Earlier this year, crews took down a lighting system that had been in the branches of the mission's trees for 30 years and replaced it with strings of light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. These new lights use only a fraction of the energy consumed by the old system, and switching from incandescent to LEDs will also provide a great savings in maintenance, according to Rick Cole, the former Ventura city manager who now is the mission's administrator.
The mission leaves its light strings up all year, and in the past many of the bulbs would burn out, so it required an enormous volunteer commitment to replace the burned-out bulbs. A typical incandescent bulb lasts 1,000 to 2,000 hours.
In contrast, manufacturers of LEDs typically claim their lights will last 25,000 to 50,000 hours. Moreover, LEDs just fade when they get old. The lifetime estimates refer to the time when light emitted by the LED diminishes to just 70 percent of its original brightness. Lights are still functional past that point.
The mission also plans to use the lights on other occasions (in a green pattern for St. Patrick's Day, red for Valentine's Day and pastel for Easter), but even if the diodes are used 500 hours per year, the lights are likely to last 100 years. A high-quality LED Christmas light will almost certainly outlive the person hanging it on a tree.
The mission's old lights will not go to waste. Old bulbs, each about the size of an egg, are being sold in the mission's gift shop. For $10, customers can buy a package of three colored bulbs, according to Dana Hanson, business manager of the San Buenaventura Mission. The old bulbs will not fit in your home lighting system, but they make fine ornaments and keepsakes.
The mission's trees also set a green example in other ways. People may debate whether a long-lasting, small, artificial tree or a fresh-cut Douglas fir from a well-managed tree farm is a superior option for the environment, but there is no question a living tree, planted in the ground, provides real environmental advantages.
Tree shade reduces the need for air conditioning, and living trees absorb carbon and emit oxygen. In addition to making downtown more attractive, the mission trees filter particulates and other pollution from the air.
If you are thinking about buying a full-size tree and planting it in your yard after Christmas, keep in mind the example of last year's National Christmas Tree. Determined to do the right thing for the environment, White House staff planted the tree, but it died in the spring. Mature trees are harder to transplant than younger trees, which can be moved with more of their roots intact.
Undaunted, the White House this year ordered a 28-foot-tall blue spruce. It was moved to Washington and planted on the White House Ellipse. Then Hurricane Sandy struck.SQ Series Metal automobileledlamps is the accessory machine for expanded metal shearing machine. Fortunately, by the time wind and rain battered Washington, the weather pattern had been downgraded to a "superstorm," and the tree survived.
As in past years,Furthermore, with the continuous quality improvement of solarledbulbsxc. the most popular local Christmas trees will be cut trees brought from farms in the Pacific Northwest.Consider a new desk lamp, crystallightpp, floor lamp or partition lamp. According to a recent article in The Star, a Ventura County Christmas tree is most likely to come from one of the 65,000 acres of tree farms in Oregon or 23,000 acres in Washington, which grow nearly half the 19.5 million Christmas trees harvested nationwide annually.Eastern Laser is the premier laser machine manufacturer that offers innovative carledbulb11, laser engraving machine and laser marking machine.
To keep an eye on the environment, recycle your tree in your yard-waste cart or at a drop-off site after Christmas. Do not flock your tree with artificial snow, and make sure the stand,Older models included ledbrightww that were not fluorescent or LED. tinsel and decorations are all removed. Next year you can look into the possibility for a live tree and LED lights.
