“Greening New York is important to everyone. To lower
the carbon footprint, my common-sense bill mandates that air conditioned stores
must keep their doors closed. My office sponsored computer recycling,
distributed reusable shopping bags, and published tips on making our
neighborhood environmentally friendly.”•    During the summer of
2008 the City Council passed a law Gale wrote, to prohibit large commercial
stores from holding their doors open while operating the air conditioner, to
curb this energy-wasting practice. In August 2009, Gale asked the Department of
Consumer Affairs to educate business owners about the law.•    Most
recently, Gale voted to pass a law to support bicycle commuters by requiring
certain commercial buildings to allow employees to take their bicycles into
work.