A visit to Royal Djurgården during Advent is a wonderful experience! Even though it gets dark earlier, the whole island is brightened up by beautiful lights that create a magical atmosphere.
Sustainability is a really important part of what we do here at Royal Djurgården. We are constantly looking for new and improved ways of working to reduce our carbon footprint. We see this as a prerequisite of being Scandinavia’s #1 attraction.
Winter 2020 will sadly feel a little darker than usual. However, we want to highlight some examples of our attractions and restaurants’ work when it comes to saving light energy.
Colourful LED lights
In 2017, the Royal Djurgården Association started ‘The Light Project’, where they installed the LED lights that greet you as you walk over Djurgårdsbron from Strandvägen. The beautiful illuminated trees that line Djurgårdsvägen are also part of the project and go all the way to Allmänna Gränd. Our wildlife needs to sleep, so the further along the island you go, the less light there is. Every so often, the darkness is broken up by beautifully lit buildings and outdoor areas. An example is the row of greenhouses at Rosendal’s Garden that sparkle in the dark (the lights are LED, of course).
Gröna Lund were quick off the mark in 2017 and accepted the Swedish Energy Company’s Lighting Challenge together with 90 other organisations. Fast forward a few years and now all 17,000 of their light sources (yes, you read that right), have been replaced with LED or low-energy bulbs. As a result, they’ve reduced their light energy consumption by 75%, which is impressive to say the least!
Lilla Hasselbacken have also worked hard to make all of their lighting LED. Skansen Aquarium has replaced the lighting over their aquariums to LED, which has helped to reduce their energy consumption by as much as 66%!
Several of our museums are also starting to replace their light sources with more energy-efficient ones. Many buildings with outdoor areas require substantial investment; financially and in terms of the amount of work that needs to be put in over time.
What our museums are doing
For the Museum of Ethnography, the National Sports Museum and the Thiel Gallery, this is their main focus when it comes to sustainability targets. This is something to be proud of considering the impact of the pandemic.
We hope you enjoy visiting Royal Djurgården during Advent!
In replacing light bulbs with LED, Djurgården’s attractions are working towards doubling their energy efficiency by 2030 (7.3)
