FYI STAY COOL DADDY-O http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050728/ap_on_go_co/energy_bill Are you waiting for the GOVERNMENT to give you relief from high energy costs?? The Good Lord helps those who help themselves. During this heat wave many folks are using Air Conditioning to achieve some modicum of comfort giving little thought that soon we will be spending our energy dollars to stay alive in the bitter cold of this Delaware Valley Winter. What to do what to do??? ONE COOP has got you covered on all fronts… SOLAR POWER http://www.phillysolar.org/ Philadelphia Million Solar Roofs http://www.millionsolarroofs.org/articles/static/1/1061817900_1023713684.html Live off the grid or even sell power back to the utilities. PRACTICAL THERMODYNAMICS FOR EVERYONE Simple: Close the drapes against the sun. Open everything at night to let in the cooler night air. Advanced: Open the lowest part of the lowest window on the North side (or the East in the PM, the West in the AM). That should be your coolest outside air. Maybe you can even open a basement window or door if secure. This is your intake or inlet. An intake fan (blowing inward) in this opening may even be warranted. Close all other windows. Open the top portion of the uppermost window (attic?) on the coolest side of the house, this is your outflow or outlet. An OUT blowing fan is good here. The temperature differential (difference) between the temperature of the hot ceiling air and the coolest outside of the house will create a natural flow of hot interior air to the cooler outside. Even without any fan whatsoever, the outflowing hot air will create a vacuum which will draw the cool air outside into the lowest open window Thereby creating a flow through your home from bottom to top. If you are using your basement window or door, the cooling power of a below ground basement can be used to cool off (exchange) the incoming air even further before it is drawn upstairs. If you live in an apartment, these principles can be used by opening the top windowsash and the bottom windowsash on the coolest side. All this is based upon the premise that HOT AIR RISES and COOL AIR SINKS. All interior doors between the two openings should be OPEN to allow the hot air to rise up and out. The further apart these windows are, the more circulation/flow you will experience Fans throughout the house increase air circulation. Especially ceiling fans which move the hot air trapped on the ceiling. Try to get the ceiling fan dropped from the ceiling as far as possible while avoiding decapitation. This allows room for the circulation of more air. SOUTH SIDE If the South side is really, really hot, then BLOCK the rays and the heat along the whole wall (inside and/or out) if possible with reflective anything. Aluminum foil over cardboard to reflect the heat and the rays away from your abode. Shutters, awnings, etc.. Corrugated Cardboard is an excellent insulator. Even white paper or trash bags taped to the windows will make a significant difference. How about some translucent rice paper Shoji screens for the interior decorator types. http://tatamiroom.com/cgi-local/catalog.pl?category=SHOJI_SCREENS-all. Carved screens can significantly reduce incoming rays while still allowing in light. Check this out… http://www.sajjacraft.net/wooden-screens.html WINDOW FILMS If you want to go high tech, Spectrally selective window film blocks solar heat while simultaneously transmitting high levels of natural light. http://www.edcmag.com/CDA/ArticleInformation/features/BNP__Features__Item/0,4120,154093,00.html Great for the summer time. This is great for CA, FL, and AZ but us’n in the Delaware Valley like the sun in the winter to heat us up a bit and we want to keep the heat IN. . SO for a permanent installation we would want to minimize heat loss through windows in the winter. Low emissivity insulating film applied to the inside face of ordinary single-glazed windows decreases heat loss by up to 30%. In summer LLumar films reduce the cost of cooling a building by rejecting up to 79% of the sun's heat. http://www.llumar.com/na-eng/Architectural/building.html …Dulley recommends metallized polyester films that reflect summer heat outside and help retain radiant heating in winter, much the same way high-tech insulated windows do, at a fraction of the cost. http://www.tomboytools.com/articles.asp?articleid=15 4 Season Top ‘o the line 3M http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/en001/architecture_construction/window_film/node_NF9JXBLJJMbe/root_GST1T4S9TCgv/vroot_CV0K6WBQN6ge/gvel_XZDC774V70gl/theme_en_US_windowfilms/command_AbcPageHandler/output_html PLANTS Deciduous trees on South Side allow sun in during winter and block sun in summer