If we're going to pave paradise, let's put up a green parking
lot Can you imagine if our roads and parking lots were painted
yellow or maybe a light blue? It would challenge our concept of
a typical blacktop, but according to research, "cool pavement"
seems like the way of the future. Pavements from streets and
exposed parking lots make up a large percentage of surface area
in our growing communities. And it is easy to feel the heat that
is absorbed in those dark pavements. As pavement surface heats
up, local air is also heated and aggravates urban heat
islands—urban areas that become warmer than their surrounding
areas. To address this issue, the Heat Island Group of Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory has been experimenting with "cool
pavement" technologies. Similar to the way lighter-colored roofs
have a cooling effect by reflecting the sun's energy, cool
pavements also have the same ability. Cool pavements can be made
from traditional pavement materials that are lighter in color
and therefore have a hig