Nov 23, 2007 9:57 am US/Central
St. Paul Tree Will Use More Energy Than NYC's
ST. PAUL (AP) ―
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The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is lit Nov. 29, 2006, during the 74th Annual event in New York. (File)
Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images
Promoters of St. Paul's giant Rice Park Christmas tree are bragging that it's "as tall and bright as the iconic Rockefeller Center tree in New York City" -- but St. Paul is using a lot more energy to get there.
When the switch is flipped Saturday, the 60,000 incandescent mini-lights on St. Paul's trees will twinkle 24 hours a day for five-and-a-half weeks. That comes at a cost of about $1,300 and 18.7 tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, according to estimates by Phil Smith, energy specialist at the Minnesota Department of Commerce's state energy office.
That's higher than what will be spent for New York's iconic Rockefeller Center tree, which is lit with 30,000 energy-efficient light-emitting diodes (
LEDs) and shines only 18 hours a day. LED bulbs use one one-tenth the juice as do incandescent mini-lights.
Further reducing environmental damage, the lights on New York's tree will be powered in part by solar energy, courtesy of panels on a nearby roof.
Decisions on how to light St. Paul's tree weren't the city's alone, officials said. Capital City Partnership, a nonprofit local booster club, funds the project through donations.
"The city is committed to reducing its overall CO2 emissions, (but) we decided not to be a Scrooge this holiday season," said Anne Hunt, sustainability coordinator working in the St. Paul mayor's office. "The tree in Rice Park is such a wonderful winter destination."
But Smith, the energy specialist, said those behind St. Paul's tree could be making some better decisions.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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