How many times did you wake up this year with a message from Environment Canada warning you about an extreme heat event? Heat waves are more and more common in Calgary, so we decided for the month of August to talk about the urban heat island effect, how it affects Calgary, and Mount Pleasant in particular.
In urbanized areas, the concrete, brick, and asphalt present in cities absorbs heat from the sun during the day and releases some of it during the night. On top of that, waste heat released by buildings, machinery, and vehicles make the situation even worse. The city becomes warmer, both during the day and at night. So, what is the situation in Calgary and what can we do about it?
CBC has developed an interesting tool to see where your community stands in terms of urban heat island effect. You only need to type the first three characters of your postal code to see how your neighbourhood compares to the rest of the city. Here is the result for the Mount Pleasant area:
As we can see, Mount Pleasant is very fortunate in this regard as we have a lot of vegetation and a good tree canopy which helps keep the neighbourhood cool. We also have access to shaded areas, parks, and recreation facilities (like the Mount Pleasant Swimming pool) to shelter from the heat. Other parts of the city are not as fortunate (try different postal codes to see the difference). But there are solutions to improve that.
The percentage of tree canopy is a big factor in reducing the heat island effect. The City pledged to increase its urban tree canopy to 16% as it currently sits at 9% with big discrepancies between neighbourhoods.
Image Source: City of Calgary
Of course, increasing the tree canopy cannot always be the solution due to Calgary’s geography (trees don’t always grow well in prairie environments). Here are a few other options to explore:
• If you are in an area where trees can easily mature, consider taking advantage of the city’s “Branching Out” program to obtain free trees to plant on your properties, they will provide shade and cool the air through transpiration.
• Plant shrubs, grasses, ground cover wherever possible to increase moisture released into the atmosphere and thus cool the air.
• When changing your roof, consider choosing light colour materials that don’t absorb heat as much as dark colours and improve the isolation of your home.
• Consider adding shade structures such as pergolas and awnings, or a water fountain in a shaded area of your yard to provide shade and cool the air.
• Having green roofs is a great way to reduce heat and save energy, but the City of Calgary is currently considering them appropriate only for commercial buildings.
If you want to get involved and be a part of making Mount Pleasant a greener community, we would love to have you join the committee. Please email [email protected] for more information or if you have any questions. Also, please check out our Mount Pleasant Green Initiatives Group on Facebook! You can find us on the Mount Pleasant Community Association page. The Facebook group is a great place to share knowledge and resources and check in to see what others are saying.
The MPCA Green Initiatives Committee
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