Can Međimurje become a "thousand-star hotel"?

Do we know what exactly is considered light pollution? The layman's definition says that it is any unnecessary/useless emission of artificial light into a space outside the zone that needs to be illuminated. And any emission of artificial light into areas where it is unnecessary or unwanted results in the pollution of the sky and the environment with excess light, or the disappearance of night.

And what are its consequences? Health problems and disruption of the ecosystem. So, it's clear - it's dangerous and harmful, we should stay away from it. But is that possible nowadays? Wherever we go in Croatia, it shines. There is strong and harmful lighting on roads outside settlements, on highways, LED screens shine, rest areas along highways are lit up like construction sites, church towers are lit up, and in some places even crosses.

When a driver is blinded by a roadside light panel, it not only damages the ecosystem, but is also dangerous for traffic safety. But who cares? The brighter it shines, the more noticeable it is, and that is the goal, right? But we should all care, if we care about our health and the ecosystem without whose well-being even humans cannot be well. When, for example, we walk along the sidewalk at night, we never ask ourselves why there is a circle of light under the lamp, instead of illuminating only the ground under our feet. This is a consequence of the design of most lighting fixtures, which are generally designed to emit light in all directions, instead of targeting the surface that needs to be illuminated. We all know what most artificial lighting lamps look like: they are round, protruding from a lighting pole and casting light in a circle.
 
For an ecosystem to survive, a clear alternation of day and night is necessary, and it is precisely because of light pollution that natural cycles are disrupted - nights disappear, days are too long. Nocturnal animals do not have time to feed, daytime animals do not have time to rest, people suffer from sleep disorders, life rhythms and even hormonal disorders.

Although the Light Pollution Protection Act has been fully implemented in Croatia since April 1, 2023, if we look at the sky, especially above large cities, few people actually adhere to it. The municipal guards who carry out the inspections do not inspire much awe, and they themselves do not know what exactly they should be doing and how to assess who is at fault and who is right. Yes, inspectors should react, but they should be sought out with a candle in Croatia, including in the competent Environmental Protection Fund.

In general, Croatian awareness of ecology is reduced to a handful of activists whom no one, except their followers, has ever heard of, let alone followed the worldview they lead. At the same time, luxuriously lit promenades are very convenient for us, and these annoying activists are probably vegans, in their clothes made of natural materials, harmless to the environment and they look like nothing to us, they don't know how to enjoy life. And the fact that their life, with an ecological approach, will last significantly longer than ours, in our sea of ​​prejudices, does not occur to us.

Of course, they can't crawl into a mouse hole and not feel the consequences of our carefree frivolity, but they can do their utmost to protect themselves from it, and at least escape on weekends, for example, to Međimurje, one of the first and leading Croatian regions to turn around and accept environmental standards as a priority, and thus begin the fight against light pollution. On Međimurje nights, you can still see numerous stars in the sky, while a third of the people on the planet, since they live in cities where the day ends and there is no real night anymore, don't see them at all, while the people of Međimurje cherish their nature reserves, which are not lit at night, precisely to protect the flora and fauna.

However, this is not a real night sky, like the one Međimurje had ten years ago, and how says Dejan Vinković from the Vega Astronomical Society from Čakovec, published by the magazine of the same name, with a little effort from citizens, a real night sky can be returned. Specifically, there is the initiative "Međimurje, a hotel with a thousand stars", which aims to reduce light pollution and turn the night sky into a tourist resource, in cooperation with the Public Institution Međimurje Nature.

"The goal is to inform the public and decision-makers about the problem of light pollution and how to solve it. In the world, the night sky is recognized as a tourist attraction because more and more people have never seen it in their lives, so in the USA all national parks invite people to see what the night sky actually looks like, and here we can see it, for example in Lika, on Velebit, remote islands, i.e. sparsely populated areas. At the same time, light pollution is not difficult to reduce because of all the pollution it is the easiest to solve, without any major investments, it is trivial, and what's more, we will save on electricity consumption. Let's block the light from shining too high because no one needs it, moreover, it reduces the safety of people whose eyes it shines into, and at the same time pollutes the sky and harms plants and animals.

Unfortunately, we are at a stage where people are complaining about why their street is not illuminated by lights, because they think it will be safer. When talking about ecological lighting, everyone only thinks about electricity consumption, and what has happened now? Since new light bulbs consume much less, it is not a problem to increase their brightness, and they are cheap so we can put them everywhere and we have the opposite effect. The whole world is slipping into pollution because today everyone can afford the lighting they want. So, LED light bulbs are being bought en masse, and who cares that they are banned, the important thing is that they shine brighter.", he says.

That is why an initiative has been launched in Međimurje to better inform the public about all the concerns people have about safety, without spreading light pollution. The fastest way, says Dejan Vinković, is to reduce lighting in micro locations that are very bright, mainly around shopping centers, and no one is worried about that, even though it is prohibited by law.

"This law is not ideal either, but if municipalities and cities adhere to it, things will be much better. Citizens can help themselves by not letting light into their neighbors' yards, into the air, or by installing lighting with a cover that cuts the light. The basic thing is, don't let the light shine into your eyes, it must illuminate your feet, the surface, in a targeted manner, and not blind you. The eye sees well in the dark and easily gets used to weaker lighting, and as I said, automatic motion switches are the best solution because they only turn on when needed. The "Međimurje, 1000-star hotel" initiative is just beginning. Međimurje could indeed be a 1000-star hotel, but in order for that to happen, the uncontrolled spread of light pollution needs to be stopped.", concludes Dejan Vinković.