In this universe there are many thing that we cannot explain. Among these many things is light. Light, as far as we know, come in different wavelengths and the size of the wavelength determine what type of light it is.
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Romantic and magical Ljubljana
Since those early beginnings, the light objects included in Ljubljana’s Christmas lighting display have been developed in new directions year after year based not only on images of the infinite expanses of the universe, galaxies, planets, moons, and comets, but also on images of microcosms invisible to the naked eye, such as those of atoms, chromosomes, DNA helices, etc. The colors of the lights in Ljubljana are so vibrant and just put you in a good mood. People are very impressed, to some, they are the way of looking at and showing spirit towards the holiday season, for some it is a current pleasure.
Romantic and magical. This is the best description of Ljubljana during the days of December. People are taking the walk through festively decorated Ljubljana with a guide, looking for a unique gift at the holiday fair and they want to find out the story and concept of the decorations, the creative talent behind which has been, for many years, the renowned painter Zmago Modic.
Popular turist destination
The special atmosphere in Ljubljana is felt everywhere, in shops, restaurants, pubs and even streets, where you can hear the magical carols, or maybe it’s because of its religious background. Ljubljana became a popular tourist destination especially during Christmas time. It is possible to hear many different foreign languages on the streets, and most tourists also consider that Ljubljana is definitely one of the most beautifully decorated European cities.
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Damage for the environment
However this beautiful christmas lights are very attractive, they causes a lot of damage for our environment.
Light pollution is the rise in the level of natural brightness of the environment caused by artificial light sources. It can also be defined as uncontrolled leakage of light from artificial sources beyond the objective of illumination. We do need external lighting, but we often overdo it and go beyond its original purpose of ensuring safety.
The society Temno nebo (Dark-Sky) Slovenia claim that the consequences are the burning of the night sky above the city, glare, forced light, reduced night vision and unnecessary energy consumption. The ultimate consequence is that the night sky is becoming more and more illuminated, disappearance of the stars and disappearance of the night in a natural condition. It also endangers human health, especially the production of melatonin at night. The consequences are insomnia, obesity, breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Festive lights can be dangerous
According to the words of Andrej Mohar from society Temno nebo (Dark-Sky) the festive lights in the past were much weaker, but nowadays very strong LEDs are used, which are an ever-increasing problem because they are extremely bright. »Our estimate is that the festive lights in 2017 are about 300% brihgter than in 2007. In addition, people do not know what to do with money anymore so they decorate the surroundings of their houses instead of a Christmas tree« says Andrej Mohar. Festive lights can also be very dangerous. »People with epilepsy may experience an attack due to flashing lights« added Mohar.
What should we do about that?
Society Temno nebo (Dark Sky) suggests that we do not overdo the illumination. The lights should only be placed in places where required and only then, when necessary. We should also require better street lighting and in the night time (after 11 pm) only the most important parts should be illuminated.
Illumination is not the only problem
Nevertheless, illumination is not the ony problem. On the day when the festive lights were turned on in Ljubljana there were a lot of people and consequently a lot of rubbish on the ground. When the crowd of people left the center of Ljubljana, there was a lot of garbage left behind. Cups, plates, plastic cutlery and even food was lying on the ground. All together it was more like a rubbish dump than festive capital city. This was especially felt by the cleaning workers from Snaga. The cleaning service explained that some workers who were on duty that day immediately disposed of most of the garbage after the event.
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Avtorji:
Rebeka Lepej
Albërie Xhemaili
Janže Fric