KAUNAS “VYTURYS” CATHOLIC SECONDARY

SCHOOL

Presentation and practical research is done by the group of 9th form students: Gintarė Karalevičiūtė and Vaiva RaginytėProject co-ordinators: Daiva Visockienė, Vilma Gudelienė and Dalė Uždravienė

LIGHT POLLUTION IN KAUNAS: DO WE CARE ENOUGHT?

Light pollution in Kaunas:

Do we care enough?•The aim of the survey is to raise public awareness by presenting the damage of light pollution and providing the facts about ecology of enlightenment system in Kaunas.

Light pollution in Kaunas: Do we care enough?

• Methods of survey: research of informational sources, practical research – gathering information, making photos of enlightenment system in city centre and Dainava district, team work providing results and conclusions.

LIGHT POLLUTION IN DAINAVA DISTRICT:

FACTS AND EXAMPLESFor presenting the idea of light pollution we have chosen enlightenment system in Kaunas city centre and our own Dainava district.

Light pollution in Dainava district For presenting the facts about light pollution, we made a practical survey of enlightenment in our district and we would like to present the results.

Park of Dainava Public Clinic of Dainava

Light pollution in Dainava district•For example, lights around Taikos, Studentų streets are pretty poor and really old, they were probably not changed for many years, the lights there are really weak and don‘t spread a lot of light.

Light pollution in Dainava district

• On the other hand, the majority streets in Dainava have got excellent enlightenment system, the lights are updated and don‘t damage the environment that much as the old ones.

Light pollution in Dainava districtBad examples

•What surprises the most, it is an enlightenment in parks of our neighbourghood. The green areas have the worst and the most pollutening illumination system, which cause the biggest light pollution – the round light bulbs.

The majority of infrastructure in Dainava parks and green areas are renewed by using EU funding. But the enlightenment has still stayed the same. Old lights or round bulbs cause the biggest light pollution and damages the environment.

Light pollution in Dainava districtBad examples

Light pollution in Dainava district: conclusions

1. The main problem in our own Dainavos district is the enlightenment in the parks and green areas:

• the most popular are the round light bulbs, that cause the biggest light pollution;

• moreover, they cause the danger for birds and insects.

Light pollution in Dainava district: conclusions

2. In addition, our municipality doesn‘t have enough money to improve all the illumination, make it more effective and not so unhealthy and polluting.

Enlightenment system in Kaunas city centre

• Before the start of the major modernization, Kaunas street lighting system was morally and physically obsolete.

• City center lights had a particularly strong impact on traffic and safety of residents in the dark.

Enlightenment system in Kaunas city centre

Enlightenment system in Kaunas city centre

•Situation is different now. Enlightenment system in Kaunas city centre is renewed and equipped with modern lamps, which save energy, are ecological and do not cause light pollution.

• The best example of environmental enlightenment is the heart of Kaunas – Laisves Avenue.

Kaunas old town lighting• Kaunas old town

lighting is just as good and high-level as Liberty avenue.

• To increase the security of the population and to reduce the light pollution, streets are equipped with new, modern lamps, which provides all the light in dark streets.

In order not to cause light pollution, and to save the space, lamps are fitted to the wall of the buildings.

Kaunas old town lighting

ALEKSOTAS BRIDGE

Enlightenment system in Kaunas city centre

ConclusionsEnlightenment system in Kaunas city, especially in main streets and old town centre is modern, ecological and installed according the all requirements.

Recommendations• The advice, for institutions responsible for

enlightenment, would be to pay more attention to the enlightenment schemes and design around the town, in order to lower the light pollution.

• Individual residents, should pay more attention not only to a design of outdoor enlightenment, but to the ecology as well.

• The idea of light pollution is a very new and we are taking the first steps to cope with the problem. With this research we wanted to raise public awareness to the damage caused by light pollution and show some examples of bad lightening in our streets.