Mitigating the Heat Island Effect: A Focus on Energy Conservation and Trees

1. Mitigating the Heat Island Effect: A Focus on Energy Conservation and Trees National Area Association of State Foresters (NAAFS) Annual Meeting Gettysburg, Pennsylvania May 12, 2010 Neelam R. Patel, EPA Heat Island Program Manager

2. Outline • Heat Island Overview and Mitigation Strategies • U.S. EPA Heat Island Reduction Program and Resources • Activities for Local Implementation • Voluntary Efforts • Policy Efforts • Opportunities to Consider • Federal Activity • Executive • Congress • Federal Funding Opportunities • Messaging

3. Definition • Micro-scale temperature differences between urban and rural areas • Urban areas can be 9 – 27 º F higher than rural areas

4. Formation • Formation of Urban Heat Islands • Reduced vegetation • Materials used to build urban infrastructure • Urban geometry

5. Energy and Air Quality Impacts • Impacts • Increased energy use • 5 – 10 % of electricity demand is to cool heat islands effects • Longer peak periods; pressure on E grid; brownouts, blackouts • Air quality and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions • Increased GHG emissions • Increased air pollution • Ozone formation

6. More Impacts • Impacts cont’d • Water Quality • Warmer water runoff = ecological shock in waterways • Increased water runoff = more pollutants in waterways • Human Health • Respiratory difficulties • Heat cramps • Heat exhaustion • Non-fatal heat stroke/sun stroke • Heat related mortality

7. Mitigation Strategies • Communities can take action to reduce urban heat islands using four main strategies. • Trees and Vegetation • Green Roofs • Cool Roofs • Cool Pavements

8. Mitigation Strategy: Trees and Vegetation • Most U.S. communities have opportunities to increase the use of trees and vegetation in their land cover to reap multiple benefits. • Strategically planting trees maximizes energy savings and reduce GHG emissions (among other things). • Buildings • Parking lots • Streets

9. Mitigation Strategy: Green Roofs • Decrease heat island impacts by shading roof surfaces and through evapotranspiration • Can save energy both in the summer and winter; energy savings depend on local conditions and building circumstances • Can be installed on a wide range of buildings, from industrial facilities to private residences • Green Roof Types • Extensive - 2-inch covering • of hardy groundcover • Intensive - complex as a fully • accessible park complete with trees

10. Mitigation Strategy: Cool Roofs • Cool roofing products are made of highly reflective and emissive materials that can remain approximately 50 to 60°F (28-33°C) cooler than traditional materials during peak summer weather. • Cool Roof Types • Low-sloped roofs • Coatings • Single ply membrane • Steep-sloped roofs • Asphalt shingles • Metal roofing • Tiles • Shakes

11. Mitigation Strategy: Cool Pavements • Materials range from established to emerging technologies • Tend to store less heat and have lower surface temperatures compared with conventional products • Do not have standards or an official definition like cool roofs • EPA Pavement Activities: • Hosted Cool Pavements workshop • in 2005, helped identify future • research areas • Created the Transportation Research • Board Subcommittee Meeting: Pavements • and the Urban Climate, encourages further • pavement research

12. U.S. EPA Heat Island Reduction Program and Resources

13. EPA Heat Island Reduction Program • Program Objective • Communicate policy, programmatic developments, and scientific, technological advancements to heat island community • Program Community • Policymakers, program designers and program implementers • Researchers/academia • Industry, developers of new technology • General public (e.g., Community advocates, K-12 students and teachers, coaches) • Media

14. Key Program Features • Website, recently re-launched website, new features include user-friendly format, updated content, calendar of events, heat island in the news, featured webcast, updated database • Database, “Where You Live” • Provides info on more than 75 local and statewide initiatives to reduce heat islands and achieve related benefits(more on upcoming slide) • Compendium of Strategies: Reducing Urban Heat Islands • Document describes the causes and impacts of summertime urban heat islands and promotes strategies for lowering temperatures(more on upcoming slide) • Webcasts, www.epa.gov/heatislands/resources/webcasts.htm • Quarterly online meetings for our diverse program audience spotlighting local/regional urban heat island programs, new scientific findings, and upcoming meetings • Listserve, email EPA_heatisland_subscribe@icfi.com • Disseminates info to heat island community, e.g., funding opportunities, conference call for papers, webcasts, and more

