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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.
March 2009
- It’s Not Easy Turning Co-op Boards Green
(March 22, 2009) – The politics at residential buildings, which are notoriously contentious, have become even more so as environmental issues have entered the fray.
- Researchers: Atlanta’s ‘Heat-Island’ Intensified 2008 Tornado (March 14, 2009) – One year after a tornado tore through Atlanta, researchers at the University of Georgia and Purdue University say the city’s asphalt splendor may have helped create the destructive storm.
- Mayor Gordon Wants Phoenix to be Solar Silicon Valley (March 11, 2009) – Mayor Phil Gordon wants Phoenix to have a carbon-neutral footprint – a plan that includes painting rooftops white to reflect the sun and using canals for green enterprises.
- Plan to Plant Trees (March 4, 2009) – The Texas Tree Foundation presented a plan to the Dallas City Council for planting trees in Dallas to increase the city’s tree canopy.
- Branching Out - Cities are Learning the Many Benefits of Urban Forestry Programs (March 1, 2009) – Many cities are investing in urban forestry programs despite budget constraints.
February 2009
- Trees Atlanta Kendeda Center LEED Platinum (February 26, 2009) – The Trees Atlanta Kendeda Center employs strategies such as a green roof in order to reduce the urban heat island effect.
- Architectural Firm Cuts Power Use Almost In Half With Sustainability (February 22, 2009) – Green strategies such as the installation of a green roof have reduced energy usage for an architecture firm.
- Chicago Promising Greenest Olympics in 2016 Bid (February 22, 2009) – The City of Chicago has implemented various “green” strategies, such as a green roofs program and renewable energy initiatives, and hopes to host the Olympics in 2016.
- Trees Absorb a Fifth of Carbon Emissions Pumped Out by Humans (February 19, 2009) – The journal Nature published a study that found that on average trees are getting bigger and absorbing more CO2, contrary to the theory that mature forests are carbon neutral as a result of the carbon absorbed by new trees being balanced by that released from old trees dying.
- Why Some Cities Are Getting Drier as Skyscrapers Rise (February 17, 2009) – Recent research shows that urban growth may be a factor in creating a drier, or different, regional climate.
- Green Infrastructure Municipal Handbook Grows (February 10, 2009) – EPA is developing the Municipal Handbook to help local officials implement green infrastructure in their communities.
- New City Council Proposal Aims to Grow Green Spaces High Above the City (February 10, 2008) – Building owners who put plants, grass or even white paint on their roof to soak up heat and rainwater could get big tax breaks under a New York City Council proposal.
- Harford County Farmer Sings the Praises of the Green Roof Movement (February 8, 2009) – A local farmer supplies plants that cover nearly 2.5 million square feet of rooftops across the U.S. His projects include green roofs in Baltimore at Loyola College, Morgan State University, the National Aquarium, and various federal buildings in Washington, DC.
- Congress Mulls Green Roof Tax Credit (February 3, 2009) – Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced the Clean Energy Stimulus and Investment Assurance Act of 2009 (S.320) legislation which contains financial incentives for commercial and residential green roof installation.
- One Thousand Trees Helping to Green Super Bowl (February 1, 2009) – 1,000 new trees will take root in urban neighborhoods and wildlife areas throughout the Tampa Bay area as part of the overall “greening” of Super Bowl XLIII.
January 2009
- Green Roof a Part of Airport Wish List (January 31, 2009) – Port Columbus International Airport in Ohio is seeking funding to support the construction of a green roof.
- Road Builders Compete For Slice Of Stimulus (January 30, 2009) – In competing for funding from the economic stimulus package, the concrete industry argues that their material provides benefits such as reduced ambient temperatures.
- DEP Grant Funds Largest Green Roof in the State(January 28, 2009) – Florida's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) awarded a $1.4 million Urban BMP Research and Demonstration grant to Escambia County to assist with the construction of a green roof as well and a pervious pavement parking lot.
- Planting Trees Saves Cash, Research Confirms (January 22, 2009) – Researchers in California have found that planting trees in strategic locations around your house can lower your summertime electricity bill by that much or more.
- Far from Tar: Ecoroofs Take Root in Portland (January 20, 2009) – Green roofs are spreading in Portland, Oregon, in part due to local legislation and incentives which encourage the use of vegetation in urban areas.
- New Bill Will Require Homebuilders to Plant Trees (January 19, 2009) – New legislation may require Nashville's homebuilders to plant one tree for every 30-linear feet of street front in residential areas.
- Rooftop Gardens Start to Grow on Local Residents (January 19, 2009) – Green roof and rooftop garden projects have increased in the Memphis, Tennessee area.
- Chandler to Finish First ‘Green’ Building in October (January 16, 2009) – The City of Chandler, Arizona, will open its new fire administration headquarters in October, which incorporates various green building principles, including cool roofs.
- Is Your Community Planning for Trees? (January 15, 2009) – The American Planning Association has released a report, “Planning the Urban Forest: Ecology, Economy, and Community Development”, the result of a three year study on the impacts and benefits of urban forests.
- Urban Heat Island (January 13, 2009) – A satellite image of the Twin Cities in Minnesota shows the warmer temperatures surrounding the urban areas.
- Cities are Key Culprits in Weather Shifts (January 11, 2009) – Phoenix, the host of American Meteorological Society Annual Conference, provides an example of how urban areas influence local weather.
- Dallas Launches Unique Tree Planting on Skillman Road Medians (January 8, 2009) – Dallas’ Urban Forest Advisory Committee (UFAC) encourages neighborhoods to adopt street medians to plant trees which shade Dallas roadways to combat the urban heat island effect.
- Roof of City Hall May be Covered in Grass (January 7, 2009) – The city hall in Dayton, Ohio, is exploring the installation of a green roof in a stormwater pollution reduction effort.
Older Stories
- White Washed: Could a Coat of Paint Fight Global Warming? (September 10, 2008) – Research from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California shows that the heat savings from having reflective roofs and pavements could offset huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.
- High Temps On Turf Fields Spark Safety Concerns (August 7, 2008) – Recent evidence shows that artificial turf surfaces heat up significantly, raising concerns about health.