Bloomberg Continues Efforts for a Green NYC

As a part of New York City’s growing effort to make the city more energy efficient, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on Tuesday that the city would be pairing with Best Buy as part of “Be Cool & Smart.”
Bloomberg Continues Efforts for a Green NYC
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As a part of New York City’s growing effort to make the city more energy efficient, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on Tuesday that the city would be pairing with Best Buy as part of “Be Cool & Smart.”

The program is geared towards providing helpful tools for managing air conditioner usage during the summer. The plan comes in preparation for the sweltering summer months when air conditioner usage tends to consume nearly half of a household’s energy output.

An awareness campaign targeting bus-lines, subways, billboards, radio, and Web will soon hit the city, offering strategies striving towards a green New York City and boosting environmental and economic changes.

To support the program, Best Buy will donate $175,000 to GreeNYC and will encourage the purchase of ENERGY STAR air conditioning units.

The partnership is part of GreeNYC, Bloomerg’s latest plan to educate inhabitants on energy conservation, thus creating a healthier living environment with reduced electricity bills.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, if one out of 10 families in the United States uses cooling and heating equipment that has earned the ENERGY STAR mark, more than 17 billion pounds of greenhouse gases will be kept out of the air.

“Be Cool & Be Smart” is among 127 initiatives in the PlaNYC program, aimed to reduce the city’s carbon emissions by 30 percent by the year 2030. According to statistics from PlaNYC, the city’s population is expected to increase by more than a million residents in the next 25 years.

With more inhabitants, the city’s energy output will be higher and pollution levels will rise if preparations are not made.

Announced on Earth Day 2007, PlaNYC addresses New York’s needs relating to land, air, transportation, water, and energy over the next two and half decades. The plan includes goals and solutions for the overall maintenance of all related facets of the city.

Included are plans for a complete overhaul of the subway system and infrastructure issues, such as optimizing and maintaining a nearly century old power grid. There are also preparations for issues related to global warming and rising sea levels.