Yes, Rick and Elsa will still have Paris, and with a cleaner bluer sky over France.
Starting this summer, businesses (not private homes) in Paris must turn off all lights no later than 1 hour after the last person departs. There are exceptions (longer hours) for a few iconic locations and during the Christmas season. Even most of those will go dark at 1AM. The savings every night will be equal to powering 750,000 homes, allowing for shutting off 2 or 3 large coal fired power plants every night.
Another cool thing in (a few) European neighborhoods. The streetlights operate by motion sensors. A car of pedestrian approaching will turn on a section for a short time. The savings for taxpayers is hugh, and not having lights on full time draws fewer insects.
Shit like this is a no brainer. it's harder than you think to get it done and doesn't happen fast generally. Meaning other no brainer's as well.
ReplyDeleteO.F.: We have a lot of really simple fixes just laying there and people haven't seen them, or don't want to. Americans are suppose to be the innovators, yet we are stuck, unable to save ourselves and our cities money and energy. We are fillibustering our own comfort, wealth and future.
DeleteWhen The Old Lady worked for the Park Service Regional Headquarters in Omaha, their new office building (a LEED certified building) had motion sensors on the lights. Depending on where your "Dilbert" cage was even if you were moving the lights would go out and you would have to stand up and wave your arms or walk around some to get the lights to come back on.
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