Wow! The summer is here with a vengeance. It is HOT!The official first day of summer is June 21, the longest day of the year in terms of day light hours and the season ends on September 21, which has equal daytime and nighttime hours – the equinox. But unofficially, the heat of summer bears down on us already in the beginning of spring and becomes part of our life well into the fall.
In Israel, even the winter mocks us! With its teasing rains, which are never enough to meet the basic water needs of the country, and temperate weather. I remember so many winter days filled with warm sunshine even requiring some A/C in the car to filter the hot air.
I remember as a child, we had some really creative ideas for cooling off in the summer months: Wash the floors and not dry them or air dry the washed clothes in the living room. These things really helped cool off the air in the room and relieve us somewhat from the oppressive heat. We would also open the windows and doors from various directions to create a cross breeze. And of course, at every opportunity, we were off to the beach or a pool. There is nothing more refreshing than that first immersion into the cold water.
Today, there is another solution for dealing with the oppressive summer heat: The Air Conditioning. We close up the house completely, even the blinds, and turn on the A/C. When we leave home, it is to the air conditioned car and then on to the air conditioned office or bank or mall. And when the kids are off from school, they also are chauffeured around from one air conditioned site to another - malls and movie theaters.
The air conditioning is on full blast and the temperature is colder than in winter! When ever I leave home, I have to take with me a scarf or light sweater so I will not freeze and catch cold. I ask myself "Are these Antarctic temperatures necessary"? "Who is it benefiting"?
Using the A/C at full capacity costs a lot of money and also has a pretty big carbon footprint. Which effects global warming; which is melting the glaciers; which is raising the sea level: And more and more. Often, I find myself wondering what kind of world I am leaving for my children and my children's children.
I am always thinking about my children and how to ease their burden. In doing so, when they were young, in order make them comfortable on hot summer days, I would turn on the air conditioning to make the house nice and cold. Now my children are grown up and I do not know if we will continue to be able to cool off the world or if there will be enough water to drink or even if there will be a beautiful refreshing beach to run away to!
How can we stop this craziness?
Maybe we all need to be a little more aware, and not just in theory, but really be aware of the harm that we cause our world. Maybe there is still a chance to stop this craziness and maybe even improve the situation.
Share with us your comments and ideas on how we can protect the environment; for us and for the generations to follow.
Neomi
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