Urban Heat Island

The urban heat island effect is a problem that needs to be addressed in metropolitan areas. This heat can drive up air conditioning costs, and it causes respiratory illness and even death among indigent populations. The culprits are many, and include a dearth of trees, which cool the air through shade and evapotranspiration. Another cause is the dark roofing surfaces and black asphalt so common in urban areas.

According to the EPA, the urban heat island effect can raise air temperatures two to 10 degrees compared to the surrounding countryside. While this may be nice during winters, it can be deadly in summer. Hotter cities also get more rainfall: the heat creates more warm fronts to mix with cold fronts and leads to the formation of rain clouds, according to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Both asphalt and tarry roofing materials are derived from petroleum. Once again, the long arm of the fossil fuel industry extends far beyond where we imagine it to. Replacing these materials with natural, agricultural products may lessen our dependence on foreign oil. States are beginning to implement these kinds of regulations and require green roofs to deflect heat away from buildings and back into the atmosphere. Green roofs have the potential to lower outdoor and indoor air temperatures, a double win.

Green Products, LLC has long been fighting the urban heat island effect with green roof systems. For more on these eco-friendly roofing methods, visit the company website at www.GreenProducts.net, or contact a company representative at your earliest convenience. You can them at info@greenproducts.net, call them at (877) 474-7481 or (815) 407-0900, or fax them at (815) 407-0906.