The street lights in L.A. will get a little brighter – and greener – this summer, when the city plans to switch to LEDs. It’s being billed as the largest effort by a U.S. city to reduce pollution by retrofitting incandescent street lights to be more energy-efficient. The city will begin the replacement process this July, and it will continue over a 5-year period.
Former President Bill Clinton was on hand as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa unveiled the plan on Monday, calling it “a great day in Los Angeles”.
From MSNBC:
The project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 40,500 tons and save $10 million annually.
“This is the best place in the world — in the U.S. at least — to lead this,” Clinton said, citing the city’s ongoing environmental efforts. “This is like taking 6,000 cars off the road.
“If every major city followed your lead, we could eliminate 2 1/2 coal-fired power plants.”
Villaraigosa hailed the effort, saying it would help make Los Angeles the “cleanest, greenest big city in the U.S. We are building a bridge to a sustainable future.”
Of course, Los Angeles has a long way to go to be the ‘greenest big city in the U.S.’, especially considering its smog problems and lack of decent public transportation. But, this effort is definitely commendable. Imagine if more cities did this – the impact would be tremendous. Keep it up, LA!
Link [MSNBC]
Photo credit: Flickr user jondoeforty1
