Looking Back at our Mid-Term Event

The afternoon began with a welcome from our project manager Enora Morin (Université Occidentale Bretagne). After an introduction to the project, representatives from all six project regions presented our nine demonstrator sites, discussing various approaches to light pollution reduction, monitoring methodologies and first results.

During a break, participants—ranging from local and regional municipalities to universities, lighting planners and other EU light pollution initiatives—had the chance to connect. 

Watch the recording of the session here:

"Would you rather be a dung beetle or a street light? And why?" With this question Arjen Strijkstra (Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences) continued the event and started into his engaging presentation. After the audience had the time to think about the answer and write down their answers, Arjen explained how artificial light at night affects biodiversity, particularly insects. He also introduced our monitoring methodologies and shared preliminary data on bird and insect activity from our demonstrator sites. 

At the end, the beetle vs. street light question was revealed to be part of a student research project examining the empathetic connection between lighting and biodiversity, taking different perspectives, initiating co-creation solutions for light reduction. The students will use the answers obtained from our event audience for their research about lighting co-creation processes.

Watch the recording of the session here:

Following this, we shifted focus to municipal lighting plans. In a roundtable discussion, four of our project partners explored co-design approaches and gaps in stakeholder awareness. Key takeaways included the importance of involving all stakeholders from the beginning—starting with politicians to secure support, then engaging others through tailored activation strategies. Understanding stakeholder motivations—whether energy efficiency, biodiversity, cost savings or tourism—is crucial. Visualizing potential changes using tools like our 3D planning model and demonstrating best practices examples help foster engagement. Active participation is essential, not just in planning but throughout implementation, including site visits to observe progress firsthand.

Watch the recording of the session here:

After dinner, we visited the Holwerd demonstrator site, guided by Jan Zijlstra (Landmakers Cooperatie U.A. and Holwerd aan Zee project). The tour began at the Holwerd pier, where excessive lighting affects the area. While upcoming construction may delay adjustments, we remain committed to make the change happen. Next, we examined lighting in an industrial area outside Holwerd, engaging business owners and the city in discussions.

We then started our night walk through Holwerd and arrived in the city centre where our partners from HAW Hamburg University of Applied Sciences introduced an interactive Extended Reality (XR) session. Participants used VR glasses to modify lighting in a virtual environment, testing different scenarios and comparing lighting situations. Observers could also view the VR experience on a separate screen, showcasing how these tools help stakeholders visualize and adjust lighting in 3D.

To conclude, experts Andreas Hänel and Piet Zijlstra demonstrated simple light measurement techniques in the parking lot, showing how easy-to-use devices assess lighting conditions.