Whenever it’s sunny, urban areas often create heat islands, where asphalt roads, dark shingles on rooftops and fresh asphalt on basketball courts drive up the temperature to often dangerous levels.
A heat island is no place for a child to play. But did you know that almost a third of the 50 million public school students in the United States attend school in a heat island?
The difference in temperature can be dramatic, from 1.25 degrees to as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the surrounding town or city! That’s why cities are often so much hotter than the rural areas surrounding them.
The difference in temperature doesn’t relent when the sun sets either. In fact, it increases. The extra heat generated by dark surfaces like asphalt schoolyards can be up to 22 degrees at night.
And the difference in temperature can be dangerous. It can be the difference between discomfort and illness, or even death—especially for the elderly, children, and people with existing health issues.
But with the support of Trust for Public Land members like you, we’re turning asphalt schoolyards into vibrant, green spaces for more climate-resilient communities—one Community Schoolyards space at a time.
As more intense heat waves and stronger storms become the norm, Trust for Public Land’s Community Schoolyards initiative becomes more urgent every day. With your continued support, we’ll transform many more bare schoolyards across the country into shady escapes for the whole neighborhood.
John, Community Schoolyards projects hold huge potential to transform our communities’ climate health, but this powerful, common-sense solution needs your support!
Josh VanDavier
Associate Director, Digital Membership
P.S. Fewer than one percent of America’s 90,000 public schoolyards are rich in green space, leaving many children to play in seas of asphalt that bake under the hot sun or flood during downpours. Our Community Schoolyards initiative can transform thousands of schools and communities across America, making park access more equitable and safer for the surrounding community. But we need your support. Please make a gift today!
