BUDAPEST—A bicycle pedaled by passersby powers up a Christmas tree-shaped light installation in Budapest, as the local mayor promotes celebrating the festive season while saving on surging energy costs.
His municipality decided to cancel most of the usual Christmas light decorations this year due to the energy crisis.
The tree only lights up fully while someone keeps pedaling really hard, which encourages families with their kids to stop and give it a try. The bicycle also charges a battery that, along with solar panels, powers up the rest of the lights around the Budapest square.
“[On] the one hand, we keep moving in this cold weather. On the other, we can experience how much one needs to pedal to light up a six-meter-high Christmas tree decoration,” said Gergely Orsi, the mayor of Budapest’s 2nd district.
