Let's become an LED City

I'm a shameless techno-dork. No getting around it. I love gadgets. If it's new, uses less energy, produces less pollution or just does something better, I want it! The environmental field is the place to look for new technology. Alternative fuels, green building materials, high efficiency anything... I'm on board. Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) have been around almost as long as solid-state electronics. There's more than likely one glowing from your computer monitor or blinking on your cell phone. Just like faster microprocessors, LED technology is improving in leaps and bounds. Enough improvement that LEDs have made the jump from consumer electronics to industrial lighting. The US Department of Energy puts out a newsletter (and an RSS feed!) called the EERE Network News. EERE is of course Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. It's a great way for us nerds to keep up on the latest (and coolest) gadgets. Today I learned that Raleigh, North Carolina has an initiative to become an "LED City." "Raleigh, North Carolina, aims to become an "LED City" through a wide deployment over the next 18 months of lights that use light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Raleigh first installed LED lighting in one floor of its municipal building's parking garage in December 2006, and has already quantified a 40 percent energy savings and a great improvement in lighting on that floor." I'm tired of reading how other cities are implementing new technologies. Newer, better, safer, and more efficient. I'm ready to start seeing "Kansas City" in these headlines.