"Rational Lighting Policy in Practice".

About this project

<p>In 2011 the first dark-sky protection area in Poland was created in Sopotnia Wielka, which was implemented as a social initiative. The joint investment of the local government unit and an NGO was financed thanks to the grant received by the Jeleśnia Municipality for replacing over 180 street lamps in the public lighting system with ones that protect against light pollution. Unfortunately, the initiative from 2011 is currently insufficient due to the increasing expansion of artificial (LED) light, installed mainly in households. As part of the ‘Dark Sky Poland’ and ‘Dark Sky Community’ projects implemented in 2019-2021, a survey was conducted in which 33 questionnaires were collected from local households. 27 people expressed interest in being engaged in reducing light pollution in their own households, 4 were neutral and only 2 responded negatively. The results of the survey show that there is a need to reach out to those who are potentially uninterested or dissatisfied (i.e., about 18% of the residents of the village) in order to forge a consensus, as well as to raise awareness about the problem of light pollution. The aim of the ‘Rational Lighting Policy in Practice’ project is to maintain and support the grassroots idea of Sopotnia Wielka residents, by the working name of ‘rational lighting policy’.Using the method of citizen participation, we would like to make an attempt at drafting the first resolution regarding the night landscape in Poland. For this purpose, we will form an international scientific committee, conduct workshops and initiate a council for social dialogue on the ecology of the night. The project will result in consolidation of different social groups, maintenance of partnerships, improvement of night environment protection through an innovative activity, and increased direct engagement of nearly 500 people and 150 households. The project is implemented in the framework of trilateral cooperation of partners from Poland, Norway and Slovenia.</p>

Bilateral cooperation results

Among a number of activities carried out both with the partner from the Donor State, i.e. Norway, and with the partner from Slovenia, there were mainly activities such as international meetings and an expert panel, which developed a number of recommendations at the above level national, on the reduction of artificial pollution, or exchange of experiences and information during direct meetings during the jubilee 10th Dark Sky Festival. It was at this time that our next Partner was also very involved national, i.e. the Jeleśnia Commune Office. On the initiative of the mayor, an international discussion meeting was arranged at the office with representatives of 3 countries (expert panel) and the Commune Development Committee deliberated on our behalf, adopting positively the assumptions of a rational lighting policy in practice. About marketing agency despite not implementing paid activities, has been strongly involved in promoting the topic of Light pollution and night ecology, promoting our project not only on its social media, but also by organizing a broad mailing campaign to schools in two voivodeships in spring 2022. The result of these efforts was the exposure of the project topics at thematic exhibitions in retail industry facilities in Koszalin, Toruń and at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn.

Project partners

• Preserve the Darkness Donor project partner· Norway