Living in New York, I sometimes notice that I'm walking on what appears to be a leopard-spotted sidewalk, littered with months' -- years'? -- worth of discarded chewing gum and other tasty treats, melted and turned black by the sun to become near-permanent fixtures, not to mention landmines in hot months.
Should we have maybe taken a hint from this earlier? Greengeek.ca writes that U. of Manchester wiseguys stared at data long enough to tell us this: a small increase in green spaces in cities could go a long way toward making said cities suck less in the summer.
More scientifically, "a mere 10% increase in the amount of green space in cities would reduce average urban surface temperatures by as much as 4°C," or 7° or 8° Fahrenheit.
It's kind of like those fancy jackets with the airholes in the armpits: Green spaces collect water and release it, like so many magicians' doves, back into the air via the, er, magic of evaporation. Then lovely assistants come out and spread the cool air around the audience -- OK, it's not like a jacket, it's like a magic show!
Via GreenGeek
OK...this is pretty much the greenest building that has ever existed. The Aldo Leopold Foundation Headquarters in Fairfield, WI, has just been opened to some hoppin' green reviews. LEED is the organization that certifies buildings as energy efficient, and this center has won its highest award. And while that's been done before, it's never been done with a 100% carbon-neutral building.
If you're in the LA area in the next couple of days, be sure to stop by the
When I say a skyscraper is green, I generally mean that it uses less energy, generates some of its own power, and uses water efficiently. But the 27-story Antilla tower being planned for Mumbai is actually green. Several of the building's exterior walls will be covered in vegetation and the skyscraper itself will contain several parks!
According to the recently released