Switching off outdoor lights for part or all of the night significantly helps pollinators focus better on their essential nocturnal pollination tasks. During ‘Night of the Pollinators’ on Saturday, August 7, the city will dim lights in Sahanpuisto, Piippupolku, and Taapelipolku, near the harbor. The surrounding streets will remain lit to ensure safety.
– We want to encourage everyone to reconsider which outdoor lights are truly necessary and whether they can be programmed to switch off in the early hours. Every outdoor light turned off is a relief for both pollinators and your wallet. Let’s give pollinators some peace at night, says Veera Hämäläinen, Communications Director for the City of Lahti.
Lahti has also installed new, pollinator-friendly streetlights in the Ritamäki nature reserve. These lights automatically filter out blue wavelengths, which attract pollinators, during dusk. With warmer-toned light, pollinators are less likely to mistake the lighting for the night sky and can better focus on pollination. As part of this pilot project, 12 lights were replaced along a 500-meter stretch of road.
The new streetlights and ‘Night of the Pollinators’ are key elements of Lahti’s “Without pollinators we cannot survive” campaign. The initiative, launched earlier this summer, included the distribution of 10,000 seed packets and 100 “I Pollinate Here” yard signs to local residents.
Read more: Pollinator-safe streetlights give pollinators a peaceful night
“Without pollinators we cannot survive” campaign page