In the ongoing effort to make New York a greener city by 2030, the city launched its Cool Roofs Program at LaGuardia Community College yesterday, encouraging building owners to coat their roofs with a reflective white paint. The color will reflect heat instead of absorbing it like dark roofs, which would mean lower energy bills as cooling is far more expensive and energy-consuming than heating. Con Edison Vice President Saddie L. Smith said in a press release, “This program is another example of our and the Mayor’s commitment to fighting global warming and making the world’s greatest city a more comfortable, pleasant place to live and work.” The city's goal is to coat 1 million square feet of rooftops by August. more ›

Around 4:10 p.m. on August 14, 2003, electrical transmission lines running through Ohio disconnected--thanks to toppled trees that forced Cleveland area power lines to draw more energy--and blackouts started to cascade across the system. NYC was left, along with other parts of the Northeast, Midwest, and Canada, without electrical power. more ›