https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/29/the-air-conditioning-trap-how-cold-air-is-heating-the-world
does a good job of describing the problem and paradox of air conditioning, that basically as the planet gets warmer, we use more air conditioning and that energy use, in turn, contributes to the warming of the planet.
Decades ago Christine and I had one of the few serious disagreements we've ever had. We were newly married and I bought a new car. (This will tell you how long ago it was, we haven't owned cars or driven for more than three decades now!) The car I bought didn't have air conditioning. Christine was appalled. I grew up in Minnesota and viewed air conditioning as an unneccessary luxury. Christine grew up in the south and viewed air conditioning as close to essential. That summer, when she was pregnant with Peter, our first born, and we sat snarled in hot summer traffic on our commute from Bethlehem. Connecticut to White Plains, NY along I-684, I realized that I had been very, very wrong. That, of course, meant that Christine was very, very right.
Our ultimate solution was to ditch both the car and the commute and eventually move to the more temperate Pacific Northwest. Issaquah, Washington proved to be a pretty good place to raise our kids and they seemed to have turned out fine despite being raised in a car and air conditioning free household.
Now we live several hundred miles further south, in Eugene, Oregon. While Eugene is a very cool town in many ways (for example, it has the highest bakery & bookstore score of any place I've ever lived) but in terms of average weather, it's a bit warmer and Eugene tends to have higher high temperatures. Clicking below will give you the details:
Average Weather in Issaquah
Average Weather in Eugene
Christine, Inkling and I have been doing fine in Eugene with strategically opening and closing our blinds and windows and using a few fans to keep cool. Inkling, being a black furred solar cat, has become expert at finding the coolest, shadiest places to be in the summer and the sunniest warmest spots in the winter.
I have one more bit of cooling technology, one that both Christine and my friend Michael have declared to be "dorky". It's a USB rechargeable neck fan. It looks like this:
I charge mine using either an Ultralight 6 Watt Solar Panel or the 10 Watt Renogy E.FLEX Solar Panel. The fan sucks air in the front and blows it straight out the top. When worn around the neck it provides a cooling breeze right across the major blood vessels in your neck and I find it makes a big difference in my personal comfort. But, I have to admit that I look like a dork when I wear it.
A comfortable dork.
Keep Cool!
Kent Peterson
Eugene, OR USA
