Conventional street lights collectively emit more than 100 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. The city of Las Vegas, a leader in municipal sustainability, has contracted with EnGoPlanet, a New York City clean tech startup, to install the world’s first Smart Street Lights powered by pedestrians’ footsteps via kinetic energy pads and solar energy. When someone steps on a kinetic tile, energy is created and goes directly to a battery.

Petar Mirovic, CEO of EnGoPlanet, says, “Clean and free energy is all around us. Urban cities have to build the smart infrastructures of tomorrow that will be able to harvest all of that energy. This project is a small but important step in that direction.”

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman says, “Through our LEED-certified buildings, solar projects, water reclamation, alternativefueled vehicles and sustainable streetlights, Las Vegas continues to lead the way.”

The company also cites Smart Street Light projects in Chicago, Detroit, Auburn Hills (Michigan), Asbury Park (New Jersey) and at stadiums such as the MercedesBenz Superdome, in New Orleans.

View an illustrative video at Tinyurl.com/SmartStreetLights.

This article appears in the November 2017 issue of Natural Awakenings.