and plant evergreens on the North Side block winter wind and keep it cool in the summer. PRACTICES Find a cool cave. Stay in the shade under a cool tree unless it is lightening. Set the a/c on 78 or just below sweating temperature. Keep the A/C unit shaded so it doesn’t have to work so hard. Sleep downstairs where it is cooler. Go to the beach. Incandescent lights heat up a room turn them off. Move slowly. Jump in the deep end of the pool and grok on the bottom. To keep digestion efficient and to keep Pitta dosha from getting aggravated, it is important to follow good eating habits: Don't skip meals, especially breakfast. If you want a light breakfast, try stewed apples and pears. For a heartier meal to start the day, follow the stewed fruit with some sweet cooked cereal. Eat lunch as close to noon as possible. Lunch should be your heaviest meal of the day. For summers, the key is to eat light. This helps your heart and digestive system remain healthy and function well. If you need to go out in the sun when it's hot, don't do it on an empty stomach. Eat a sweet juicy pear and a spoonful of Rose Petal Preserve to help reduce photosensitivity. Avoid the really chill A/C and allow your body to acclimate to the heat like the folks who live in the tropics. COOLING FOODS http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2005/jun/27food.htm excerpted from…7 foods to help you stay cool by Marryam H Reshii | June 27, 2005 While the mercury keeps rising and rising, even the thought of eating spicy foods seems unpalatable. However, that is just what the doctor has ordered. The ayurvedic doctor, mind you. That's why Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, with some of the highest temperatures this side of hell, have such spicy cuisines. The theory works on the highly scientific principle that the more chillies you ingest, the more you sweat. And the more you sweat, the more cool your body becomes. Barley water I don't know about the Rajasthanis and the Andhraites, but speaking for myself, give me roasted barley water any day, with or without sugar and lime. …Barley water, the roasted variety, finds much favour in Japan too. Visit any Japanese restaurant, and the first thing that arrives at your table is a glass of cloudy water, usually served hot. Barley has a huge reputation of being a cooler of internal heat, just as seafood has heat-inducing properties. Bitter Melon Gourd (Kerala) El HA Gahn recommended this to lower my blood pressure and it worked. One vegetable common to both India and China is the humble karela. It takes away the heat from the body, even if you indulge in heating foods occasionally, The Indian variety of bitter gourd is saw-toothed and the seeds are small and tightly packed in the flesh. As the name suggests, this is a very bitter vegetable that is an acquired taste for most. Lightly salt and drain the sliced and/or cored vegetable for an hour before using to reduce the bitterness. When bitter melons become ripe they turn orange and the seeds turn red, these ripe bitter melons are also eaten grilled and then mashed. Bitter melon is excellent as a digestive and blood cleanser. Eating Bitter Melon the Bengali Way: As with all other bitter foods, bitter melon preparations are always eaten at the start of a Bengali meal with plain boiled rice. Serving bitter foods at the beginning of a meal helps get digestive juices flowing for the rest of the meal. Bengalis deep fry the bitter melon slices, add it to Moong dal, mix boiled bitter melon mashed with potato, and make the famous light stew of bitter melon and other vegetables known as "Shukto". Green bitter melons are also enjoyed as part of other vegetable. Cucumber Being as cool as a cucumber comes from the fact that the internal temperature of cucumbers remains 20 degrees lower than the external temperature on a hot day. People living in the Middle East and India have been eating cucumbers for hundreds of years as a natural coolant. In Indonesia, mutton is always served with a cooling salad of cucumber during the summer season, to counteract the heating effect of the meat. Green moong dal (green Mung Beans) There are a whole range of cooling drinks that are served nowhere else but South-east Asia. First among them is the water in which green moong dal has been soaked overnight. (Throw away the first water full of inhibiting/dormancy enzyme) While the dal itself gets cooked in a multitude of ways, it's the water that is said to contain the most cooling properties. Falooda, babri-beol or biji sawi ( PSYLLIUM SEEDS) Mumbai's falooda, Kashmir's babri-beol and Indonesia's biji sawi are all the same thing: those little black seeds, or tutmalanga as the seeds are called, that swell up when soaked