TreeHugger Offers Summer Cooling Tips

TreeHugger.com and writer Alex Pasternack has some nifty ideas to keep cool this summer while saving energy:

Be a fan-atic. Instead of reaching for the AC, consider the much underrated ceiling fan. It uses dramatically less energy than an air conditioner, costs less to buy, is a breeze to install, and cools like a charm. And for you DIY types, there’s always the classic hand fan, made out of the nearest newspaper, magazine, or outdoor concert brochure.

Consume the cold stuff. Take advantage of your fridge by filling up some spare bottles with water and keeping them in there. And keep one in the freezer for those extra hot days. Eat small, light meals, and foods high in water content, like fruits & vegetables. Also, don’t you forget the organic ice cream and sorbet (like the UK’s Rocombe makes)! Remember too to keep that fridge closed as much as possible--the more it's open, the more energy it uses and the more heat it releases.

Turn off the hot stuff. Switch off your computer and lights when not in use (try to avoid incandescent and halogen lamps in favor of compact florescent ones), and forgo the oven if you can. In fact...

Get out of the kitchen. Forget your hot indoor stove or even outdoor grille—you’ve already got the sun! Feel some SOUL or make your own solar oven. Heating your afternoon tea meanwhile is simply a matter of leaving some tea leaves in your glass of water and letting it warm on the window sill. (But yes, beware--some say making sun tea could be bad for your health)

Keep it on the down low. Heat rises, so try to stay on lower floors of buildings. If you’ve got a stone or tile floor, wipe it off and lie down on it for a cool respite.

For five more tips to keep cool, read the rest of the article at this link.