New York Public Library sees the light, goes with fluorescent bulbs

Commemorating its ongoing commitment to environmental responsibility and conservation, the New York Public Library earlier this month celebrated the collaborative installation of more than 5,300 energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs.

By Consulting Specifying Engineer Staff October 16, 2007

Commemorating its ongoing commitment to environmental responsibility and conservation, the New York Public Library earlier this month celebrated the collaborative installation of more than 5,300 energy-saving compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs

Director of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library Heike Kordish; alongside Steve Mysholowsky, manager with the targeted demand side management program of ConEd; James Maitilasso, president of QCS; and Ellis Yan, president and CEO of TCP, Aurora, Ohio, shared their hopes for increased environmental responsibility and action throughout New York as well as the entire country during the event. The group closed the celebration by flipping the main switch together, activating the facility’s 5,311 new CFLs.

“We are thrilled to begin a new era of energy efficient and attractive lighting at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library,” said Kordish. “It was clear that for the benefit of the environment it was worth converting to lights that were more energy efficient, but it is also saving hundreds of man-hours per year in maintaining the lights. This project is just one of the library’s green initiatives. We feel that illumination of knowledge is our key mission.”

“If every person in America changed just one of the average 50 light bulbs per household to a CFL, it would save enough energy to power more than three 3 million homes annually and remove the equivalent of 800,000 cars from the roads,” said Yan. ”For those that believe individual effort cannot make a difference, it’s important to remember that collectively, we can make a positive impact.”

The New York Public Library serves over more than 16 million patrons who come through its doors annually and another 25 million users internationally.