Symposium will examine ‘heat island effect’

    LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With Louisville at the center of research on urban heat, a one-day symposium will be held in the city to explain and examine the subject. The Urban Heat Island Symposium is scheduled for May 13 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at Jefferson Community & Technical College, Health Sciences Hall auditorium, 110 West Chestnut St. The cost, which includes a buffet lunch, is $20. Urban heat islands are city areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas. The EPA warns that heat islands can increase summertime peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, heat-related illnesses and mortality, and water quality. Louisville has been identified in a Georgia Tech study as an urban heat island. Among the topics to be discussed will be mitigation strategies, public health effects and research. The symposium is sponsored by the Partnership for a Green City, a sustainability collaboration made up of UofL, Louisville Metro Government, Jefferson County Public Schools and JCTC. For more information, contact Brent Fryrear, 502-852-8854 or brent.fryrear@louisville.edu.  

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