Preparing for Summer: Ideas for Summertime Sustainability

As the summer months begin to creep in, the temperature begins to creep up. Little by little, we click down our thermostats to stay comfortable, and eventually we try to live at a nice 68 degrees despite the 105 temperature outside.

This is just one phenomenon we see in summer; others include the increase in watering paralleled by an increase in attitude. All in all, this makes for a deadly concoction of unsustainable living practices, not just in terms of resources, but also in terms of mental and physical wellness.

In the spirit of providing solutions, here are 5 quick tips to beat the bad in summer:

Number 1. Paint your Roof White

First off, paint your roof white! This will help reflect heat from the sun, lowering the temperature indoors. Although this may not be the most aesthetically pleasing choice for your home, it will help keep you cool and save money in electricity costs. This also helps combat the urban heat island effect, and if enough of your neighbors jumped on board, you may be able to even cool the neighborhood!

Number 2. Ditch the Lawn

Thinking about trying to make your lawn a perfect green all summer long? That’ll take lots of time, resources, and willingness to defy nature. I suggest just getting rid of the notion or switching to something more sustainable, like a lawn made up of indigenous plants from your region. This will require fewer hours of maintenance as well as fewer resources .

Number 3. Get Away from the Heat

Another option is to get away from the heat altogether. Take a few minutes and find out where is an area close by the has a noticeable change in temperature. Mountaintops are always a great choice, as are beaches. Carpooling can help lower the problem of emissions and it will allow other people to escape the heat too.

Number 4. Eat some Ice Cream

Did you know that in summer, ice cream sales increase along with violent crimes? Are we looking at a case of ice cream craziness or causal misrepresentation. Clearly, it’s the latter. That being so, eat something cold this summer – maybe make some juice ice pops in the freezer – to help you cool down and stay mellow!

Number 5. Take a Cool Shower

Rather than taking a hot shower everyday like you otherwise would, consider replacing this with a cool shower. It doesn’t necessarily have to be ice cold (though that may be appealing to some), but anything cooler than normal will be noticeable. Adding an extra flash of cold water at the end is a good way to make sure you’ll cool off. This not only has health benefits, but it provides relief from the dreadful heat of summer!

Originally published June 7th, 2011.