Amid Earth Day celebration and despite a memo from county officials reminding employees to save on energy, the Bronx County Hall of Justice was brightly lit at the wee hours of the morning.

The New York Daily News published photos and ran a story on the brightly lit public building as proof of the apparent lack of environmental consciousness among its occupants and users.

A Bronx resident quoted by the Daily News, said, "It's a big deal in a small sense because taxpayers have to pay for it."

Early this month, the Citywide Administrative Services, which manages 53 city buildings, circulated a memo reminding city employees to switch off the lights as they leave their offices.

John Gallagher, spokesman of the mayor, explained the lights were open because Bronx's 300,000 workers have three shifts. "This city don't work 9 to 5. It is a 24-hour-a-day job... the lights don't go completely dark at City Hall and 1 Police Plaza because committed city employees are working around the clock to serve the people of New York," Gallagher was quoted by the Daily News.

Throughout the rest of the state, electric use per household had significantly increased due to higher dependence of residents on electricity-powered conveniences. In Long Island, according to Kevin Law, the president and chief executive officer of the Long Island Power Authority, power consumption per household increased by almost 20 percent from 1997 to 2006.