1500 volunteers from the city program CoolRoof recently painted a little less than 100,000 square meters of New York roofing covering 105 buildings white. The goal: to participate in the fight against global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% in the city by 2030. Unlike black tar, white does not absorb heat and by effectively reproducing the effect of the polar ice cap can reduce cooling needs during the summer: by half for a single storey building and 10% for a five-storey building. The skyscrapers of the megalopolis are therefore excluded from the start! To finance the purchase of all this paint (the statement does not indicate that it is 100% natural), large private companies including banks and airlines are lending a hand. Mayor Michael Bloomberg moreover invited all companies to copy this initiative.  Hardly the pet project of the New York mayor, the Obama administration is planning to whiten the roofs of its federal buildings. The white initiative has followers in New Zealand too: the NZ White Roofs Project launched on October 10. Individuals can register for low coast paint and eventually help painting their roofs. Perhaps white roof tax credits will follow?

Source : Happyzine / Terra Eco

Related content : greenhouse gas emissions, New York, roof