Bright Emergency (Die Helle Not)
Bright Emergency (Die Helle Not) is a project devoted to an environmental problem that has serious effects and yet has received little attention to date, namely the increasing levels of light pollution caused by artificial lighting. At the suggestion of a group of lepidopterists, the street lighting systems in 60 Tyrolean municipalities were refitted with insect-friendly lamps. Energy savings of 30-40% in addition to protection for the moths mean a win-win situation has been achieved in terms of ecology and economy.
Project executive
Tyrol’s Ferdinandeum Provincial Museum (Scientific Collections) – a lepidoptery research centre with decades of experience in the field of protection for butterflies and moths and numerous regional and international publications on lepidoptery. Tyrolean Ombudsman for the Environment – an office with a regional agenda in the field of environmental and nature protection in the widest sense.
Participants
Hofrat Dipl.Ing. Sigbert Riccabona and Mag. Maria Siegl (Office of the Tyrolean Ombudsman for the Environment), Dr. Peter Huemer and Dr. Gerhard Tarmann (Tyrol’s Ferdinandeum Provincial Museum), Mag. Dr. Andrea Schnattinger and Dipl.Ing. Wilfried Doppler (Office of the Viennese Ombudsman for the Environment), DI Dr. Nikolaus Thiemann (Lichttechnische Gesellschaft Österreichs – Austrian society for light technics), Dr. Thomas Posch and Dr. Heinrich-Peter Himmelbauer (Österreichische Gesellschaft für Astronomie und Astrophysik – Austrian society for astronomy and astrophysics), and Marianne Heinrich (Austrian Federal Office of the Environment).
Objectives
At the start of the project, the predominant source of lighting in the public space in the Tyrol was the high-pressure mercury lamp with its bright white light. The powerful attraction these lamps have for moths – a problem first recognised many years ago – brings death to millions of them every year. And yet there is an alternative, in the form of high-pressure sodium lamps, whose power of attraction is only 10% of that of mercury lamps. In addition, human beings find the yellow light of the sodium lamp more pleasant, and it has advantages in terms of road safety (in fog). Since these lamps also offer energy savings of 30-40% and reduced maintenance costs, the initial extra outlay is recouped in just a few years. The objectives of the project, therefore, were 1) a change-over to yellow light (high-pressure sodium lamps) to protect the moths, and 2) a more conscious and economical use of light, e.g. through reduced levels of lighting during the early hours and top covers for the light fittings for significant savings in total energy consumption and costs.
Activities
An initial subsidy from the regional authority for relamping the outdoor lighting systems in 30 and then 60 Tyrolean municipalities was made available subject to certain environmental criteria, i.e. it was limited to communities with ecologically valuable land. The programme was accompanied by a coloured brochure entitled "Bright Emergency (Die Helle Not)" explaining the lighting engineering, economic and biological aspects and providing model calculations to demonstrate the potential for real savings, which provided a useful basis for discussion for the local authorities. A second edition of the brochure was published with an additional section on astronomy and sent to partners throughout Austria. Together with a dedicated website, that helped put the debate on a national footing. An exhibition and a school campaign were organised in the interest of awareness-building, especially among young people. A focus was also placed – and not just in the Tyrol – on personal contacts with interested parties and decision-makers in the political and environmental fields as the basis for further conversions.
Results
In much of the Tyrol and also in other regions (Vorarlberg, South Tyrol, Vienna, and a number of municipalities in Germany and Spain), "Bright Emergency (Die Helle Not)" has led to a changeover from environmentally problematical public lighting systems to light sources that are less hazardous to species at risk. A significant factor in this positive result was a level of political support that doubtless benefited from the project’s potential for energy savings. Supporting measures such as the publication of an informative brochure as a decision-making tool for local authorities, the organisation of a school campaign and an exhibition on the subject plus various public relations activities (print media, television) helped achieve general acceptance on the part of the public. The award of the Ford Environment Prize and the company’s decision to change the light sources at its car manufacturing facilities and a major EU project in Valencia (Spain) are initial signs of progress at the international level.
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