in water overnight. They're used in cooling drinks, mostly with milk and sugar, and become something of a staple when the month of Ramzan falls in summer. Fruits Blackberries, Blueberries, Goose berries (Amla), Strawberries, Raspberries, Papaya, Raw mango, Peach, Apricot, Cherries, Muskmelon, Watermelon, Apple , Water apple Vegetables Bittergourd, Greens - cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, asparagus, green beans, alfa alfa, eggplant, iceberg and mint leaves., Sprouted moong beans and lentils. How do they help? 1. Fresh vegetables and fruits are high in vitamins and minerals. They have an expansive effect on our bodies, which draw heat from our central organs and, thereby, cool the body. 2. Fresh veggies and fruits also contain a lot of water which add to the cooling effect on the body. 3. Eating these cooling foods also assist the body's ability to release heat. This way, the hot weather doesn't make the body overheated or exhausted. A Pitta-pacifying diet http://www.mapi.com/en/newsletters/balancing_pitta.html Cooling Summer Drinks What's the first thing you reach for on a hot summer day-a cold drink? We instinctively know that cool drinks and cool foods help balance Pitta and replenish fluid levels in the body. But if a drink is ice-cold, it will douse your digestive fire and disrupt digestion, so it's best to avoid iced drinks, especially during meals. Also stay away from carbonated drinks because they slow down digestion. Freshly blended fruit juices and nectars drunk at room temperature are nutritious, satisfying and delicious. Grapes, sweet pineapple and water melon are some refreshing choices. Drink lots of room temperature or cool water and sip 2-3 cups of Pitta Tea during the day. Pitta Tea contains cooling spices and rose petals, renowned in ayurveda for cooloing down the mind, body and emotions. Fresh fruit juices and the water from young coconuts are wonderful pick-me-ups on warm sultry days. At bedtime, stir in some Rose Petal Preserve into (how about Soy, Oat, or Almond) milk that has been boiled and cooled for a soothing beverage. Rose Petal Lassi makes a refreshing lunchtime beverage. Favor foods that are liquid rather than dry, and cool or lukewarm rather than hot. Lentil soups flavored with Pitta Churna make a nutritious pitta-pacifying meal. Watermelon-Mint Smoothie, 2-3 cups diced seeded watermelon, 4-5 fresh mint leaves, washed 1 sprig of fresh mint for garnish Blend the watermelon and mint leaves to a smooth puree and serve cool, garnished with the sprig of fresh mint. Spiced Coconut Smoothie, Water and meat from one young coconut, 2-3 Medjool dates, pits removed and chopped roughly 1/8 tsp ground cardamom. Blend all ingredients to a smooth puree. Drink a glass of Sweet Rose Petal Lassi or Digestive Lassi flavored with cooling mint and cilantro. To keep Pitta in balance, favor the sweet, bitter and astringent tastes and avoid salty, sour and hot spicy foods. Sweet foods include rice and bread. Milk, butter and Ghee are all cooling foods. Fully ripe sweet juicy fruits like melons, cherries, grapes, pears and mangoes, and vegetables such as cucumber, broccoli, zucchini and asparagus are pitta-pacifying. Minimize yogurt, sour cream, citrus fruits and spicy foods like cayenne. Also avoid vegetables with heating properties such as tomatoes, hot peppers, radishes, onions, garlic and spinach. WHAT GARLIC?????? TOMATOES??? HOT PEPPERS?? I don’t know if I can take all this Pitta stuff. OR> Maybe that is the root of my problem Hmmmm,,,……Cook with cooling spices such as fennel, mint and coriander, and reduce hot spices such as dried ginger and mustard seed. Include two or three servings of vegetables, whole grains, lentils and fresh cheese. Herbs that heal The Aci-Balance nutritional supplement can help put out the fire inside if you experience excess stomach acid. The Liver Care formula helps maintain liver health and keep digestion and bile production balanced. ReGen Vitality is especially balancing for Pitta. It helps replenish vital nutrients that are depleted by excess heat, stress and overwork. ELECTROLYTES http://science.howstuffworks.com/question565.htm, http://science.howstuffworks.com/sweat2.htm, http://www.nephrologychannel.com/electrolytes/ Yes, drinking a lot of water is essential to keep cool and replace lost water. However, we do not merely perspire water. The premise of Gatorade is to replace lost electrolytes which help the cells of the nerves, heart & muscles operate in communion with one another. Seizures and dehydration can result when these salts are depleted. Lemon adds electrolytes. Blending a banana, an orange, or a few dates with a ton of water creates a good electrolyte replacement drink. Potassium Orange