52 Weeks of Impact

This is how I feel

As I sit here, normally the envy of several friends back in the States, in our beautiful 19th century apartment with double high ceilings and decorative moldings in the historical city of Vienna, Austria, I think back to the days when I wouldn’t be sitting on a ^$%)#*@& hand towel to protect the office chair upholstery from sweat.

I just read the weather forecast for today: it will reach 36 degrees Celsius/97 degrees Fahrenheit (309.1 Kelvin for those interested). Nils is in Geneva (in an office, in a suit), the forecast there is a chilly 33 degrees Celsius/91 degrees Fahrenheit. I know this is not politically correct, but I miss the good ol’ American way! Air conditioning!

Evidence that it’s really hot:

• 

  Even pigeons haven't the energy to come up this high

  I keep thinking there’s something crawling down my legs.  It’s merely rivulets of sweat.

• We’ve had a problem with ants (yes even up here on the fourth floor). I haven’t seen an ant since this heat wave began. I think it’s too hot for them to exert the effort to come all the way up here.
• On similar note, normally, the building that’s vis-a-vis to ours has a row of pigeons lined up on the roof gutter. There is not ONE pigeon there now. Perhaps they’ve had Icarus-type experiences, it’s definitely too hot to fly too close to the sun. (I just checked, no scorched carcasses below)
• For the first time in history, I’ve been successful in killing flies in the apartment — evidently they’re even more lethargic than I, their little cellophane wings more floppy than vibrate-y.
• The laundry bin is completely empty! I haven’t been generating much in the way of laundry. All I’ve worn in the apartment the past two weeks is underwear and a tank top, IF I wear anything! Ok, sorry, that was probably too much information.
• I recently read an Associated Press article that said that lizards are becoming extinct in some areas of the world because it’s too hot to reproduce. Let me just say that I understand.
• NOTE: Added a few hours later. Unfortunately, I had to move around today; I had to go to the post office. Further evidence that it’s really hot: I walked all the way home from the post office. After having spent ten minutes stuffed into the bus with the aromas of humanity (ew), I preferred to broil in the sun.

Air conditioning, evil or not?

At the risk of ticking off friends and family in the States, air conditioning use consumes fossil fuel, and adds to global warming. We’re actually creating a sort of vicious circle. In order to cool our interior air, we’re warming the external air which makes us need air conditioning even more. According to the Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. (EPA), “one-sixth of total electricity consumed in the US is used for cooling.” While this information comes from a study done in 1997, and a great deal of progress has been made in making cooling systems more efficient with less impact on our environment, that’s still a staggering statistic.

I wish I felt as cool as a ...

But is it only about comfort? Nils and I remember well the heatwave of 2003 in Europe.  We got married that summer on the hottest day in the history of Hamburg, Germany (everyone in our wedding photos looks very shiny). Our comical memorabilia aside, over 30,000 people died across Europe during that summer because of the heat. Governments became all too aware how ill-prepared they are to deal with rising temperatures. Many have since put in place measures such as installation of portable air-conditioning systems in care facilities, older hospitals and schools.

This week’s Impact effort is most challenging and most definitely self-serving. We’re going to try to discover how we can manage to stay cool with minimal environmental impact (i.e., without air conditioning). With heatwaves going on in many parts of the world, we know we’re not the only ones suffering. I’ll report back later in the week. Wish me luck and if you have tips, please feel free to submit.