Hanley Sustainability Institute

By Shannon Dennemann

The month of June brought a large heat wave, not only across Ohio, but most of the United States and the world. Along with the high temperatures, the air quality was fairly poor.

The high Air Quality Index (AQI), a number rating the air quality from 1 (the best) to 500+ (the worst), has also been high. The average AQI in June since 2010 has been 59. However, last year it was 88, and this June it's been 44. During the June heatwave week, the AQI was 64.

After last summer being marked with smoke and poor air from fires, many are well aware of the health risks posed by heat and high AQI. In times like heat waves, it can be easy to focus on just getting by without considering the impacts of our actions.

Turning up the air conditioner, driving short distances and buying disposable water bottles to stay hydrated are simple ways to stay protected, but they can also have negative effects. When the AC is turned up or you embark on a short drive, it uses more energy and burns more fuel. When a bottle is bought instead of refilled, it contributes to the demand of single-use plastics, increasing the demand for fossil fuel-based products. The challenges posed by these situations are similar to those faced by many other aspects of sustainability.

How does someone make eco-conscious decisions within realistic means? Being aware of your behavior and planning are good ways.

When you plan your day, you can reduce the the amount of time an engine is running. Additionally, thinking about what you might need to stay cool (water, ice, a change of cool clothes) enables a person to reduce what they need to waste. Finally, air conditioning plays a large part in energy consumption. Having a cooled room is truly a relief after being in the heat, but a room does not need to be fully chilled when no one is in it. Setting a schedule that turns up the temperature when a room is not in use can help. If you do not have a thermostat that can run on schedules, manually setting the temperature higher when you leave is also an option. Closing blinds that face the sun, which let sunlight heat in, will also lower the amount of energy needed to maintain a comfortable temperature.

While these small actions can help reduce individual footprints, the issue of heat waves is not going to get better without large transitional changes.

Looking forward, how do we mitigate our impact on the overall planet while also maintaining our safety? Some of these include infrastructure changes, like switching to more renewable energy sources. This ensures the solutions to facing a heat wave do not also become part of the problem. Additionally, people can put more emphasis on working in shared areas, like a library, open office or coffee shop. This reduces the amount of rooms that need to be cooled.

Another aspect lies with the buildings themselves. In newly constructed houses, the concept of passive heating and cooling can enhance energy efficiency methods. Passive heating and cooling is when a building is designed with the purposeful intention to use natural energy as a way to heat, cool or even light a house. These methods include positioning windows to get sunlight to heat during the cold months, planting trees in specific light blocking places and having operable windows in shaded and breezy areas. Finally, adding green walls or roofs, which entails placing plants on a roof or wall, can help cool a building by blocking the amount of heat that can be absorbed by the surface. 

If we can be thoughtful in our behaviors and designs, we can improve the quality of life for many and decrease our impact on climate, especially during periods of extreme weather.