juice, bananas and potatoes are all excellent sources of potassium. For instance, a large glass of orange juice will replace the potassium lost in about 4 pounds of sweat. * Clear in color, coconut water is different than coconut milk in that it's extracted from young, green coconuts and has a subtle, sweet coconut or almond-like taste. Besides being high in potassium and electrolytes, coconut water also contains alkalinizing minerals such as magnesium and calcium, according to the company. Coconut water is the greatest natural rehydrating drink available. It's all natural, fat-free and cholesterol-free. Coconut water also has the highest level of manganese of any fruit or vegetable. Manganese is essential for bone growth and increases recuperative ability. It often is used to treat osteoporosis and menstrual cramps. Coconut water has been used for re-hydration and as a health and beauty aide in tropical regions around the world for centuries. Coconut water is low in fat and calories, has no cholesterol, and has a natural balance of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium- making it a healthy electrolyte drink. It has even been used intravenously to stabilize electrolytes. Coconut water now joins the pantry’s medicine cabinet. Coconuts are anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-microbial. The lauric acid in coconuts is also used to heal digestive tract disorders such as Leaky Gut Syndrome. According to ayurvedic belief, coconut is carminative: meaning that it helps to prevent intestinal gas, aids in removing toxins and increases the digestive tract’s ability to absorb nutrients. Coconut balances acid levels and flushes toxins out. Ayurveda considers coconut a natural stress-buster. The coconut is one of the greatest gifts of this planet. Coconuts are a prehistoric plant which can survive many months floating at sea. The coconut is a natural water filter that takes almost 9 months to filter each liter of water. The water travels through many fibers being purified where it is stored away STERILE in the nut itself. This coconut water is pure clear and is one of the highest sources of electrolytes known to man. Coconut water is identical to human blood plasma which makes it the universal donor. Plasma makes up 55% of human blood. By drinking coconuts we give ourselves a instant blood transfusion. Many peoples lives have been saved in 3rd world countries by the coconut IV. Coconuts are a great blood purifier. Celery Celery is high in magnesium, iron and chlorophyll, which is an excellent blood builder and is one of the richest sources of organic sodium. Excellent for those who enjoy vigorous workouts, maintaining valuable body fluid and electrolytes. Celery juice cools down the body and is great for hot weather. Sports drinks containing SODIUM: Reduce the risk of hyponatremia; Promote re-hydration following exercise by maintaining thirst (which keeps your child drinking) while delaying the production of urine. By contrast, drinking plain water eliminates thirst so your child stops drinking, and stimulates urine production; Encourage fluid intake because the sodium makes them taste better Salt: Your child's regular diet should provide an abundance of salt. For instance, a 2-pound loss of sweat results in a loss of only 1 gram of sodium -- an amount easily replaced by moderate salting of food (one half teaspoon of salt). Recommendation: Do not give your child salt tablets APPAREL Avoid Polyester anything especially hats. Stick with the cellulose (plant based fibers) such as cotton, linen/flax, ramie, Puckered Seersucker cotton fabric was developed in India to keep the fabric up off sweaty skin and to create insulated air pockets to protect from the heat and my favorite…it requires NO IRONING!!! YEAH!! http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-see1.htm http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@1289223025.1122585919@@@@&BV_EngineID=cchfaddffiklmdhcegecegjdghldghh.0&vertical=SEARS&sid=I0080602340004200085&pid=039AAAGK000 Wear a white cotton brim hat or carry a parasol/umbrella to reflect the heat off and provide portable shade. Also, the hat can be doused with water to cool a hot head. Dark fabrics absorb more heating rays while light colors reflect the heating rays away. Cover as much skin as possible to keep your COOLER body heat in, to minimize overheating from the sun and to keep your own moisture in. The great Arab scientists who made ice in the desert knew what they were doing. The Khemtic/Egyptian folks had gauzy cotton (Egyptian cotton is still the finest in the world) and they put a big mound of grease on top of their heads that melted slowly down during the day keeping their skin well protected from dehydration.