More than 11,000 traffic lights and "Don't Walk" signals in New York City have been switch

ed to light-emitting diodes that use 90 percent less energy than conventional fixtures. More than 180,000 energy-guzzling refrigerators in public housing projects have been replaced with new ones that use a quarter of the power of the old ones. For years, New York has been the city that not only never sleeps, but the city that hardly ever remembers to turn the lights out. On the coldest days of winter, New Yorkers raise their windows to let out the heat. In the dog days of summer, a husky could freeze in the open doorway of a Fifth Avenue boutique. But now, measures like more efficient traffic lights and refrigerators are speeding up a long trend making New York one of the most energy-efficient cities in the nation--and officials in cities like Portland and Seattle that might, in the public mind, seem more environmentally conscious are taking notice.

Though the savings represent just a portion of the 5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity the entire city uses in a year, the innovation and ease of the efficiency measures have attracted attention. New York's energy diet is based on a simple formula--a blend of local legislation, state assistance and an awareness of the city's own position as an 800-pound gorilla in the energy market. "Eventually what happens here starts to hap-pen around the country," said Ashok Gupta, director of the air and energy program for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "The market that New Yorkers provide is clearly an important factor in moving the rest of the country. That's the way markets work." And that market dynamic helps make New York an energy efficiency laboratory. Environmental groups expend much of their own energy to help shape legislation in New York because they realize that it is an efficient way to kick-start national programs. Manufacturers are also attuned to New York's latest trends and needs because the market is simply too big to ignore.

"What's different here is that we are promoting the idea of energy efficiency, using less energy and not necessarily saying that anyone has to do without," said Eugene W. Zehman, president of the New York Power Authority. "If we use energy more wisely there will be more energy for people to consume and less energy for us to produce." "Counter to what most non-New Yorkers might think, New York is a very progressive city for green building," said Jim Himes, director of the Enterprise Foundation office in New York. The mass transit system, multifamily housing, mixed neighborhoods and the fact that developments never go up on virgin land anymore, all make building in New York very energy-efficient. "It's easier to be green here." Mr. Himes said.

Which one can best describes New York's public image？

A．Environmentally conscious.

B．Energy-efficient.

C．Resource-wasting.

D．Multicultural.