WhiteRoofs Campaign setup

I launched the White Roofs Project back in Nov 2010, and now for the next stage am putting together an 18 month campaign promoting white roofs to businesses, the public, councils and government.

 White roofs offer one of the fastest and lowest cost ways of helping reduce global warming by mimicking how the polar icecaps reflect sunlight back into space and cool the planet. Around that time of the launch I found to my surprise that others around the world also had the same idea as me, there was now a depth of science behind it, and it was being implemented by the Obama Administration on Federal buildings across the USA. Since then I've had emails from around the country, media attention, more white-roofs popping up on houses, some businesses too, and interest from Auckland Council.

 The next stage needs money that I don't have.

Stage 1. Crowd-funding the Setting-up via PledgeMe.

Stage 2. If the target is reached, then I can go full time on 10 weeks Setting Up, directly approaching businesses for support of the 18 months campaign.

Stage 3. If enough businesses are interested by the end of Setting Up, then their offers can be accepted and the actual 18 month campaign begins!

 Many NZ businesses have quietly used white roofs for years for energy efficiency, long before it was known that this also cools the planet. A few of these businesses have already said they are interested but it needs about 100.

 It's a win-win solution because white roofs are free during regular maintenance or at the design stage when you have to0 choose a roof colour anyway; they save money on air conditioning bills and reduce emissions; the paint lasts longer because less thermal expansion and contraction means less wear and tear on the paint; and buildings are cooler in summer.

 Why white roofs? Emissions reduction schemes are not working yet, we need to act NOW, and instead of waiting, we can do white roofs in our own back yards, because everyone lives or works under a roof and every 20 years or so when we repaint we can go white for free. Saving the planet one roof at a time and helping raise awareness.

 I am 58, have two degrees (engineering and architecture), worked in physics, have funded the project with what money I had and my 'spare' time but need funding for the next part.

For a good article on the project in the IPENZ magazine, see here.

http://whiteroofs.org.nz/White_Roofs_IPENZ_Engineering_Insight.pdf

Resene Paint is offering a generous 30% discount to those painting white in response to the project, email [email protected]

A solar paddle wheel demonstrates how black surfaces absorb sunlight and get warm while white surfaces reflect sunlight and remain cooler. When you place it in sunlight (or torchlight) the wheel spins, because the paddles have one side painted black and the other white, and as the black side absorbs sunlight it gets warm, and the air molecules next to it increase air pressure which propels it forwards in the partial vacuum inside the glass surround. Ian will import these to match the PledgeMe demand. You can read up on it on Wikipedia by searching "Crookes Radiometer".

Website:                 http://whiteroofs.org.nz/

Latest newsletter:   http://whiteroofs.org.nz/Newsletter_Feb_2012.pdf