15. Database • Actions listed in the database are some efforts underway to cool communities while saving energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality • Each entry in the database includes a description of the activity, its current status, and a link to a website (if available) for more information. • The database can be searched by: • Clicking on U.S. map (diagram on right) • State and locality • Initiative Type • Strategy • If you are aware of heat island initiatives, please submit through our website. http://yosemite.epa.gov/gw/statepolicyactions.nsf/webpages/HIRI_Initiatives.html

16. Compendium Reducing Urban Heat Islands: Compendium of Strategies • Provides an overview of latest science, mitigation strategies, case studies, and recommendations for additional resources • Chapters • Heat Island Basics • Trees and Vegetation • Green Roofs • Cool Roofs • Cool Pavements • Heat Island Reduction Activities www.epa.gov/heatislands/resources/compendium.htm

17. Webcasts • EPA holds free, national, routine heat island webcasts. • Stakeholders from around the country inform each other of their urban heat island-related work. • Scientists, practitioners, industry representatives, and government officials and staff all participate. • Webcasts cover topics such as: • Measuring and Modeling Urban Heat Islands • Heat Island Impacts (e.g., air, water quality) • Mitigation (e.g., strategies, technologies, activities) • Upcoming Webcast: Green Roofs http://www.epa.gov/heatisland/resources/webcasts.htm

18. Heat Island Connections with other Programs • Part of climate, energy, sustainability, air quality, water, adaptation, land use planning or building efforts • Fold heat island messages into other programs to promote multiple benefits of mitigation strategies • Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Programs • Landscape and Construction Materials • Smart Growth and Land Use, www.epa.gov/hiri/resources/pdf/smartgrowthheatislands.pdf • Brownfields Redevelopment • Green Building activities • Economic Development activities (e.g., green jobs, increased real estate values) • Public Health programs and Emergency Response Plans • Link to climate adaptation issues • Promote mitigation strategies to address heat health, energy conservation, and climate mitigation for local, regional and state programs • Use mitigation strategies to support actions for extreme weather (high rainfall, heat)

19. Heat Island Mitigation – Scales for Implementation • Individual building • Roofs (green and reflective) • Vegetation (shade trees and more) • Community/Neighborhood • Street design (e.g., tree lined, vegetation, pavements) • Open vegetated land use (e.g., parks, green spaces) • City/Regional • All mitigation strategies (e.g., pavements, trees, vegetation, roofing) • Integrate into land use plans, selection of materials

20. Heat Island Reduction Activities for Local Implementation

21. Implementation at the Local Level Activities Part of climate, energy, sustainability, air quality, water, or adaptation efforts • Voluntary Efforts • Policy Efforts

22. Implementation through Voluntary Efforts • Demonstration Projects • Incentive Programs • Urban Forestry and Community Tree Planting Programs • Weatherization • Outreach and Education • Awards

23. Voluntary - Demonstration Projects • Local governments, universities, other organizations • Demonstrate mitigation strategy, quantify benefits in controlled environment • Most effective when • Target high visibility projects • Measure benefits • Convey lessons learned

24. Voluntary - Incentives • Effective way to spur individual actions • From governments, utilities, other organizations • Below-market loans, tax breaks, product rebates, grants, and giveaways Note: Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) provides info on incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency. www.dsireusa.org

25. Voluntary – IncentiveProject Example Baltimore County’s Growing Home Campaign • Provided $10 coupon towards purchase of trees ($5 public funds, $5 retail funds) • County received information on what types of trees were planted and where they were planted • Increased tree canopy as part of Forest Conservation and Sustainability Plan • 1700 trees were planted in first two months

26. Voluntary – Outreach and Education Programs • Important component of any type of program • Can target general public, school children, government officials, private corporations, and more • Make messages simple and easy to understand • Include results achieved from the project

27. Voluntary – Education and Outreach Example TreeUtah • Launched a comprehensive initiative including • Advertisement • Workshops • Promotes proper planting techniques and maintenance to reduce energy (heating and cooling) costs and diminish the heat island effect

28. Implementation through Policy Efforts • Procurement • Resolutions • Tree and Landscape Ordinances • Comprehensive Plans and Design Guidelines • Zoning Codes • Green Building Programs and Standards • Building Codes • Air Quality Requirements

