As Mayor Bob Cashell changed the last bulb of the Reno Arch, he told the crowd of 200 standing by "I think these things are brighter!" While the arch may be shining a bit brighter, it is undeniably greener with the recent switch to 2,076 LED light bulbs.

The ceremonial changing of the arch's bulbs was intended to publicize the Reno's program to spend up to $20 million on renewable energy and conservation projects over the next two years, reports the Associated Press. The arch is a good start on this goal as the LED lights will use 75 percent less energy than the former bulbs.

Reno's environmental service administrator, Jason Geddes, sees another advantage to the LED bulbs. "They're rock solid," he told the Reno Gazette Journal. "We lost a lot of the old bulbs in windstorms. They jiggled."

Considering the Reno Arch is often considered the landmark of the city, the sturdiness of the LED bulbs will hopefully do residents proud. It will also make this monument an important testament to their commitment to go green.

"If anything should be green, it should be this!" David VonSeggern, chairman of the Great Basin Sierra Club, told the journal.

Several other major cities are following suit and using LED lights on landmarks to promote energy conservation; one particularly shining example of LED use is this year's Rockefeller Center tree display in NYC which will feature more than 30,000 LED lights for visitors from around the globe.