Eiffel Tower's lights to go out
Eiffel Tower's lights to go out
The lights on the Eiffel Tower are to go out. As of next month the lights will only run for half the original time in an effort to reduce the tower's environmental impact.
The lights on the
Eiffel Tower were originally installed to celebrate the new millennium, but were kept on due to their popularity with tourists, according to The Telegraph. Since January 1st 2000, the 20,000 bulbs are lit for ten minutes every hour after dusk.
However, starting in October, the company that runs the tower in
Paris, Sete, has decided to halve the amount of time the bulbs are on. This will reduce illumination from 400 to 200 hours per year.
"It's above all a symbolic decision, as the cost savings are not enormous. But, in terms of image, it shows that we are putting
sustainable development into practice," Jean-Bertrand Bros, tourism deputy of the mayor of Paris, told the Journal du Dimanche.
The move forms parts of a plan to make the Eiffel Tower and other
Paris landmarks more
environmentally friendly, writes The Telegraph. Tickets and documents in the tower are made from recycled paper and the management says that all the electricity used comes from renewable sources. Sete is also currently looking into putting solar panels on the roofs of the tower's restaurants.
Paris recently completed a five-year initiative to replace all standard light bulbs with metal iodide bulbs on 125 of its monuments. The new bulbs are five times more energy efficient and last longer than the originals. As a result the city's power bill is just a quarter of what it used to be.
Paris has also introduced a low-cost
bike rental scheme and has increased the number of bus lanes, cut parking spaces and promoted public transport in order to reduce traffic volume by 10 per cent.
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