So, without further ado. Or hot air. Green in BKLYN presents…

TEN WAYS TO STAY COOL (while being kind to Mother Earth):

1. Plant some green: Houseplants absorb warm carbon dioxide and replace it with cool oxygen. Plus they’re nice to talk to.
2. Open up: Even if the wind is only blowing 1 mile per hour, cracking the window at night can cool your home 3 to 4 degrees.
3. Lighten up: Fluorescent  bulbs (CFLs and LEDs) use up to 75% less energy and put out much less heat than incandescent bulbs.
4. Join the fan club: Installing a ceiling fan costs only a fraction of what it takes to install and run an AC. Plus, using fans instead of an AC can lower home cooling costs by as much as 30%.
5. Wet yourself: Place a cool, damp cloth around your neck or wrists or hold a cloth-wrapped ice cube against your pulse points. You’ll experience an immediate cool-down effect of as much as three degrees.
6. Give it a rest: Don’t use your dishwasher, clothes washer, dryer or oven during the heat of the day. Use a clothesline to skip the dryer altogether and the microwave to bypass the oven.
7. Sleep it off: Try breathable bamboo sheets that wick away moisture and are cool to the touch and wet your sheets (with water) for a cool rest.
8. Take it off: Show some skin when you get home. Peel off the layers. Go au natural, if you dare. Less (clothes) is more (chance for the air to cool you off).
9. Get wet: Drink, shower and spray H2O all in and over your self. Cool water in your belly, on your body and coming out of a spray bottle will hydrate and cool you. Icy loveliness!
10. Slow it down: No need to rush. Give yourself a little more time to get where you’re going, do what you’re doing and be who you’re being. Slower moving means less energy expenditure. Less stress. Less heat!

Seasons and the inevitable changing of them are an awesome natural occurrence. Adjusting accordingly makes our interaction with those changes an awesome natural occurrence as well. Here’s to change!

Our focus in the shop continues to be on greening the planet & living an eco-friendly life.  But we’re fine tuning that this week to focus on keeping our cool…

So here are some suggestions on how to stay cool.  Low energy style.  Without air conditioning.  Though you can definitely combine them with AC – especially with temps in the triple digits!

1. If you want to get into the outdoors, do it carefully. Usually the early morning & evening are cooled down enough to enjoy your walk, run, hike, bike, gardening or yard work.  Just be sure to stay hydrated while you’re out there!
2. Soak your feet in a bucket of cold water. Or your wrists.  The body radiates heat from the hands, feet, face & ears, so cooling any of these will efficiently cool the body.
3. Put your sweaty self in the path of a cool breeze or fan. Water vapor produced by sweating takes heat away from your body if it’s exposed to air & allowed to evaporate.  So make the fan your friend.
4. Dress – or undress – as is appropriate. Naked, next-to-nothing, natural fibers &/or light colored clothing (which reflects light rather than attracts it) are all options for keeping your cool while choosing your dress.
5. Keep it moving. The air that is…  In the evening, open windows & use fans to create a cross-breeze, circulating cooler evening/night air through the rooms.  When the sun hits your building in the morning, close the windows, shades & doors & keep them closed till it’s cooler outside than in.  PS – Leaving kitchen cabinets open all night helps too.  If you leave them closed, they store heat & your home won’t cool off as much.
6. Turn off electrical heat sources including the stove, incandescent light bulbs & computers.  Don’t use the stove or oven to eat.  If you have to heat your food, use a microwave.  Incandescent light bulbs create heat so switch to compact fluorescents (CFLs).  Turn off lamps, computers, TVS – all that hot stuff – when not in use.
7. Adjust your pilot light.  Or turn it off. If you have a gas stove with pilot lights, make sure they’re set correctly.  Too high & they’ll produce excess heat. Or, just turn the gas off for the summer.
8. Eat spicy food. Spicy food increases perspiration which cools the body as it evaporates.  It can cause an endorphin rush that is lovely & could make you forget about the heat.  Maybe.
9. Try a hint of mint. Slather on lotion with peppermint, shower with peppermint soap or use a minty foot soak.  Mint refreshes the skin & leaves a nice cooling sensation.  It also takes yummy!
10. If all else fails, go to the mall, library, church, movie theater or some other air-conditioned public building.