main Building (Aula dei Filosofi, Via Università 12), physicist and astronomer Fabio Falchi will deliver the seminar The End of Darkness – How We Have Destroyed the Night with Artificial Light. The event is organised also as part of the EU GREEN Alliance’s activities dedicated to environmental sustainability, the ecological transition, and the promotion of a scientific culture attentive to the social and environmental impacts of technological choices.
The semimar, free of charge and open to all interested participants, will focus on light pollution, its environmental, social and economic implications, and possible strategies to counter it by promoting a more conscious and sustainable use of artificial lighting. The seminar will address topics such as the relationship between artificial lighting and energy consumption, the gradual disappearance of the starry sky, and the effects of night-time lighting on human health, migratory species, ecosystems and local economies, with the aim of raising awareness among students, academic staff and professional services staff.
Fabio Falchi has been engaged for over 25 years in research and awareness-raising on light pollution and energy saving. He is one of the authors of the First Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness (2001) and led the team of scientists who produced the New World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness, published in Science Advances and recognised as one of the most influential scientific studies at international level. A physics teacher at the “Enrico Fermi” Upper Secondary School in Mantua, he is the author of more than 40 scientific publications in international peer-reviewed journals. He conducts research for the Slovak Academy of Sciences and has collaborated with national and European institutions, including the European Parliament and the Joint Research Centre, contributing to policies aimed at reducing light pollution and energy waste.
The second University of Parma event for M’illumino di meno will take place on Friday 20 February, with lights switched off in several University buildings.
From 6 pm on Friday 20 February until 5 am on Saturday 21 February, the lights at the Main Building, Palazzo Zunti (Via Università 7) and the San Francesco Complex will be switched off. Students, staff and academics are also invited to switch off office lights and computer standby modes.
These same light-related topics will be targeted in May for the International Day of Light, for which the University of Parma and the EU GREEN Alliance will once again work together. This year’s theme is Light for a Sustainable Future.
