How to cool your home without relying on air conditioning:
In a summer of deadly heat, passive cooling can keep people safe and curb carbon emissions. Here are the simple steps you can take.
“In Portland, a new all-time high was set three days in a row: First, 108 degrees. Then 113 degrees. Then 116.To my astonishment, the apartment stayed tolerable all weekend. The tile floors seemed to emanate coolness. The greenery surrounding my windows blocked direct sunlight and helped bring down the temperature of the outside air. I didn’t have a thermometer, but my guess is that the temperature inside never got above 80 degrees.“You saw for yourself the power of passive cooling,” buildings scientist Alexandra Rempel told me. “It really can be amazingly, amazingly effective.” www.washingtonpost
“As the mercury ticked upward in Portland, Ore., last month, I braced for my apartment to become unbearable”
Heat dome to settle
over country:
The most extensive heatwave of a scorching summer is set to descend upon much of America in the coming week, further roasting areas already gripped by severe drought, plunging reservoirs and wildfires
US set for punishing temperatures as huge ‘heat dome’ to settle over country
Heatwave to next week roast areas already gripped by severe drought, plunging reservoirs and
Above article Continued:
On a warming planet, passive cooling can help protect people without access to air conditioning and lighten the load on the electrical grid from those who do. It can also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced by burning fossil fuels for power — a necessary step for tackling climate change and the only hope we have for avoiding an even hotter future.
Read more here: washingtonpost
Animals:
Experts express concerns for animal safety as heat waves continue to rip through the Pacific Northwest
Untold numbers of animals are at risk, with extreme heat and climate change damaging natural habitats across the region
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*Turn off the non-essentials!*
The International Dark-Sky Association works to protect the night skies for present and future generations.
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WAYS TO SAVE THE PLANET: SUMMARY
- Turn out the lights when not in use
- Avoid creating nighttime light pollution
- Don’t waste water
- Avoid burning wood (or other things), as wood fires are both pollutant and carcinogenic
- Don’t use pesticides
- Limit your use of cars and planes (if possible)
- Don’t use gas powered vehicles
- Take out grass and put in a garden or pond (or xeriscape )
- Mow, blow, and whack with electric or by hand
- Plant for the animals (bees, birds etc)
- Plant trees
- Don’t micro manage yards, go wilder
- Try to use solar
- Take a bus, trolley or train
- Encourage your city/town to use electric buses
- Use energy efficient products or products that work on clean fuels
- Reduce dependence on non-biodegradable items
- Walk, bike or carpool
- Turn down the heat or AC
- Reuse items- give to Goodwill or Craig’s list rather than dumping
- Cut down or cease eating meat
- Use reusable carry bags for grocerie; second choice, paper bags; not plastic
- Compost
- Save the bees
- Be informed
- Write your representative, sign petitions
- Elect pro-environment candidates and demand action
- Support the Green New Deal
- Get involved
- March
- Blog about the environment
- Control population
- Tell a friend!
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Regenerative Culture for an Altered Planet (RCAP) diaries post every Thursday evening at 9 PM Eastern time. Each may be written by a different group member. RCAP focuses on individual actions that will help the climate. We hope you will join us for reading, following, even writing for us! Here is a handy link to RCAP.
This is a Creative Commons article. The original version of this article appeared here.
