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Community Environmental Center joins Queens Library for “Greening Libraries” Project
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Weatherization Funding: Surviving by the Skin of Our Teeth, by Alexis Greene
Friday, December 23rd, 2011

Luck of the Irish – A Winner of the CEC Raffle
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Want to create jobs? Consider an Energy Corps, by Richard Cherry
Friday, December 9th, 2011

Community Environmental Center Installs Solar Thermal System at JCC on Staten Island
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

Community Environmental Center Is LEED Consultant for LEED Gold Dormitory at Queens College
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

The partnership between Green City Force and Community Environmental Center, by Lisbeth Shepherd
Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Helen M. Marshall, President of the Borough of Queens, Proclaims Tuesday, November 1, Community Environmental Center Weatherization Day
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

Community Environmental Center receives Service Merit Award from NYSERDA
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Community Environmental Center to celebrate Weatherization Day November 1
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

Real Cool Roofs

Monday, October 5th, 2009

Mayor Bloomberg gives his remarks, and is looked on by (from left) Richard Cherry, President of CEC, Jack Lund, President of NYC YMCA, Al Gore, former Vice President of the US.

Community Environmental Center (CEC) has joined with the office of New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to lead a dynamic new environmental program.

Called the NYC Cool Roofs Program, this pilot project turns hot roofs cool by coating them with white paint that reflects the sun’s rays. NYC Cool Roofs is part of the Cool Cities Global Initiative, which is organizing 100 of the largest cities in temperate and tropical regions to cool miles of urban rooftops and pavement.

CEC, the largest not-for-profit contractor for New York State’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), is coordinating the project for the city.

Richard M. Cherry, CEC’s founder and president, says, “The Cool Roofs program represents another step in CEC’s commitment to conserving energy and protecting the environment by focusing on New York’s buildings. Cool roofs reduce the impact of global warming.”

Indeed, with its thousands of buildings, the Big Apple is particularly vulnerable to what environmentalists call the urban heat island effect. Tar roofs, asphalt streets and concrete sidewalks radiate heat and make the city 5-to-7 degrees warmer than surrounding suburban and rural areas.

White, reflective roofs help reverse this effect.

A cool roof absorbs 80 percent less heat than a dark one and lowers roof temperatures by as much as 60 degrees. On hot days, cool roofs can cut indoor temperatures by 10-to-20 degrees, reducing the need for air conditioning, trimming electric bills and saving energy.

“In addition to countering the climate crisis,” says CEC’s Richard Cherry, “Cool roofs save tenants money, protect children and the elderly from intense heat, and ensure the durability of the city’s rooftops.”

Former Vice President Al Gore, a long-time advocate of cool roofs, Mayor Bloomberg and other dignitaries joined Mr. Cherry and CEC staff on September 24, 2009, to inaugurate the project on the rooftop of the YMCA’s Long Island City branch.

Equipped with long-handled brushes, dressed casually for the occasion and apparently enjoying the work, the Vice President and the Mayor began to paint the site. APOC, a major manufacturer of cool-roof and recycled coatings, has donated 2,000 gallons of reflective paint for the pilot program.

NYC Cool Roofs is being monitored by Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research together with CEC, and they will report on energy and cost savings for participating buildings.

Once the results of the pilot are reviewed, the city will begin to paint the roofs of city-owned buildings. The Department of Citywide Administrative Services has identified 1 million square feet of roof space that could benefit from reflective coating, including homeless shelters, police precincts, fire stations, sanitation and transportation garages, and office buildings.

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