29. Policy - Resolutions • Document stating a group’s awareness of and interest in effort • Generally issued by city or county council, air quality board, planning commissions • First step in starting initiative, not always funded

30. Policy – Resolution Example Austin City Council adopted heat island mitigation resolution • Committed city managers to review recommendation for heat island reduction activities • Council awarded $1M toward implementation • Activities included increasing enforcement of city’s tree saving ordinance

31. Policy - Ordinances • Legal basis for action in local government • Should be defensible and comprehensive if challenged through court system • Describe economic benefits and include multiple purposes within ordinance • Must comply with State tree protection laws

32. Policy – Ordinance Example Baton Rouge Landscape Ordinance 12692 • Strengthened existing ordinance • Requires tree planting on all new developments excluding single-family residences • Two shade trees for every 5,000 sq ft • One shade tree per 600 sq ft of street frontage • And more

33. Opportunities to Consider

34. Opportunities and Strategies to Consider • Work with utilities • Sacramento County Municipal Utility • State of Iowa Renewable Portfolio Standard • Develop tools to maximize strategic siting of trees • Texas Tree Foundation • Developed tool with public and private partners • Includes energy conservation and other benefits

35. Federal Activities

36. Executive Branch Activities • DOT EPA HUD Sustainable Communities Partnership • Agreement signed in June 2009 • Operates based on six key principles • Increased coordination at Federal level on issues related to transportation options, affordable housing and land use approaches White House Conference on Great Outdoors • Held on April 16, 2010 • Green Infrastructure was a key topic

37. Congressional Activity • Green Communities Act (H.R. 2222 and S. 3055) • Based on the finding that cities are looking for new effective, low cost strategies to grow their economies • Poised as an economic development bill • Creates a new program through the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration • Encourages public-private partnership by contracting five non-profits organizations to work with 80 municipalities

38. Federal Funding Opportunities Learn about these opportunities through State and Local Climate and Energy Listserv

39. American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) 2009 - $787 B • Recovery Act • One-time, unprecedented level of spending • Transparency & accountability Strategic Energy • Invest funds to stimulate economy now and meet long-term energy goals • Create comprehensive energy programs/strategies with aggressive goals and benchmarks of current performance • Develop programs and projects that will persist beyond grant period • Leverage funds with public and private sources • Coordinate across regions, states and local jurisdictions

40. ARRA 2009 Funding (DOE) • DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office received $16.8 B • Weatherization $5.0B • State Energy Program $3.1B • EECBG Program Formula $2.8B • EECBG Competitive $400M • Appliance Rebate Program $300M

41. Climate Showcase Communities Grant (EPA) Funded through Appropriations Bill Grant for local and tribal governments Goal: showcase documentable, replicable GHG reductions that build community capacity and address multiple benefits Funding for planning and implementation for climate mitigation First 20 Showcase Communities announced Feb 25th Round 2 funding expected to open in early summer 2010 $10 million for 20-30 projects http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/local/showcase

42. Sustainable Communities Planning Grant Program – (HUD) $100 million will be available, solicitation opening in spring 2010 Open to regional planning entities (e.g., MPOs, and COGs) Register in grants.gov now Will focus on helping communities integrate housing and transportation decisions into overall sustainability planning. Full description of proposed funding is available at: http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/program_offices/sustainable_housing_communities/grant_program

43. TIGER II (DOT) Funded through Appropriations Bill $600 million will be available in next round Of the first round (ARRA funds) of funding, approx 25% of requests were funded Solicitation is expected to open in August 2010 Criteria for second round is evolving to reflect DOT EPA HUD Partnership principles

44. Messages Tree initiatives and program create energy and cost opportunities and provide additional multiple benefits An important multiple benefit is economic growth and stability (e.g., increased real estate value, attractive business district) Lack of knowledge at local decision making level about energy and cost saving potential Provide packages of info and data for locals to use with local councils and other decision-makers

45. Contact Info Neelam R. Patel, patel.neelam-r@epa.gov, 202.343.9384, U.S. EPA National Heat Island Program Manager • EPA Heat Island Website:www.epa.gov/heatislands • U.S. EPA Heat Island Listserv sign-up:www.epa.gov/hiri/admin/listserv.htm U.S. EPA Local Climate and Energy Program • Website: http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/local/index.html • Climate and Energy Listserv sign-up:http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/listservs/index.html#a01