Forget Green – What about White?

May 26, 2009 No Comments by
s.chuIt's a headline too cool to pass up!

 . . . Energy Secretary Steven Chu wants roofs around the world to be painted white.

It sounds ridiculous at first--what about hydrogen, solar, switchgrass, etc.? But if the data rings true, painting cars, houses, and roads white or a pale color would be equivalent to taking every car off the earth for 11 years. Even if that's an exaggeration, Dr. Chu is onto something. It makes no sense painting your house a dark color with a black roof if you live in Southern California. And ever walk down a street in Phoenix in August? As far as cars go, Japan would already be ahead--they all drive white cars as it is, and lighter colored cars would use less fuel to run air conditioning units (then again, they show dirt, so that's more water being consumed, but anyways . . .

It's no secret it'll take us years to wean us off of fossil fuels--doubtful in our lifetimes. So it's approaches like Chu's that'll give us opportunities to save the earth.

Geesh, why wasn't this in the stimulus package? Could you imagine the queues at Lowe's or Home Depot for free white paint?

air - land - quality of life, energy, politics

About the author

Leon Kaye is the founder and editor of GreenGoPost.com and its advisory division, GGP Media. Contact him to discuss how he can work with your organization or event. His focus is making the business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Currently he is in the United Arab Emirates exploring opportunities. He writes for San Francisco-based Triple Pundit, and now The Guardian , where he writes about waste, water, low carbon initiatives, and green building. He has also written for AIA's Architect Magazine. Leon lives in San Jose, the capital of Silicon Valley, and when he has free time, he enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, weightlifting, and planning his next trip to one of the 50+ countries he has visited. He has an MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business and is also a proud graduate of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and Cal State-Fresno.
No Responses to “Forget Green – What about White?”

Leave a Reply

Subscribe to comments.

Subscribe

Enter your email address:

Categories

Archives