Newsroom

Welcome to EPA's Urban Heat Island Newsroom. The Newsroom provides current news and links to news releases related to urban heat island impacts, mitigation strategies, and community initiatives. To help keep you up to date, you may also wish to sign up for EPA's Urban Heat Island Listserv. Older stories can be found in the Newsroom Archive.

August

Gray Infrastructure Not Living Up to Green Label (August 31, 2009) – Review suggests that energy efficiency is a better target than energy technology.
Global Warming = Heat Waves, Crop Damage...and Toxic Corn Syrup? (August 26, 2009) – Three new studies all link increasing temperature to serious problems for the U.S.
Rehoboth applies for heat island grant (August 16, 2009) – Rehoboth Beach officials are seeking a federal grant to improve tree and shade cover.
High-tech roofs (August 14, 2009) – ‘Cool roof’ materials make sense in Las Vegas.
Do cities deflect rain storms? (August 10, 2009) – Recent research suggests that dense, urban building might enhance rain just outside cities.
Plantings, not shingles, gaining favor as cover for houses (August 9, 2009) – Although green roofs are most common on businesses, homeowners are starting to take notice.
Greensboro City Council Debates the Value of Trees (August 9, 2009) – The City Council is debating a requirement that new homes come with one tree each.
D.C. is Giving Green to go Green - on Your Roof (August 5, 2009) – The District is giving out more money to homeowners and businesses who install a green roof.
Habitat for Humanity, Home Depot Foundation Expand Sustainable Living Program (August 5, 2009) – This green building program will provide funding and resources to help participants build homes that meet either Energy Star or a nationally recognized green building standard.
Stop the Clock on Global Warming (August 3, 2009) – The Emerald Cities Project is a green initiative aimed at introducing cool pavement products to mitigate the urban heat island effect of the cities.
Turning roofs into gardens is a flourishing business (August 1, 2009) – The green roof industry in the U.S. grew by 35 percent in 2008, according to Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.

July 2009

London ‘needs two million trees’ (July 30, 2009) – An extra two million trees should be planted in London to combat rising temperatures, Mayor Boris Johnson’s environment plan has suggested.
White Roofs Catch on as Energy Cost Cutters (July 30, 2009) – A white roof can cost as little as 15 percent more than its dark counterpart, depending on the materials used, while slashing electricity bills.
USPS Unveils NYC’s Biggest Green Roof (July 27, 2009) – Aimed at saving energy and reducing pollution runoff, the U.S. Postal Service has unveiled its first and New York City’s largest green roof.
Look, Up in the Sky: Green Roofs (July 27, 2009) – Baltimore is emerging as one of the nation’s greener roofed cities, with approximately 150,000 square feet added last year.
Paint the Town White (July 17, 2009) – Replacing dark roofing and pavement with lighter, more reflective materials could reduce temperatures in cities and offset significant quantities of carbon dioxide emissions.
Reflective Roof Paint Repels the Heat (July 15, 2009) – Hyperseal paints can reduce the costs and energy needed for cooling by lowering the amount of heat a building absorbs from the sun.

White Roofs to Fight Global Warming (July 13, 2009) – U.S. energy secretary Chu backs a novel idea: to whitewash roofs and highways.
Green Governing (July 12, 2009) – A new San Diego City Hall could be a beacon for how ecology and economic development can interact.
Using Green Roof Technology to Mitigate D.C. Heat Island Effect (July 11, 2009) – One method to mitigate the heat island effect is to construct green roofs, or a vegetative layer on the roof of a building.
Sprout it from the Rooftops, Green’s on the Scene (July 7, 2009) – The traditional asphalt, slate and tar on rooftops is beginning to give way to green roofs - a trend spurring a proposed “green roof” state tax credit.

