0
Alaskan City Goes Green—by Necessity
After avalanche, Juneau is forced to find ways to use less energy
By Neil Turitz
|
Posted May 14, 08 7:11 PM CDT
|
Share
(Newser)
–
An energy conservation effort born out of necessity has turned the residents of Juneau, Alaska, into poster children for the green movement, the New York Times reports. Electricity rates skyrocketed 400% after an avalanche knocked out several major transmission towers last month; the state capital has since lowered its electricity usage by more than 30%, a figure that makes conservationists swoon.
While the city of 31,000 is proud of its cutbacks—conservation efforts include shuttering the public sauna—Juneau's green moment is doing something larger: casting a positive light on a remote locale under what Mayor Bruce Botelho calls "the perennial threat of having the capital relocated." Interest from environmental start-ups could bring an economic boost to this former gold rush town now buoyed by tourism and state government.