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Photo by sun dazed via Flickr
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa came out to the Western Bagel in Van Nuys today, touting the success of the LADWP's Small Business Direct Install Program, which assists such businesses in conserving energy, therefore saving money on bills.
Western Bagel has saved $40,000 a year, according to the Mayor's office, after lighting equipment was replaced by DWP at no cost. (on a personal note, I found major savings by replacing a handful of lightbulbs in my apartment, cutting my DWP bill by 40 percent)
"We are here at Western Bagel today because our work starts at small business like this that strive to conserve energy and be more efficient," Mayor Villaraigosa said. "If all Angelenos - homeowners and business owners alike - follow their example and participate in energy saving and conservation programs, they will help keep Los Angeles on target to become the greenest big city in America."
The program, which has served 34.619 businesses so far, employs 200 people who give free lighting assessments, free upgrades up to $2,500 and free installation.
After the press conference this morning, Villaraigosa had a bagel and tweeted that he ate a sprouted wheat bagel.
