Islington Tribune - News: Burning issue as green centre lights up night

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Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER
Published: 23 November 2007

Lights blazing late one night after the centre had closed

Burning issue as green centre lights up night

Newly opened environmental education HQ accused of wasting energy

THERE were red faces all round at Islington’s much-heralded new green education centre after it appeared somebody had broken a cardinal environmental rule – and left the lights on all night.
Bemused passers-by saw seven strip lights burning into the early hours at the centre in Upper Street, opened last week by Oliver Heath, of ITV’s Dream Homes fame.
Labour’s environment spokesman Councillor James Murray, who spotted the lights “merrily blazing away” at the centre, said he did not know whether to be angry about the waste of energy or see the funny side.
“The centre has cost council tax-payers thousands of pounds to set up,” he said. “And one of the things staff will tell you is that you must turn your lights off at night to save energy.
“What right have they to tell us what we should do to save the environment when staff at the centre must be burning goodness knows how many kilowatts of power at night for absolutely no reason?”
But Lib Dem executive member for environment Councillor Lucy Watt said the centre, built from recycled materials, is powered by low-energy, motion-activated lights.
She added: “Staff are well aware of the need to turn lights off when leaving – if lights are on it’s because a contractor, cleaner or security guard has just been through.
“The centre’s just opened – we’re still fine-tuning it to make sure we further reduce the light intensity in the evenings when the only people in the centre should be contractors and security.”
At the centre opening, Lib Dem council leader Councillor James Kempton announced the first of seven grants from Islington’s £3 million Climate Change Fund, part of a campaign to reduce carbon emissions in the borough by 55,000 tonnes by 2010.
As one of the displays at the centre shows, if every resident in Islington turned down their home heating by 1°C, the borough’s carbon emissions would drop by more than 20,000 tonnes a year – bringing an annual saving of up to £39 per house.

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