As every year in December, the main streets of Polish cities are lit up with thousands of lights. This "fairy tale" trend came to us from the United States, and with it colorful garlands, flashing icicles, curtains of lights obscuring buildings, huge snowmen of dubious beauty... This year the economic crisis was supposed to bring changes, less revenue to local government coffers meant that urban illuminations will be more modest. But does frugality go hand in hand with respect for the environment?
©krzysztofkalinowsky | pixabay
Christmas "more is more"
Pandemic, quarantine, cities deserted... Like never before we need colorful illuminations on the streets. But lights are unequal to lights. Some of them actually create a festive atmosphere - with warm colors of light, surprising motifs, or highlighting the architectural qualities of the city. Others are decidedly disfiguring - cold, gaudy, varied colors, overscaled decorations that overwhelm the city. Ordinarily, "less is more" is the golden rule, especially for the design of public spaces, but in this particularly bleak, additionally-pandemic period, it seems that no one minds forgetting it for a while.
light management vs. health
Lighted streets and budget restrictions are a good time to think about the consequences of massive artificial light on our health. Aesthetic qualities are relegated to the background, because while it could be said that tastes differ, fortunately there are scientific studies that confirm how important the temperature, quality and diurnal rhythm of light outside the window, in homes, on streets is. The conclusions are simple - in high intensity, artificial light of cold color has a detrimental effect on physical as well as mental health of a person. Disruption of the diurnal rhythm is another negative aspect, because according to scientists (American Medical Association) "even a small bedside lamp can inhibit the release of melatonin." Sustainable light management in countries where days are short in winter is also extremely important for the prevention of depression. Because, of course, lights in December are needed as much as possible, but it's worth thinking about what kind, and where.
light vs. environment
It has not been known for a long time that artificial lighting of cities and their surroundings is not indifferent to animals. Light pollution disrupts bird life and adversely affects trees. The problem is exacerbated by snow, which reflects, scatters and increases the glow over the city.
Piotr Nawalkowski of the POLARIS-OPP Association, in an interview with Anna Slzak (PAP), talks about the "Dark Skies" program, which addresses the problem of light pollution in Poland.
"There is a reason why we place a symbolic decoration in the form of a star on the top of Christmas trees," he reminds. "This year, children waiting for the 'first star' will not see the bright planets visible in the evening sky, but only the usual stars - such as Vega or Capella in the constellation of Mermaid - and the Moon."
budget savings = energy efficiency?
This year - 2020 - the common denominator of illuminations nationwide was supposed to be economy. It seems that the situation that has arisen has only advantages - saved energy and taxpayers' money. And city managers are standing on their heads to make sure that, despite budget constraints, the illuminations are not fading at all.
- There has never been such a decoration in Warsaw before. This winter we are taking Varsovians on a journey back in time to the pre-war capital. We want to show residents the city of Galczynski, Lempicka or Prus," announced Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski on the Capital City Hall website.
One could assume that this would draw attention to ecological, energy-saving solutions, maybe convince city boards to use the same decorations again, but... What happened in reality? In order to fit within the budget, the city is giving up several locations where the decorations have been on display so far.
More modest and eco-friendly?
In fact, it is worth looking for alternative and, above all, ecological solutions. Lighting systems are mostly manufactured in China, designed in front of huge corporations, and despite the use of LEDs and energy-saving bulbs, it is still extremely expensive and environmentally unfriendly to use electricity on this scale. Every year, for at least a decade - city portals have been reporting that "the city is using energy-saving LEDs" (these consume up to 8-10 times less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs). It sounds great, but these days it should be an absolute standard, not something to be proud of. Technology allows for better and better solutions.
what can we take care of?
This year 's capital decoration has been equipped with a system that allows it to reduce its power during nighttime hours and arm all elements with ecosaver devices, which will reduce operating costs by nearly 30 percent.
It's also worth replacing the powerful spotlights pointing toward the sky with small, single lights evenly distributed, for example, on the treetops.
- When planning the illumination of larger areas or objects, the lights are best placed under the canopy. - In the case of large-scale buildings, the lights can be installed on the facade, but under a canopy - so that the light does not escape directly upwards, says Nawalkowski.
looking for a compromise
An alternative, energy-efficient solution is to use large-format multimedia projections. In the era of closed art galleries, 3D mapping provides an opportunity to showcase the works of Polish artists on building facades. Well-designed visualizations do not overshadow the architecture, but emphasize its qualities, catching attention. These can be found on the Wilanów Palace building, among others. The visualizations are accompanied by music. The cost of implementing such multimedia decorations is not only lower, but gives the city a much greater opportunity to draw attention to art, music and architecture.
Among Polish cities, there are some that have applied current trends - they have given a second life to decorations, and put the design in the hands of local artists and craftsmen. Bydgoszcz boasts urban decorations designed by students of an art school and the use of warm - energy-saving lights - the same as last year.
Undoubtedly, admiring new forms and themes every year is a great holiday pastime, but hasn't the pandemic taught us yet to appreciate what we already have? While these unique decorations delight strollers, they still cost a lot - the civic budget, the environment and our health. In 2020, the choice of Christmas illuminations is no longer just a matter of aesthetics, but also of conscience.
Is the compromise between astonishing holiday decorations and common sense savings achievable? In the future, will the well-being of the environment and our long-term health be more important than momentary delight?
