NeedleCloud

This week summer finally arrived. Yay! Well kind of.. This is my first summer in a couple years without central air and it’s definitely an adjustment.

The major challenges to keeping the place cool are
#1 We’re on the 3rd floor
#2 South facing windows
#3 No shade from other buildings to keep the sun from beating down on the brick all day

We did inherit a window ac unit with the place which is good but it’s not big enough to cool the whole place. And it’s in our dining room. We have a blow up mattress in there just in case we can’t take the heat and need to sleep in a cooler room. So far we haven’t had to use it.

So I’ve been doing some research to see if there’s anything I can do besides buying an additional ac unit to keep the place cooler. Of course just buying another unit would be the quick and easy fix but I don’t want to spend the money to buy and run it right now.

Here are some things I’ve done that have helped a little and a couple others that are on my to do list.

1. Fans Fans Fans - Fans are really cheap to run. We have a ceiling fan in the bedroom and have been setting up a standing oscillating fan as well as a box fan at night. It’s been in the mid-90’s and I have to say it helps but isn’t completely perfect. The circulating air feels much cooler than still air.
2. Close the Blinds or Curtains - The main objective has been to try to keep the heat out. Closing the blinds the ‘wrong’ way, with the blades facing up keeps more sun out. This has helped keep our South facing living room much cooler.
3. Use a Dehumidifier - My in-laws who live in Texas suggested this. Drier air feels much cooler.
4. Wear Natural Fabrics - Dress for the weather.  Seems like kind of a no-brainer but try to wear clothes that breathe and are loose fitting.
5. Shut Off Heat Generating Appliances - Keeps tabs on lights, appliances and computers. Shut off what you can.
6. Avoid Cooking,Laundry, and Showers at the Hottest Part of the Day - If you can’t avoid these then try to ventilate the room to get the excess heat and humidity out.
7. Drink Water - Stay hydrated! If you get really hot run cold water or put ice on your wrists.

Here’s a short list of small changes you can start working into your daily routine that will make a big impact on your environmental footprint.

1. Bring your own bag to the market, convenience store, hardware store, everywhere.

2. Bring your own cup.

This one too is not just limited to the coffee place. Use that mug as much as you can. I’m not sure if fast food places like McDonald’s would be as open but I’ve used my own mug at Subway. They’re usually open to it if it’s a place where you fill your own drink. Know how many ounces your cup holds and make the effort. People usually don’t care. It costs them less to not give you a cup, lid and straw.

3. Turn the water off when you’re brushing your teeth

My little bathroom faucet pumps out 2.5 gallons of water a minute. It takes a lot of energy and resources to get the water from the treatment plant all the way to your faucet. Be conscious of how much water you’re using and try to shut it off when you don’t need it.

4. Another water related one. Modify your toilet by either displacing some of the water in the tank with a brick or some other weight (A plastic soda bottle filled with water or sand work well). This will mean that your toilet is using less water to do its work. If you’re feeling a little adventurous you could look into modifying your toilet and installing a toilet lid sink. Sounds kind of unsanitary and weird, yes but kind of intriguing. Here’s an article with more info.

5. Unplug chargers and other small (or big) appliances when they aren’t in use.

Phone chargers, coffee makers, computers, TV’s pretty much any electrical appliance draws some sort of power even when not in use. These ‘Phantom Loads’ account for about 10% of the average household electricity bill. So when you’re phone is charged unplug the charger from the wall. Don’t use standby buttons on TVs or computers if you can help it. Plug them into power strips that have an on/off switch and shut it off when it’s not in use. Also remember to shut lights off when you leave a room. And think about installing motion lights in outdoor spaces instead of having lights on all the time.

6. Buy local, seasonal food.

Not only does local produce taste better and fresher it’s so beneficial to support the local economy. If you can’t make it out to a farmer’s market or there’s not one near you try to do your shopping at local independent businesses instead of large chains. It might cost a little more to shop locally but the pay off is huge.

7. Buy rechargeable batteries.

8. Be conscious of where you’re spending your money.

This is one of the biggest ways we as consumers can make an impact. Let your money be your voice. Do some research on the companies you spend money with. Find out what their environmental policies are. Are they taking steps to help the earth? Where do they get their materials from? Where is the product you’re buying manufactured? This can be really time consuming and overwhelming but you can save yourself some time by finding a couple good store or online retailers that try to carry eco-conscious goods.

9. Stop using toxic cleaners in your house

This one is really important, especially for those with small children, pets or people with asthma or other respiratory issues. There are a lot of companies making non-toxic and biodegradable cleaning products these days. Read the labels. Go for perfume and dye free laundry soap and skip the dryer sheets.

10. Pick your battles.

Don’t try to do everything at once. It’s great to want to be an eco super hero but you have to be sure to keep things in perspective and not to beat yourself up too badly when you accidentally throw that glass bottle away. Every little bit helps and it takes a while to replace the old habits with new ones.

After many months of anticipation farmer’s market season is upon us! Yay!

I have my list of markets to check out and at the top of the list is the 61st Street Farmer’s Market. It’s one of the independently run markets in the city and I’m really hoping it’s good. My goal for the summer is to get as much food as I can from the farmer’s markets hopefully it’s as easy as I think it should be.

Here’s some more info on the market. The 61st Street Farmer’s Market open May 16th and will be happening every Saturday thru October 31st 9am-2pm. They have a lot of special guest speakers, cooking demonstrations and a variety of other events going on throughout the year so check out their website or become a fan on Facebook.

If you live in Chicago and are looking for a market near you, check out the Explore Chicago website.

If you live anywhere else Local Harvest has listings for most of the rest of the country.

I watched this movie this morning.. I’m kind of speechless about it. Not sure if I’m angry, helpless, empowered or sad. I think a good helping of all of the above would be accurate.

Having lived in the Midwest my whole life and being surrounded by large bodies of fresh water I never really had to think too much about not having clean water to drink. I never experienced any restriction on water usage, have never gotten a serious illness from drinking contaminated water or really given much thought to where it comes from or goes to. I turn on the tap, wash my dishes, take a shower, fill my glass whatever, it’s always there.

I’ve started thinking a little more about my water usage lately along with every thing else I consume and noticed that there’s a lot of room for improvement in this department. I’m a water waster. I leave the water running while I brush my teeth. I love long hot showers. I wash my dishes before I put them in the dishwasher. This is one of my worst things for sure. I’m working on it but old habits die hard.

One thing I don’t do though is buy bottled water.

Flow explores, among other water issues, the huge impact bottled water has on the environment and communities. The plastic bottles are bad but so are the practices of the companies who are harvesting the water. One of the most surprising things they mentioned was that most bottled water is from municipal water supplies. So basically they are selling you what you are already paying for from your tap. I though the big issues was the packaging not what was inside.

Please check this movie out if you come across it. If you can’t catch it at least check out the website. The have a bunch of links on there about how to educate yourself on water issues and get involved if you’re so inclined.