Cool Grey Beats Hot Pavement

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Pam Lazos

We Are The World Blogfest

So hey, hi, and hello.  Ready for some positivity?  Then come along to this month’s installment of #WATWB.  The rules are simple:

Keep the post to below 500 words.  Link to a human news story that shows love, humanity, and brotherhood, and paste it in an excerpt. No story is too big or small, as long as it Goes Beyond religion and politics, into the core of humanity.

My story, as are many of my stories, is a little bit eco because what could be better than showing Mama some love?

Cool Pavement

California is completely ahead of the curve when it comes to trying out new cool ways to help the environment.  During the summer, temps can easily get into the mid-triple digits down in SoCal, not only making it hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement, but increasing ambient air temperatures, warming up the nearby buildings and contributing to degrading air quality. In an age where climate is on everyone’s mind and a change of a few degrees can mean more severe drought conditions and food insecurity for some, this low-tech fix might be just what some LA neighborhoods need.  Read more here.  Grey is the new black.  Just sayin’.

Here is the link for the #WATWB FB page.  Like the page; invite your friends to join; spread the word; cause it’s cool to be positive.  Hashtag is #WATWB so look for us on Twitter.

And while you’re at it, leave your link here to join if you want to add to the magic and spread the positive word!

Thanks to our awesome hosts this month:  Emerald Barnes; Eric Lahti; Inderpreet Uppal; Lynn Hallbrooks; Peter Nena; Rosha Radhakrishnan.   Why not go visit and show them some sugar. :0)  Until next month, #WATWB.

pjlazos 5.26.17

About Pam Lazos

writer, blogger, environmentally hopeful
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26 Responses to Cool Grey Beats Hot Pavement

  1. simonfalk28 says:
    June 12, 2017 at 1:03 pm

    What a really cool and simple way to tone down the temp, Pam. Let’s hope it spreads. Thanks for adding another shade of colour to our day Simon’s Still Stanza #WATWB

    Like

    Reply
  2. Inderpreet says:
    June 9, 2017 at 10:28 am

    Such a good idea! We need such cool roads in India as well! The summers are equally hot and humid as well in many cities.
    Thank you so much! Team #WATWB
    *Inderpreet/EloquentArticulation*

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. Emily Bloomquist says:
    June 1, 2017 at 7:51 pm

    What a great idea! I have always been impressed with the ideas for energy conservation from California. Thanks for sharing this great story PJ.
    Emily | My Life In Ecuador | #WATWB Clean Drinking Water

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Michelle Wallace (@mishy1727) says:
    May 27, 2017 at 8:23 am

    Hello PJ!
    We really do need to look after our environment and show Mother Earth more love and respect.
    Grey is the new black – love it! 🙂
    Writer In Transit

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. K.L. Allendoerfer says:
    May 26, 2017 at 5:57 pm

    I was going to mention solar freakin’ roadways, but you beat me to it!

    I hadn’t realized until recently how big the urban heat effect was. I reviewed a book last year called “Walden Warming” that was about the area around Walden Pond (i.e. Concord MA) getting significantly warmer. They could see effects of the warming on the local flora and fauna by comparing modern observations with Thoreau’s journals, which I thought was incredibly cool. I thought, before reading the book, that most of the warming in Concord was due to global warming, but it is actually only a local urban island effect for the most part. Most roads in Concord, and in all of MA, I think, are still dark black asphalt. I wonder how well this coating would stand up to the MA snows!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. Ally Bean says:
    May 26, 2017 at 4:20 pm

    What a cool idea. [Pun intended.] Hope it inspires other cities to do the same thing. Great story.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  7. Deborah Weber says:
    May 26, 2017 at 2:11 pm

    Great story. How exciting a simple innovation like changing color can make such a significant difference.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. Peter Nena says:
    May 26, 2017 at 9:37 am

    Hello, P.J. Thank you for the story and thank you again for participating in the #WATWB. I appreciate the link. I have seen the tremendous effort being applied there for the benefit of the world. Thanks.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  9. hilarymb says:
    May 26, 2017 at 6:55 am

    Hi PJ – interesting about “just a colour change” can help lower the temperature – fascinating to read about. Can quite believe lighter grey is new black for pavements and roads … it’s great we have people who will experiment and bring new ideas to us … mother earth deserves our protection … cheers Hilary
    http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/we-are-world-in-darkness-be-light-3.html

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  10. gregoryjosephs says:
    May 26, 2017 at 5:07 am

    What a ‘cool’ idea! It really is amazing how much the color of the pavement can contribute to the temperature. I’d love to see what would happen if more cities gave this a try.

    On a separate note, what do you think about getting rid of asphalt altogether and paving our streets with concrete? Not only would the road surfaces stay cooler, but it’s a lot less maintenance.

    Finally, I’m going to check out #WATWB. It sounds right up my alley. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • pjlazos says:
      May 26, 2017 at 11:24 am

      I don’t know about concrete, Greg. I thought it didn’t hold up as well with freezing and thawing. Have your heard about this campaign called “Solar Freaking Roadways”? Check it out. I think that something staying cool in the summer and warm in the winter is what we need. Smart roads!
      Glad that you are joining our ranks. Welcome aboard!😘

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  11. Lynn Hallbrooks says:
    May 26, 2017 at 2:34 am

    I hope this inspires others to “show Mama some love” Mother Earth that is. Thanks so much for sharing about this and for being a part of the #WATWB team.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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