The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was lit up in New York City on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007. This is the 75th annual lighting of the tree. This 84 foot tall Norway spruce tree weighs 8 tons, stands 84 feet tall and is decorated with 30,000 energy-efficient lights. Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg and the Radio City Rockettes helped flip the switch for the tree lights shortly before 9 p.m.
This year’s 60-year-old spruce comes from the Shelton, Conn., backyard of Joseph and Judy Rivnyak. It has been covered with 5 miles of wire and 30,000 multicolored bulbs known as light emitting diodes, or LEDs. Using the new lights is expected to reduce the energy consumption of the holiday display from 3,510 to 1,297 kilowatt hours per day. That daily savings would be equal to the amount of energy used to power a 2,000-square-foot home for a month. The tree’s topper can sparkle even without any lights: The Swarovski star is adorned with 25,000 crystals. It’s almost 10 feet in diameter.
Organizers also are planning to recycle the tree by using it as lumber for Habitat For Humanity projects in New York, the Gulf Coast, India and Brazil.