To fight rising temperatures and heat islands, the Climate Action and Resilience Committee and the Swampscott Conservancy have teamed up to offer reflective driveway coatings to residents and nearby communities.

The two groups are hoping to gather enough community interest to launch a bulk-purchase program that makes the project feasible and cost-effective. The project is open to both Swampscott residents and those outside of the community, according to Richard Frenkel, a director of the Swampscott Conservancy.

“This stuff applies like regular asphalt sealer but can only be bought in bulk (a barrel) so we need to get enough people on board to make that happen,” said Frenkel, who is also a part of the climate resilience committee.

Cool pavement coatings, like CoolSeal, can lower surface temperatures by 10 to 20 degrees, thanks to the high reflectivity, which helps to cool entire areas.

The cool pavement sealers are applied in the same fashion as other asphalt sealers, with no added costs for application. They also last two to three times longer. 

CoolSeal was first demonstrated in the winter of 2016 for the LA Street Services Bureau. Unlike traditional asphalt, CoolSeal reflects sunlight instead of absorbing it, reducing surface and ambient temperatures, especially during summer heat waves. The unique formula is made with recycled materials and without harmful chemicals. 

By lowering pavement temperatures, the CoolSeal is reducing ambient temperatures that affect urban heat islands, where a metropolitan area is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to the effects of human development. 

This can also lead to lower energy costs, since there’s less of a demand for air conditioning in the peak summer months.

“Anyone who put a barefoot on asphalt during this week’s heat knows how much asphalt contributes to heat islands,” Frenkel said. “I have one in the back of my house.”

CoolSeal has been applied across 22 states and six countries. 
Anyone interested in participating can fill out a short survey to help coordinate the group purchase: https://forms.gle/ajcwW7VPHYx8nqW67.