It's the hottest summer on record, and some are feeling it more than others. Moscow is on fire, the foliage in Arkansas is changing into fall colors too early, roads are buckling in several cities, and electricity usage is at an all-time high. While you can't give up the AC when it's this hot outside, there are things that you can do to lessen your contribution to heat pollution this summer.
1. Use public transportation or carpool: Most of the larger metro areas have great public transportation systems that not only make it less expensive to commute, it lessens the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air and damage to the environment. Plus, it gives you time to read a few chapters from a book, do a crossword, or just zone out and not worry about other drivers, so it's personally friendly, too.
2. Fueling your car: If you can't take public transportation or carpool to and from work, fuel your car at the coolest times of the day. Fueling during the heat of the day causes the fumes and droplets to react and form ground-level ozone (smog), so try to do it early in the morning or after dusk.
3. Mowing the grass: If you have grass to mow, do it in the early morning or at dusk. It works the same as fueling your car - fueling and running the mower at the hottest times of day puts out more pollution-causing carbon dioxide and causes smog.
4. Pack your lunch: Unless you're able to walk to a nearby eatery, why not pack your lunch and save the driving for later? It will not only help the environment, it will keep you out of the dangerous heat and save money, too.
5. Garden with native plants: Water-wise, unless you're gardening with plants and grasses native to your area of the country, you're probably watering too much. In fact, many decorative flowers and plants that are not native to the area where they're being grown can die a terrible death in this kind of heat, even with lots of H2O. Google "gardening with native plants" in your state or country and see what you come up with. You'll find beautiful plants and flowers that will require less water, and you'll spend less time outside caring for them.
Even with the soaring heat, we can still do our part to help cut back on ozone-depleting pollution. In fact, it's in heat like this that we should be more concerned with it than ever - this stuff fills your lungs as well as the atmosphere. Take care of yourself, your family, and Mother Nature.
Anyone else have great tips on surviving the summer while staying environmentally friendly?
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