White Roofs: So Cool!

If you've spoken with me in the past 24 hours, I have probably talked (or texted, or emailed) your mind out with yesterdays adventures. 

As I ( and everyone else on the East Coast) were melting with that charming 105 degree heat two weeks ago, I was complaining. alot. Our apartment has one air conditioner unit in the living room, a small window unit, which definitely cooled the space down but wrought havoc on my environmental conscious and still did not resolve all of the walking I am required to do on any given day. In my complaining, and cyberloafing, a friend/ my good.is subscription passed along this article: http://www.good.is/post/this-is-why-we-re-hot-sun-absorbing-black-roofs-need-a-coat-of-white-paint. 

So on a whim, I signed up to paint a roof white as part of NYCCoolRoof initiative. and yesterday was the day! I dragged my tired and coffee mugged ( obviously!) self onto the second train headed to the city and began the hour journey to the center of the Bronx. Of course the road was closed when you got off the 4 train so I wandered around the neighborhood eventually making a square ( i.love.grid.systems) and arriving at an awesomely restored building in the middle of a neighborhood that could generally use a bit of TLC. There I joined 15 other volunteers and 4 staff people, and began the roof painting. I'll skip the part where I ran around the neighborhood in search of sun block ( it actually led to a brief staff meeting in the local C-Town grocer) and bought a pair of $1.99 neon yellow sunglasses eerily similar to the pair that were in the pocket of the now stolen rain jacket lost to an evening at a Cuzco Discoteca last summer. 

Here is the photo progression of the day:

New York, like any large urban area, struggles with urban heat bubbles. The problem is especially  acute in neighborhoods with fewer green spaces and trees. Such as this one in the Bronx. 

Painting a roof white is the most cost effective environmental step a landowner can take. It extends the length of the roof, lowers the surface temp by 30 degrees and cools the inside of the building by at least 5 degrees ( if not more!). Simple and Genius. 

 This 13,000 foot beauty is owned by BronxPro, a Bronx development corporation that turns low and moderate housing into oasis of green building. They invest heavily in white roofs, solar panels, and geothermal heating. Simultaneously lowering the financial burden on utilities for their clients and their impact on the earth. 

Our hearty volunteers, a classic case of strangers becoming teammates. And just one more morning which proved why I love people. and NYC ( notice the Manhattan skyline in the distance!) 

For more info on NYCCoolRoofs visit their website :http://www.nyc.gov/html/coolroofs/html/home/home.shtml

and fingers crossed, I believe we have our first 2012 TEDxSetonHall speaker. 

Cheers!

p.s. please forgive me for the pun in the title. I just really could not resist.