Effective first of July this year, France's government is mandating all non-residential buildings to turn off their light one hour after the last employee leaves the office or by 1 a.m. The light only can be turned on again until 7 a.m., or before business starts.
By doing so, this simple, yet effective way, can save France the amount of energy to power 750,000 homes. Of course, major tourist attractions are exempt, like the 20,000 flashing bulbs on the Eiffel Tower, and public displays like Christmas tree decorations at the Champs-Elysees.
By doing so, this simple, yet effective way, can save France the amount of energy to power 750,000 homes. Of course, major tourist attractions are exempt, like the 20,000 flashing bulbs on the Eiffel Tower, and public displays like Christmas tree decorations at the Champs-Elysees.
By turning off the lights, France is not just saving energy and reducing carbon footprint, but also reducing light pollution. According to France's Environmental Minister Delphine Batho, night lighting can "cause significant disruptions on ecosystems by changing communication between species, migrations, reproduction cycles or even the prey-predator relationships,". She hopes that the ban will reduce the negative impact that artificial lights have on ecosystems and wildlife, as well as on human sleep patterns
The law is one of many measures the new government is implementing to increase energy efficiency and renewables.
The country, which for so long has been held up as a model for relying
on nuclear is moving away from that and toward renewable energy. The
French government also wants to ban natural gas fracking.
Source: http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/24539
Source: http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/24539
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