#Urban Heat

[reasonsforhope]

Pictured: Luis Cassiano is the founder of Teto Verde Favela, a nonprofit that teaches favela residents in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, how to build their own green roofs as a way to beat the heat. He's photographed at his house, which has a green roof.

Article

"Cassiano is the founder of Teto Verde Favela, a nonprofit that teaches favela residents how to build their own green roofs as a way to beat the heat without overloading electrical grids or spending money on fans and air conditioners. He came across the concept over a decade ago while researching how to make his own home bearable during a particularly scorching summer in Rio.

A method that's been around for thousands of years and that was perfected in Germany in the 1960s and 1970s, green roofs weren't uncommon in more affluent neighborhoods when Cassiano first heard about them. But in Rio's more than 1,000 low-income favelas, their high cost and heavy weight meant they weren't even considered a possibility.

That is, until Cassiano decided to team up with a civil engineer who was looking at green roofs as part of his doctoral thesis to figure out a way to make them both safe and affordable for favela residents. Over the next 10 years, his nonprofit was born and green roofs started popping up around the Parque Arará community, on everything from homes and day care centers, to bus stops and food trucks.

When Gomes da Silva heard the story of Teto Verde Favela, he decided then and there that he wanted his home to be the group's next project, not just to cool his own home, but to spread the word to his neighbors about how green roofs could benefit their community and others like it.

Pictured: Jessica Tapre repairs a green roof in a bus stop in Benfica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Relief for a heat island

Like many low-income urban communities, Parque Arará is considered a heat island, an area without greenery that is more likely to suffer from extreme heat. A 2015 study from the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro showed a 36-degree difference in land surface temperatures between the city's warmest neighborhoods and nearby vegetated areas. It also found that land surface temperatures in Rio's heat islands had increased by 3 degrees over the previous decade.

That kind of extreme heat can weigh heavily on human health, causing increased rates of dehydration and heat stroke; exacerbating chronic health conditions, like respiratory disorders; impacting brain function; and, ultimately, leading to death.

But with green roofs, less heat is absorbed than with other low-cost roofing materials common in favelas, such as asbestos tiles and corrugated steel sheets, which conduct extreme heat. The sustainable infrastructure also allows for evapotranspiration, a process in which plant roots absorb water and release it as vapor through their leaves, cooling the air in a similar way as sweating does for humans.

The plant-covered roofs can also dampen noise pollution, improve building energy efficiency, prevent flooding by reducing storm water runoff and ease anxiety.

"Just being able to see the greenery is good for mental health," says Marcelo Kozmhinsky, an agronomic engineer in Recife who specializes in sustainable landscaping. "Green roofs have so many positive effects on overall well-being and can be built to so many different specifications. There really are endless possibilities.""

Pictured: Summer heat has been known to melt water tanks during the summer in Rio, which runs from December to March. Pictured is the water tank at Luis Cassiano's house. He covered the tank with bidim, a lightweight material conducive for plantings that will keep things cool.

A lightweight solution

But the several layers required for traditional green roofs — each with its own purpose, like insulation or drainage — can make them quite heavy.

For favelas like Parque Arará, that can be a problem.

"When the elite build, they plan," says Cassiano. "They already consider putting green roofs on new buildings, and old buildings are built to code. But not in the favela. Everything here is low-cost and goes up any way it can."

Without the oversight of engineers or architects, and made with everything from wood scraps and daub, to bricks and cinder blocks, construction in favelas can't necessarily bear the weight of all the layers of a conventional green roof.

That's where the bidim comes in. Lightweight and conducive to plant growth — the roofs are hydroponic, so no soil is needed — it was the perfect material to make green roofs possible in Parque Arará. (Cassiano reiterates that safety comes first with any green roof he helps build. An engineer or architect is always consulted before Teto Verde Favela starts a project.)

And it was cheap. Because of the bidim and the vinyl sheets used as waterproof screening (as opposed to the traditional asphalt blanket), Cassiano's green roofs cost just 5 Brazilian reais, or $1, per square foot. A conventional green roof can cost as much as 53 Brazilian reais, or $11, for the same amount of space.

"It's about making something that has such important health and social benefits possible for everyone," says Ananda Stroke, an environmental engineering student at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro who volunteers with Teto Verde Favela. "Everyone deserves to have access to green roofs, especially people who live in heat islands. They're the ones who need them the most." ...

It hasn't been long since Cassiano and the volunteers helped put the green roof on his house, but he can already feel the difference. It's similar, says Gomes da Silva, to the green roof-covered moto-taxi stand where he sometimes waits for a ride.

"It used to be unbearable when it was really hot out," he says. "But now it's cool enough that I can relax. Now I can breathe again."

-via NPR, January 25, 2025

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - February 8-14

(I’m finally starting to get better from having had pneumonia for 2+ weeks, hopefully next week’s news should be on time)

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles!

1. Solar-powered device captures carbon dioxide from air to make sustainable fuel

“[The] solar-powered reactor could be used to make fuel to power cars and planes[.… It] does not require fossil-fuel-based power, or the transport and storage of carbon dioxide, but instead converts atmospheric CO2 into something useful using sunlight.”

2. How artificial light can boost coral reef recovery

“UZELA is [an autonomous submersible] designed to attract zooplankton […] by emitting specific wavelengths of light. [… In a ”six-month testing period,” it] significantly increased local zooplankton density and boosted the feeding rates of both healthy and bleached coral.”

