Parkland is going greener.

The city, which already has an incentives program in place for environmentally conscious purchases, will soon introduce a law that makes solar powered lighting mandatory in all shopping centers. The City Commission discussed the proposed law at its meeting last week.

All outdoor lighting installed on commercially zoned property after Jan. 1 next year has to be solar powered. Existing businesses will get ten years, from the date of adoption of the ordinance, to comply. However, all replacement lighting after Jan. 1 has to be totally solar powered.

Vice Mayor Jared Moskowitz, whose idea it was to provide incentives for residents who go green, said the commission was not singling out shopping centers. “We are looking at this in city structures, too," he said. "Lighting at the new fire station and some of the lighting at Pine Trails Park will be solar powered. The signboard at the new fire station will be solar powered as well.”

“San Francisco gives incentives to business to go solar, but we are a much smaller city and can’t do that,” Moskowitz said. “This technology is not cheap. That is why we are allowing a very large window. This will give shopping centers the time to invest in the technology. All outdoor lighting in Parkland should be solar powered by 2018. ”