May 30, 2013
Dear Board Member,
May's update features a Thought Leader Series piece by Mick Dalrymple, project manager for Energize Phoenix, a collaborative sustainability initiative involving ASU, APS, and the City of Phoenix. In his piece, Dalrymple discusses his newest concept, "One Degree;" a social, technical, and economical initiative that aims to reduce downtown Phoenix's overnight low temperature by one degree during the span of five years.
Please feel free to email or call us with any questions or comments about this briefing.
Best regards,
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A Thought Leader Series Piece
 By Mick Dalrymple
Note: Mick Dalrymple is a LEED-accredited professional and co-founder of the Arizona Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. He is the ASU project manager of Energize Phoenix, an initiative that aims to save energy, create jobs, and improve local neighborhoods along a 10-mile stretch of Phoenix's light rail. Recently, Dalrymple has been promoting the Global Institute of Sustainability's 2013 Energy Efficiency Idea Guide for Arizona.
Imagine what would happen if an array of stakeholders made a concerted effort to cool the overnight low temperature of downtown Phoenix by one degree. For starters, more people would spend their evenings outdoors, increased economic activity would boost local businesses and tourism dollars, and roughly 21 million kilowatt hours (nearly $2.1 million) of energy would be saved per year.
But most importantly, Phoenix would become a real example to the world that we all can work together to positively change our climate.
Such is the power of One Degree, a simple concept that describes a tremendously complex and ambitious (but doable) challenge to create concerted change that improves community sustainability.
The problem
Phoenix, the sixth largest city in the U.S., is hot and getting hotter. Most climate models predict that Arizona will become dryer and experience higher temperatures as climate change sets in. In downtown Phoenix, heat is absorbed and retained in our built environment, only to be re-radiated slowly at night, causing what scientists call an "urban heat island."
The general measure of the urban heat island effect is an increase in the overnight low temperature. A 2002 Arizona State University (ASU) study found that the overnight low temperature at Sky Harbor airport was 17-23 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than surrounding rural areas. This creates negative impacts on energy use, comfort, health, plants, animals, water use, equipment wear and tear, and even social justice, as elderly, poor, Hispanic, and homeless populations are disproportionately impacted.
We can improve the situation by modifying the design of our built environment, creating a counter force to the hotter temperatures.
The goal
By applying ASU's urban heat island and sustainability research, One Degree can galvanize efforts led by the local government, non-governmental organizations, and utilities to create a more livable and resilient local community in Phoenix. The broader, psychological goal is to set an example to the community and to the world that tackling climate change is possible.
Read more »
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