“An escalator can never break: it can only become stairs. You would never see an Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order sign, just Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience.” - Mitch Hedberg

Did you know there are over 30,000 escalators in this country?  Neither did we, it was just a little tidbit we picked up searching for totally useless wastes of energy.  Now sure, some of you will say that's insensitive and that escalators are necessary accommodations for people with disabilities, health conditions, or injuries, but think about it - do they have to be on all the time?  According to The Next American City, the national energy use of escalators is estimated at 2.6 billion kilowatt hours per year, equivalent to powering 375,000 houses; its cost is roughly $260 million.  The Environmental Reader points out that, "many countries in Europe and Asia have sleeping escalators that only run when somebody approaches them. New York City installed 35 of these “green” escalators in four subway stations last year."

We're all guilty of subscribing to the laziness of escalators - but they're hardly ever something we miss when they're not around.  So why are we talking escalators anyway? Well you see, we were introduced to this amazing video about a group of people in Stockholm who gave people a fun excuse to take the stairs - their motto being, "We believe that the easiest way to change people's behavior for the better is by making it fun to do."  The results aren't necessarily surprising, but it's pretty neat to see nonetheless.  Enjoy. 

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