Want to help make a positive impact on the city you live in? Then join Green Light NY, Urban Green Energy, and several other organizations and groups in reducing New York City’s electricity usage by switching off lights in our offices and homes from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (EDT) on Friday, June 20, 2014! 

In New York City alone, there is over 489 million square feet of office space, consuming over 1/3rdof New York City’s total energy demand. Energy demand peaks during the summer, especially around the middle of the day. To meet this demand often the oldest, least efficient, and dirtiest power plants are brought online. The simple act of turning off a light switch for an hour (or more see how long you can go) can have an immense impact on energy usage, especially in group efforts like this one. Together we can help save millions of dollars, diminish the demand for burning coal and other fossil fuels for electricity, diminish the amount of pollutants we breathe in, keep it cooler in the summer (most energy from light bulbs gets lost in radiating heat), and make New York City an even better place to live. Turning off the lights is an easy first step to take. Installing energy efficient light bulbs, dimming switches, and renewable energy systems are all part of a larger comprehensive strategy to reduce your impact at a residential or community level.

For example, did you know that if just 5% of American households go solar the emissions reductions are equivalent to:

• Taking 7,700,000 cars off the road!
• Removing 89,600,000 pounds of CO2 from the environment.
• Offsetting the entire fleet of automobiles sold in the US in 2007.
• Retiring 6,900,000 trees from their “CO2 offsetting” jobs.

At a community level, switching infrastructure such as streetlights to renewables has the effect of reducing regional emissions (whilst ensuring energy security and helping communities meet their emissions reductions targets). So to wrap things up here, you can lessen your carbon footprint, save money, and limit pollution in a variety of fashions. Whether its something as simple as flicking off a light switch for an hour, or permanently installing an off-grid renewable energy source, and/or countless other choices, you have a direct impact on your environment and those around you. Join us for Daylight Hour and celebrate in the daylight!!!!!!

 – Kevin DeVincentis, Sustainability, Urban Green Energy