[caption id="attachment_6461" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Workers begin installing the energy-efficient Santa."]
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I know I make fun of goofy green proposals, but I'm not against all of them. The new-and-improved downtown Santa is a good example:
National City Bank, along with its other sponsors, announced Monday that all 24,717 incandescent light bulbs in the locally famous Santa and reindeer display will be changed to more energy-efficient LED light bulbs.
The new bulbs will require less maintenance, use 90 percent less electricity, create a brighter display and last five times as long as the old bulbs. Best of all, somebody other than taxpayers is picking up the tab. What's not to like?
Of course, we have to admit that this will contribute to saving the Earth only in a symbolic sort of way. If we truly want to link Christmas and climate change, we will have to finally admit the truth that Santa has been part of the problem instead of part of the solution. Instead of galivanting all over the globe delivering toys, making God only knows how big a carbon footprint, he needs to start paying attention to the melting ice and snow all around him at the North Pole. Only then will he be ready to take his rightful place as one of the saviors of the planet.
