Urban Heat Islands

Recommended QUEST Resources

• Discuss the "Urban Heat Islands" Radio report

  Discuss the "Urban Heat Islands" Radio report on the QUEST Science Blog.

• Green Building Revolution

  An explosion in green building is underway. Cleverly engineered libraries, office buildings, even public housing projects are popping up across the Bay Area, championed as much by landlords as by environmental groups.

• AB32: California's New Global Warming Law

  Last fall, Governor Schwarzenegger signed a landmark piece of legislation-- the first in the nation-- to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the state. But signing the The Global Warming Solutions Act was the easy part.

• Investing in Clean Tech

  Silicon Valley investors are betting that clean power is the Valley's next boom. With solar and other alternative energy industries evolving into big business, how are the faces of the environmental movement changing?

• Air Conditioning Reinvented

  It's that time of year again. Temperatures are hot, so we're cranking up the air conditioning. That means more electricity from the power grid, more greenhouse gas emissions, more global warming and -- with warmer temperatures -- even more air conditioning! There are a few ways to halt this vicious cycle, one of which starts with a makeover for the machine itself.

Additional Links

• EPA Heat Island Site

  Research what scientists say about the warmer temperatures of cities and its impact on a global scale.

• Heat Island Group

  Learn all about how do heat islands effect energy use and air quality and what effects vegetation and cool pavements have on temperatures in urban areas?

• Sacramento Shade Program

  Since 1990, SMUD, in collaboration with the Sacramento Tree Foundation, has planted more than 350.000 SMUD trees in the Sacramento area.

• CA Energy Commission: Cool Roof Info

  Cool Roofs are roofs consisting of materials that very effectively reflect the sun's energy from the roof surface.

• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Cool Roofing Materials Data Base

  The purpose of this Cool Roofing Materials Database is to assist with the selection of roofing materials which reflect, or otherwise reject, the sun's radiant energy, before it penetrates into the interior of the building.