The 76 year old traditional Rockefeller Center Christmas tree goes greener. The Norway Spruce shared the center stage this year, not just with singing sensations, but with the energy saving environment in which it’s displayed. The majestic, 84-foot tree is festooned with over 30,000 energy-efficient LED lights, powered by “a ground breaking permanent array of photovoltaic panels” installed on the roof of 45 Rockefeller Center. (After the holidays, the panels will continue to help power the center.) The tree is topped by a 9.5-foot, 550-pound Swarovski Star with more then 25,000 crystals and 1 million facets — the largest ever for a Rock Center tree.
The first Christmas tree erected at Rockefeller Center happened in 1931, and since then the tree taking the centre stage has gone through many changes and a different outlook. This time the concept was green probably cuz the environment movement in business is generating steam. Green is now a marketing strategy. Solar power is among the renewable energy technologies that play a key role in ecomagination. Every little bit of energy savings does help. The use of LEDs lighting instead of incandescent bulbs will reduce the electricity consumption for a daily savings of energy equal to the electricity consumed by a typical 2,000-square-foot house for a month.
Rockefeller Center christmas tree Picture Gallery
© 2007 The Associated Press
