Garden State Plaza goes green
A view of Garden State Plaza, courtesy of malls-info.com.
The state’s largest mall is requiring the recycling of cardboard, “harvesting” daylight and using cool roofing to lessen its environmental impact.
Another mall, Paramus Park, plans to cut its electrical usage 10 percent by July 1 and increase its recycling tonnage by 50 percent.
The managers of the two malls spoke about these plans at an event last week — a panel organized by Teri Duda of the Paramus Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the New Jersey Conference of Mayors.
From the Record:
Duda said she was impressed to see that the malls have made a true commitment to reducing their environmental impact.
“They were not just giving it lip service,” Duda said. “They’re doing things and they intend to move forward.”
One afternoon last year, all the malls in Westfield dimmed their lights for 30 minutes “to demonstrate their commitment to energy conservation,” according to the Record. A marketing director in the Record’s story said the stunt saved 4,500 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, and a similar demonstration is planned this year.
If dim lights don’t deter shopping, perhaps the malls (and others) should use the mood lighting every day.
Leave a Comment