GladRags Green Goal: Sweat It Out
As temperatures rise, so does the temptation to do anything to cool off! With the current East Coast heat wave, there is no better time to think about ways to cool down without cranking up the air and wasting energy.
- When you're home, why conform to social dress codes? Break out the hot pants and tank tops! Don't be overdressed inside your own home.
- Prepare! Open your windows at night to let the cool air in. Keep your curtains drawn during the day so the sunlight doesn't heat up your house.
- Turn on a fan before the AC, as a fan will circulate the air and use less energy than an air conditioning unit.
- Relax! Moving less will make your body produce less heat and keep you cool.
- Put a damp washcloth in the freezer for a bit to wear on your head or neck.
- Enjoy spicy foods! While it may seem counter-intuitive, there is a reason Mexican, Thai, and Indian foods are so spicy -- the spicy food makes you sweat! When the sweat evaporates, you cool down.
- Try going to a communal place that will have air conditioning such as a movie theater --just like the old days-- or a library. Make sure you turn the fans or air conditioning in your house down or off when you leave.
- When you do need the air conditioning, keep it at a higher temperature. Even if you set it at 75 or 80, you'll still feel cooler and less humid when you come in from the sweltering outdoors.
A note about car air conditioning: When you are driving in the city (slower than about 45 mph), save energy by rolling your windows down instead of turning on the air conditioning. When you reach highway speeds, roll up the windows and turn on that AC! As explained in this Slate article, the drag created by keeping the windows down while driving at high speeds may use more energy than turning on the air conditioning. Or take public transit! Buses and trains are usually air conditioned.
What do you do to keep cool? Anyone have any special recommendation for different climates?