Why we need more rooftop gardens in a changing climate
As you may know from personal experience, summers tend to be much hotter in the city than in the countryside. This phenomenon is called the “urban heat island” effect. This difference in temperature happens in large part because urbanized areas have a greater concentration of buildings and Read More...
This is how trees make urban areas cooler
You might consider urban areas to be the epitome of cool, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, buildings, cars, pollution, and lack of soil, all contribute to an urban heat island effect, making cities considerably warmer than surrounding rural areas. Luckily, there is a Read More...
Why it’s time to get rid of lawns, the No.1 irrigated “crop” in America
Is there a greater symbol of life in suburban America than the lawn? Probably, but the point is that lawns are incredibly common for households in the U.S. That’s a problem since lawns are awful for the planet. Our addiction to lawns means that grass is the single largest irrigated agricultural Read More...
White paint: the surprisingly simple way to keep cities cool
We don’t need to reinvent the wheel and invent highly-complex gadgets to keep our cities cool in the face of climate change. In fact, a bucket of white paint can already go a long way in helping cities shrug off rising temperatures. White paint limits the amount of light and therefore heat a Read More...