NMYO at Joy Junction
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It's always good to "get out there" and do something good for your community -- even if it's super hot outside and the work is a little bit more rigorous than you're used to. There's just something about the feeling you get after you're done, knowing that you got off your ass and instead did something positive for others. Add to that the fact this certain gratifying feeling can get addicting, and it usually makes it easier for you to roll out of bed that next Saturday morning and venture into the hot summer sun.
That's exactly what happened last weekend. I was in a deep sleep, dreaming about being somewhere cool and tropical when my alarm clock rang. "Man," I thought, "Let's just snooze it a little while longer." But then I remembered that my group, New Mexico Youth Organized, and myself had an obligation to join other volunteers at Joy Junction. There we would be helping to put a Mirrorseal roof on their family dorm.
Mirrorseal is a great product in that it's easy to apply to the existing roof surface and it is not petroleum based. Rather it's made from a salt-based resin that not only is environmentally friendly, but also is highly reflective. Because of its reflectivity, the roof bounces back most of the solar UV rays that hit it, thus drastically reducing the heat absorption by the building.
One last thing to note here is that this product is great for people who are using water catchment systems at their house, since the salt-based resin does not emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like tar roofs do. The water gathered from a Mirrorseal roof does not contain VOCs that can contaminate crops that you water with your catchment water.
Joy Junction has been making some great improvements at their facilities here lately. Very recently they built some new shower and restroom facilities that can accommodate the growing number of residents there. The family dorm also had been experiencing some leaks from the roof and that's where we stepped in. NM Solar Shield (the company we are collaborating with on this project) provided the Mirrorseal materials super cheap and NMYO (among other volunteers) is helping to provide the workforce for this project.
So members of NMYO jumped on that roof on an already hot Saturday morning and, despite being novices at this process, helped fix about a quarter of the roof on the dorm.
One great thing I took from this first date at Joy Junction was knowing that part of the roof we had just fixed was overlying a room where a grandmother and her grandchildren were staying. Knowing that I sacrificed my day to help them out made it more than a worthwhile experience.
All of the volunteers that day had a great time interacting with each other and learned new skills along the way. By the end of the day we were tired and covered in white stuff, but we were also expert Mirrorseal roof installers. I can only think of the other people living in that dorm and how I need to gather more people together to get this job done. I for one can't wait until next time, because, even though I may get sunburned, I will also be performing a great service for people in need.
NMYO will be out at Joy Junction continuing to work on this project on both August 16th and August 23rd from 9am until sometime in the afternoon. If you are interested in helping out give Juan at NMYO a call: 505-242-4036
That's exactly what happened last weekend. I was in a deep sleep, dreaming about being somewhere cool and tropical when my alarm clock rang. "Man," I thought, "Let's just snooze it a little while longer." But then I remembered that my group, New Mexico Youth Organized, and myself had an obligation to join other volunteers at Joy Junction. There we would be helping to put a Mirrorseal roof on their family dorm.
Mirrorseal is a great product in that it's easy to apply to the existing roof surface and it is not petroleum based. Rather it's made from a salt-based resin that not only is environmentally friendly, but also is highly reflective. Because of its reflectivity, the roof bounces back most of the solar UV rays that hit it, thus drastically reducing the heat absorption by the building.
One last thing to note here is that this product is great for people who are using water catchment systems at their house, since the salt-based resin does not emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like tar roofs do. The water gathered from a Mirrorseal roof does not contain VOCs that can contaminate crops that you water with your catchment water.
Joy Junction has been making some great improvements at their facilities here lately. Very recently they built some new shower and restroom facilities that can accommodate the growing number of residents there. The family dorm also had been experiencing some leaks from the roof and that's where we stepped in. NM Solar Shield (the company we are collaborating with on this project) provided the Mirrorseal materials super cheap and NMYO (among other volunteers) is helping to provide the workforce for this project.
So members of NMYO jumped on that roof on an already hot Saturday morning and, despite being novices at this process, helped fix about a quarter of the roof on the dorm.
One great thing I took from this first date at Joy Junction was knowing that part of the roof we had just fixed was overlying a room where a grandmother and her grandchildren were staying. Knowing that I sacrificed my day to help them out made it more than a worthwhile experience.
All of the volunteers that day had a great time interacting with each other and learned new skills along the way. By the end of the day we were tired and covered in white stuff, but we were also expert Mirrorseal roof installers. I can only think of the other people living in that dorm and how I need to gather more people together to get this job done. I for one can't wait until next time, because, even though I may get sunburned, I will also be performing a great service for people in need.
NMYO will be out at Joy Junction continuing to work on this project on both August 16th and August 23rd from 9am until sometime in the afternoon. If you are interested in helping out give Juan at NMYO a call: 505-242-4036
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