Philips Lumec has been chosen by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of western North Carolina to light their downtown streetscapes with their environmentally responsible LED lighting solutions. In doing so, they clearly place this town of 14,500 residents, located on the South end of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the vanguard of communities choosing environmentally responsible LED lighting technologies.

True to their long standing Native American tradition of sustainability, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of western North Carolina chose the LifeLED™ by Philips Lumec as the light source for their downtown streetscapes. The LifeLED™ is a highly efficient and award winning LED light engine, invented, designed, and produced by Philips Lumec.

"We're dramatically upgrading both the technology and the overall look of our community", says Damon Lambert, Transportation Planner, Cherokee Department of Transportation. "Most importantly, we're estimating a savings of about $23,000 annually with the LED system. So in spite of some additional front-end cost, the estimated payback is well within the expected life of the system. We felt the investment to be a wise one for now and the future. We considered 250 watt Metal Halide lamps initially, but when we saw the performance of the LED system it quickly became the preferred option."

Working in concert with ProctorHodge Architecture of Cherokee, NC, and Hodge & Associates of Knoxville, TN, to upgrade the community's 40+ year-old existing lighting system, the first three phases of the LED lighting system are to be installed by late summer, 2009.