By Marissa Zampino, MyRWA Community Organizer, marissa.zampino@mysticriver.org
We invite you to check out a brand new heat-reflecting mural at the Everett Recreation Center that helps protect the surrounding community from climate change by combatting the urban heat island effect!
The new cooling mural at the Everett Recreation Center. Credit: Kate Jenkins-Sullivan, City of Everett
This public art installation was made possible with funding from the Everett Citizens Foundation in collaboration with the City of Everett and the Everett Recreation Center. The lead artist, Ashley Fitzgerald, worked with six youth from Everett High School to vision, create, and paint the mural. The mural design showcases Everett’s youth and diversity through its bright colors and spells out “Everett” in American Sign Language.
The city of Everett is an urban heat island, which occurs when places have a lot of dark pavement and little green space. Heat from the sun absorbs into dark surfaces then radiates out at night, preventing cooler evenings that historically allowed people to escape the heat. More information about urban heat islands can be found at mysticriver.org/climate-resilience. The new mural’s solar reflective coating is designed to prevent heat absorption. It demonstrates how painting surfaces a lighter color, or with a cooling sealant, can help combat the urban heat island effect.
Thermal image of the mural - areas colored red represent temperatures 5-10 degrees cooler than areas colored yellow/white. Credit: Marissa Zampino
MyRWA and the City of Everett are also implementing other cooling interventions, such as tree planting, shade structures, and water fountains around the city, which will help cool down neighborhoods as our summers get hotter and hotter.
We invite you to check out the mural and stay updated on our efforts to help Everett beat the heat! Subscribe to receive our monthly enewsletter with project updates, events, and more.