June 2009

Chicago’s Sears Tower to Receive “Green” Retrofit (June 30, 2009) – This project will result in unparalleled energy savings and reduced carbon dioxide emissions to the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
A Growing Trend: Green Roofs (June 28, 2009) – Composed of living plants and earth, green roofs are gradually showing up in the United States, years after first being used in Europe and Asia.
Minneapolis Taking the Lead in the Green Revolution (June 27, 2009) – One City Council member says it’s important for government to lead by example when urging others to go green.
Perlmutter Re-Introduces Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods (GREEN) Act for Affordable Mortgages (June 26, 2009) – U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) re-introduced his GREEN Act in the House of Representatives, which includes a key financing provision by Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT).
American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (June 26, 2009) – The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, H.R. 2454, contains two key urban forestry provisions, including Rep. Doris Matsui’s Energy Conservation through Trees Act and Rep. Ed Perlmutter’s GREEN Act.
Sears Tower Unveils Sustainable Plan to Transform Tallest Building in Western Hemisphere (June 24, 2009) – The project will result in unparalleled energy savings and reduced CO2 emissions to the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, reducing the base building electricity use by up to 80 percent, which includes a combination of energy savings and co-generation.
Group Greens Pittsburgh’s Concrete Jungles, First to Use New Tree Technology (June 24, 2009) – Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest Friends is working with TreeVitalize, a statewide public-private partnership, in an effort to plant one million trees in Pittsburg by 2012.
Rooftop Gardeners Harvest Hefty Tax Breaks (June 23, 2009) – The green roof movement is gaining momentum around the country as more lawmakers are enlightened about the energy-saving benefits of establishing gardens on the roofs of city buildings.
TCU Grads Turn to Native Grasses for Business (June 22, 2009) – Two Texas Christian University graduates have developed green roof technologies that work well in Texas’ dry climate.
Cool Roofs are Hot (June 18, 2009) – A cool roofing system, called fluid-applied reinforced acrylic, is sprayed on like paint and is considered easy to repair.
Bethany Blues Goes Green with New Roof Garden (June 18, 2009) – This Delaware restaurant is installing a green roof to cut down on energy costs and reduce their carbon footprint, as well as prolong the lifespan of the roof.
State in ‘Bull’s-Eye’ for Change (June 17, 2009) – A new report released by the White House concludes that the Southwest, especially Arizona, is going to be hit hard by climate change.

May 2009

Shade-Tree Mechanics (May 30, 2009) – The “Sacramento Shade” project has planted nearly a half-million trees in the greater Sacramento area. It is estimated that the net savings in energy alone top $128 million since the program began in 1990.
Energy Chief Steven Chu Joins Phoenix Mayor’s Push for White Roofs (May 27, 2009) – Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu are on the same page when it comes to reducing urban heat islands and energy consumption.
Obama’s Climate Guru: Paint Your Roof White! (May 27, 2009) – Steven Chu, U.S. Secretary of Energy, has encouraged making roofs and pavements white or light-colored to help reduce global warming by both conserving energy and reflecting sunlight back into space.
Toronto Adopts “Green Roof” Requirements (May 27, 2009) – Toronto’s city council passed a new bylaw setting minimum “green roof” requirements on all classes of new buildings.
Looking at Europe’s Green Ways (May 24, 2009) – U.S. leaders are looking abroad for guidance in developing green building and energy saving techniques such as green roofs.
Greening Baseball (May 22, 2009) – Various Major League Baseball stadiums are taking steps to reduce energy consumption, extend recycling efforts, and take the first steps into renewable energy.
U.S. Green Roof Industry Grows By 35 Percent in 2008 (May 20, 2009) – Green Roofs for Healthy Cities conducted a survey of green roofs projects which indicates a U.S. growth rate of more than 35 percent over 2007, representing more than 3.1 million square feet installed in 2008.
Council to Consider New Tree Rules (May 14, 2009) – The Austin City Council is considering proposed rules that would require tree plantings and preservation.
Perlmutter Re-Introduces Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods (GREEN) Act for Affordable Mortgages (May 14, 2009) – The GREEN Act promotes energy efficiency in homes through building improvements and incentives.
Cities to Sizzle as Islands of Heat (May 10, 2009) – London and other cities could see summer temperatures rise to more than 10°C above those in the surrounding countryside, according to research being used to help devise the first official climate change map of Britain.
Alliant Energy Provides $2,450 for Arnolds Park Planting Project (May 8, 2009) – Branching Out is a program which provides grants for community-based, tree-planting projects- like parks, gateways, cemeteries, nature trails, libraries, schools, and more.
Green Cities Report Assesses How Key Cities in America are Combating Climate Change (May 7, 2009) – This report is an assessment of how 40 of the country’s largest cities are trying to limit their carbon footprints.
Tree-Killing Hurricanes Could Contribute To Global Warming (May 1, 2009) – A study of hurricane impact on U.S. trees shows that hurricane damage can diminish a forest’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming, from the atmosphere.

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