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Mayor Bloomberg himself said that "New York can't just sit back and hope for the best," when it comes to global warming. He was prompted by a report that showed the city responsible for 1% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions. And while NYC lacks smoke-stack industry and a car-centric commuting culture, it is the city that never sleeps and never turns off its lights. 79% of New York's greenhouse gases are contributed by the city's buildings, which must be heated, cooled, and lighted year-round. The Daily News wonders if the lighting needs to be around-the-clock though. The paper (and its reporters must love their metro editor) sent observers out to the far reaches of every borough to catalogue the late-night energy use of municipal buildings. Some of their more egregious findings:
Lights at the historic Tweed Courthouse, which houses the Education Department headquarters, were still blazing at 3:50 a.m.The department's building at 65 Court St. in Brooklyn also was lit well into the wee hours.
A hulking building that holds municipal offices at 30-30 Thomson Ave. in Long Island City shined brightly at 2:45 a.m. yesterday with about two-thirds of its windows lit. At the main entrance, even the display windows featuring school blueprints and models were illuminated.
City officials were quick to note that cleaning crews and some information technology have to work through the night, but failed to give specifics on how many workers are pulling late shifts in the well-lit municipal buildings.
Mayor Bloomberg reassured that "Nobody suggests that we should stop using electricity, go live in tents and do without all of the modern technology," when asked about energy conservation, and promised that the lights that make the city skyline as recognizable at night as during the day wouldn't go out. He did suggest energy saving bulbs for Times Square, however, like the ones he uses in his home.
(Lights, Action, Camera!, by ~Raymond at flickr)
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The problem with many of these energy saving bulbs is they have disposal issues.
So in one way it is robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Consider that the five boroughs (approx 8.5 million people total) add up to about 3% of the U.S. population.
If the US has 300,000,000 people, and NYC accounts for 8,000,000 (a little under 3%), isn't it kind of a good thing that we only emit 1% of the nation's greenhouse gases?
The 1% thing is a tad bit misleading, since NYC's carbon emissions are less than a third of the US average per capita.
Yeah, we could cut down on our emissions by a lot, but no more than the rest of the country does.
Like all of these number New Yorkers like to polish to make themselves look good, how was this calculated? Does it take into account that nothing is manufactured or produced here and has to be trucked in from out of state or brought in by boat from overseas?
I have an idea; how about NOT blasting freezing air into every office the minute the outside temp breaks 55 degrees? This is pretty much true of every building in which I've worked. At this very moment my fingers are in danger of freezing.
This is the best city in the country. Regardless of how we're performing in terms of carbon emissions now, we should strive to do more and set an example for other metro ares to follow.
This is the best city in the country. Regardless of how we're performing in terms of carbon emissions now, we should strive to do more and set an example for other metro ares to follow.
Turn down the lights.
nyc is not unique in that everything we use is manufactured somewhere else or brought in by boat from overseas. do you really think people in atlanta or st. louis are getting everything they use locally?
"If the US has 300,000,000 people, and NYC accounts for 8,000,000 (a little under 3%), isn't it kind of a good thing that we only emit 1% of the nation's greenhouse gases?"
No, considering NYC produces mostly intellectual products. We don't have factories and oil refineries. Fat boys and girls sitting in front of their computer accounts for all the emissions. A simple shutdown of your computer will save lots.
It's not just city buildings .... stop by and take a look at the lobby renovations at 100 Church St to see lighting run amok