Eco-friendly Rocky is pushing a green yule
Mayor's Christmas tree decked out in energy-saving LED
It's set up right next to the Salvation Army donation kettle, which Anderson added at the request of the low-income charity.
The tree adds more than Christmas spirit to City Hall. It also illustrates the latest example of Anderson's internationally recognized environmental initiatives, among which include urging municipalities to switch their traffic lights to LED light technology that uses less energy, lasts longer and cost less in the long run.
Anderson has taken that particular initiative further than switching just Salt Lake City's traffic lights to LED technology. The mayor's Christmas tree is also decked out in LED lights, something he encourages all residents to do.
"That's just how the office is run," Lisa Romney, Anderson's environmental adviser, said. "I walked into the room where our copy machines are one day, and all the paper was recycled paper. I walked by the Christmas tree and said, 'Those are LED Christmas lights.' The whole ethic in City Hall is changing and it's fantastic to see."
The Associated Press reported that LED lights make up just a fraction of all Christmas light sales. But change, if slow, is coming. The Web site www.shoppingblog.com enthusiastically reported "2005 may be the year that LED Christmas lights catch on."
The energy saving decoration is catching in the Salt Lake Valley. In Salt Lake City, LED lights can be hard to find, especially this close to Christmas.
LED Christmas lights are just the latest of Anderson's many environmental initiatives dubbed Salt Lake City Green — possibly the most comprehensive municipal environmental program in the United States.
In addition to the tree, Anderson recently moved forward with another of his new initiatives. The Planning Commission unanimously supported his plan to require that all buildings larger than 10,000 square feet, which are run by the city or receive city funding, be built to environmentally friendly LED building standards. Those standards, set by the U.S. Green Building Council, dictate that buildings should be in-fill redevelopment where possible, be located near transit lines and be energy efficient.
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