3. Next-gen solar cells now fully recyclable with water-based method

“The recycled solar cell has the same efficiency as the original one. The solar cell is made of perovskite and the main solvent is water. […] They are not only relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture but also lightweight, flexible and transparent.”

4. Green walls cool cities and create urban habitats

“The researchers measured a cooling effect of up to 0.6–0.7 degrees Celsius [… which] could help combat the urban heat island phenomenon. […] The researchers [also] found that plant-covered facades hosted over 100 animal species, including insects, spiders, and birds.”

5. Major cause of honeybee mortality can be easily reduced

“If treatment occurs too soon, it may not fully eliminate the mites, allowing them to rebound before the season ends. […] Similar to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, mites that survive mistimed or improperly applied treatments become more resistant to future applications.”

6. Uganda community group restores shea groves and livelihoods

“As part of a larger effort to restore Uganda’s shea parklands, the cooperative has successfully rehabilitated more than 500 hectares (1,240 acres) of degraded land, integrating shea trees (Vitellaria paradoxa) and other native species with maize and sunflower crops.”

7. Senate Renews Commitment to the Great Lakes

“The [Act] represents the most significant federal investment in the health of the Great Lakes, addressing critical challenges such as pollution, invasive species, and habitat restoration. The Great Lakes […] hold 20 percent of the world’s surface freshwater[….]”

8. Earth Gets Its Largest Protected Tropical Forest Reserve

“The Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor will […] protect 108,000 square kilometres of primary forest and support 60 million people who depend on the forest for food, energy and jobs. […] Through this approach, the DRC is empowering local communities to protect the forest while fostering economic growth.”

9. Australia’s Rarest Bird of Prey Spotted in Central Australia After 30 Years

“Dr. Henderson’s finding is an encouraging sign of the health of the sanctuary’s ecosystems as well as the bird’s continued migration into new areas. This bird’s presence in the sanctuary is particularly significant as it is the first confirmed sighting in the region since the mid-1990s.”

10. Australian company wins contract to design “hydrogen ready” high speed ferry

“The ferry, the Horizon X, will have capacity for 1,650 passengers and 450 cars, and will be able to travel at a speed of up to 35 knots. […] The ship will also have a specially-designed propulsion system arrangement that repurposes exhaust from the engine to help propel the vessel, in theory reducing its emissions.”

February 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[389]

[thegothicalice]

Been years since I wore a big shirt with big boots 🦇 Boots New Rock, coffin earrings by The Deadly Stake, shirt direct from the band.

[rezcowgirl]

Like PLEASE. Urban Heat is phenomenal.

Goth/post punk/synthpop with two black members that did THIS cover of Goodbye Horses????

I'm going to puke. From love.

[x-heesy]

For my Soulsistalex

@ilpozzodelletrameperdute @ombrabrontok <3

𝙵𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚝 4 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎

𝚆𝚒��𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎, 𝙻𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝙼𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎.

Have you ever thought you found your place

'Til you miss a moment, and you've been replaced?

Or have you ever found your peace of mind

Just to have it taken for another time?

I said

I've had enough to turn it around again

I've had enough to take it all back (all back)

Have you ever thought the best would come

'Til you realize that it had come and gone?

Or have you ever got a second chance

Just to fall in step and repeat the dance?

I said

I've had enough to turn it around again

I've had enough to take it all back

Have you ever?

Have you ever?

Have you ever found your sense of self

'Til to realize you're being someone else?

Or have you ever thought you've seen the end

Just to realize it's going on again?

I said

I've had enough to turn it around again

I've had enough to take it all back

All back

Have you ever?

Have you ever?

So have you ever?

So have you ever?

Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Oh-oh, oh...

So, have you ever seen the face of God?

Do you turn around and wonder what it was?

Or have you ever thought you've seen the light

'Til you turned around and you felt the knife?

I said

I've had the time to turn it around again

I've had the mind to take it all back

Have you ever?

#joy #mentalhealth #healing #selflove #worship #smile #positivevibes #support #spirituality #follow #meditation #beautiful #community #spiritual #help #loveyourself #success #scripture #soul #hope #love #faith #believeinyourself #life #peace #motivation #inspiration #blessed #truth #happiness #grace #happy #quotes #art #trust #wisdom #family @bixlasagna @invincible-selfxmade-punk

Have You Ever? by Urban Heat spotify <3

[nugothrhythms]

The old and the new performing together in Southern California again

[gothlisteningclub]

Goth Listening Club Day #87: Urban Heat- Wellness

"Darkwave/synthpop, songs are usually about mental health or the state of the world. I think this album is great but their recent singles go so much harder, so if you like this it gets even better. Have You Ever, Trust, and Simple Love Song are my favorites on this album."

LISTEN ON: APPLE MUSIC / BANDCAMP / SPOTIFY

[dallasbeltways]

URBAN HEAT — [DTX - 2024]

[lost-in-the-shadows]

my favorite band just released their new single inspired by The Lost Boys! of course I already added it to my Lost Boys playlist but I highly recommend you check it out 🖤

[occultradio]

[macbxth-pdf]

I had the time of my life getting to see these guys live!

[kckatie]

Bonus track: Urban Heat - A Simple Love Song

[inthewindtunnel]

Urban Heat

Seven Safe Places

[x-heesy]

I would rather die of passion than of boredom.

-Vincent Van Gogh

Have You Ever? by Urban Heat spotify