News & Blog

Day-Long Conference Sponsored by JPMorgan Chase in Coordination with the Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs and NYC Service, to Provide Employment Assistance and Information Sessions on Access to Benefits and Services including Financial Literacy, Resume Writing, and Entrepreneurship

I won't lie. I had a childhood that most people may not have had. I grew up with 4 sisters and 2 brothers, and with parents who were still married and in love with each other. I had a house with a front and back yard, attended top schools, and even had a chauffeur.

The last time I wrote on white roofs, the finding was that they could actually cause a net cooling. But the study didn’t take into account how much the cooling of the buildings reduced electricity demand.

A comparison of the surface temperatures of a white roof at MoMa P.S. 1 in Queens with those of a black roof last June to August. The roof was coated with a white acrylic paint. One hundred seventy degrees Fahrenheit is the approximate temperature to which chicken should be cooked. It's also the temperature that was recorded on some asphalt roofs in New York City last July during a heat wave that set a record for electricity use.

A new study quantifies the true beauty of white roofs - dramatically cooler surfaces that reduce discomfort, cooling costs, and a tad of global warming.

Yale e360 published today news that a New York City roof covered in a white synthetic membrane was on average 43 degrees F cooler than surrounding black tar and asphalt roofs during times of peak heat last summer. The news favoring white roofs is based on a study by scientists from Columbia University and NASA.

On the hottest day of the New York City summer in 2011, a white roof covering was measured at 42 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the traditional black roof it was being compared to, according to a study including NASA scientists that details the first scientific results from the city’s unprecedented effort to brighten rooftops and reduce its “urban heat island” effect.

ABC's Diana Williams speaks with NYC Service Chief Service Officer Diahann Billings-Burford about the mentor program.

The seven agencies supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund teamed with Service in Schools in mobilizing students from 18 high schools for community service projects.

Named New York City’s first Chief Service Officer, Diahann is responsible for leading NYC Service, a city-wide initiative to promote volunteerism.