You’re walking down the street in the baking NY heat. Rivulets of sweat drip from your forehead, the only respite as you slowly melt is an wave of icy air as you pass an open door… does that sound familiar? Well don’t get used to it!
Under a law that took full effect this week, NYC is forcing businesses to stop being so wasteful with their A/C. Businesses could be fined over $250 for keeping their doors or windows open while running their air conditioning.
Many businesses on Times Square have flat-out ignored the warning, with temperatures hitting the 90’s, doors are propped open to entice broiled New Yorkers like the smell of freshly baked bagels.
Is the Law unfair? Do you side with the Tonight Show host, Jimmy Fallon, who accused Bill de Blasio as behaving like “not only our mayor – he’s also our dad.”? If your parents were anything like mine, you were disciplined for having the doors or windows open while the heating was on… “We’re not trying to heat the whole of NYC here!”
Do you think this move is a step in the right direction? Closing doors at 10,000 businesses could cut 3,600 cars’ worth of emissions of carbon dioxide, according to City sustainability officials. Apart from cutting down emissions of greenhouse gasses, the move should also save business owners money on their summer heating bill, as well as lowering their power consumption, another positive move for the planet.
We’ll follow this story as it progresses, but we’d like to know your opinion:
Fines of $250 and over for NYC business' that leave their doors open with the A/C runninghttps://t.co/HD6DdlJ3zW
— Secret NYC (@secret__nyc) July 11, 2016
Featured cover image: [thinkprogress]