Benalla Sustainable Future Group
  • Home
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT BSFG
    • Advocacy, Education and Lobbying >
      • ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY
      • Education
      • Lobbying and Media
    • INTERESTS >
      • Bio-diversity
      • Food and Agriculture >
        • Food & Agriculture
        • Food Co-op
        • Benalla Local Food Network
        • Permaculture and Sustainable Gardening
      • Renewable Energy >
        • Renewable Energy
        • Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
        • Renewable Energy Benalla
        • Benalla Community Energy Project (BCEP)
      • Sustainable Building >
        • Sustainable Building
        • Green Rebuild Toolkit
        • BSFG's Guide to Sustainable Housing
      • TRANSPORT/TRAVEL >
        • Bicycle Action Group
        • Cycling in Benalla
      • Waste/Plastic >
        • Plastic Wise Benalla
        • Single Use Plastics
        • Microfibre shedding
        • Plastic Wise News
    • FUNDING
  • ACTION GROUPS
    • Strategic Objectives
    • Connecting and engaging the community
    • Greening and cooling our Urban Spaces
    • Ecological Sustainable Design and Development*
    • Widespread adoption of sustainable farming systems
    • Waste Wise Benalla
    • BSFG Review - Goals Raw Data
  • Food Co-op
  • REB
  • NEWS
    • News
    • Newsletters >
      • BSFG Newsletter
      • Benalla Permaculture - Feb 2023
    • Hot Topics and Kitchen Table Conversations
    • Light Ideas
    • Gallery
  • JOIN
    • Become a Member
    • Online Membership Form
    • Membership Form
  • Diary
    • BSFG & Food Coop Calendar
    • Environmental Action Days and Events
  • Links
    • BSFG Favourites
    • Catch Up videos
    • Benalla Central Community Garden
    • Benalla Permaculture
    • Bendigo Sustainability Group
    • Climate Ready Hume Newsletter >
      • Late June 2022
      • March 2022
    • Ecoportal
    • Gecko Clan Landcare
    • North East Region Sustainability Alliance (NERSA)
    • Totally Renewable Yackandandah
    • Wangaratta Land Care and Sustainability
  • Contact

What to  do during a heatwave...especially if there's a  power cut

10/3/2017

0 Comments

 
The ABC reached out to community members for ideas on the best ways to keep cool during a heatwave if the power cuts — or if you don't have air-conditioning to start with.  They are energy reducing at any time. 
"Use cold packs and frozen tea towels:
  • Cold packs in your pillow at night works great, or fill a hot water bottle with ice cold water, says Nel Edwards.
  • Jenny Grimes suggests putting wet face washers and tea towels in the freezer, then draping them over the head and arms and around the neck.
  • Spray the bed sheets with water, suggests Craig Gilmore.
  • Helen Robinson uses a damp handtowel in the back of the neck, frozen peas for dogs and cats to play with, and frozen watermelon cubes for people, dogs and chickens.
  • Hang wet hessian bags, sheets or towels on screen doors or open windows, suggests Robin Smith. Any breeze will cool down once it goes through the wet cloth.

Keep it cool outdoors:
  • Have to walk somewhere? Ruby Moon suggests completely soaking a hat with tap water beforehand and periodically pressing the brim to your forehead. She says carrying a bottle of water to pour on yourself can also help.
  • Invest in a kiddie pool that everyone can fit in, says Millie Moocher. The leftover water can be used on the garden.
  • Kerrie Green says she and her sister used to get a bucket of water to put their feet in. When it gets warm, refresh the water — it's surprisingly successful in lowering your body temperature.
  • Anna Salleh from ABC Science highly recommends having a blow-up pool around to lie in and cool off throughout the day.
  • ABC Emergency recommends staying out of the sun … but if you need to be outside, wear a shirt, hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Sunburn will affect your body's ability to cope with the heat.

It's important to make sure animals are also kept cool and comfortable.
Here are some tips from the Sunshine Coast Animal Refuge's animal coordinator, Jess Moody:
  • Put ice in your pet's water.
  • Give pets a kid's pool to splash in or drape them in cold towels.
  • Use sprinklers, misting hoses and fans to cool pets down.
  • Dim the lights or draw the blinds and keep outside animals in the shade.
  • Only walk pets in the early morning or late afternoon.
  • Make sure you don't leave pets inside parked vehicles.
Remember, animals can succumb to heat stroke quickly — even in conditions that don't feel too bad to a human.

​How to keep cool when you're at home:
  • Fill the bath with cold water, suggests Craig Gilmore, and hop in. It's a good thing to do across the day, or just before going to sleep.
  • Fill some plastic bottles with ice and tie them to the back of the fan with a drip tray, suggests Anna Salleh from ABC Science.
  • Handy tip from ABC Emergency: Draw your curtains, blinds and awnings at the start of the day to keep as much sun out of your home as possible.
  • Wear a wet T-shirt and continue to wet it as it dries out, suggests Neil Mcnally — sitting in front of a fan or in a breeze will help with the cooling effect.
  • Put bubble wrap on the windows for insulation."
ABC 11 Feb 2017 'How to keep cool if you are struck by a blackout'
0 Comments
    Luke Davies' Recycled String Band - 'Recycle and Reuse'

    'Light Ideas'

    A community blog of bright ideas and links for lightening our environmental footprint.

    Links

    Plastic Wise Benalla
    Plastic Free July's 'Living Plastic Free'
    Planet Ark's I Heart Recycling on Facebook 

    Ecoportal's 'Living Lightly'

    Topics

    All
    '11 Easy Ways To Reduce Your Plastic Waste'
    '12 Do's Of Christmas'
    '6 Surprising Energy Hacks'
    'Another Use For Single Use Shower Caps'
    Benalla Local Food Network
    Carbon Footprint
    Coping With Heat Waves
    'Determine Your Carrbon Printprint'
    DIY Wax Wrappers
    'Do Fans Make Any Difference'
    E-Cleaning Days
    Grow Free Carts
    Grow Free Movement
    'Handy Uses For Your Old Tablets And Smartphones'
    House Numbering
    'Living Lightly' Articles
    Localisation
    Microfibre Pollution
    Office Works Recycle
    Old Sneakers
    'Organic Origami Bin Liner'
    Plastic Wise
    'Print Friendly'
    Recycle
    Recycling
    REDcycle Bins
    'Reuse'
    Sportspower
    'The Climatarian Diet'
    'The Joy Of Op Shopping'
    Use Your Own Containers
    Veganuary
    WasteWise Benalla
    'What Can I Recycle?'
    'What To Do During A Heatwave'

    Archives

    March 2023
    June 2022
    April 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    August 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    September 2018
    June 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
Picture
News Blog
​Gallery
Newsletter
Light Ideas
​Hot Topics
Mailing List
Membership Form

Action Groups
​Benalla Food Cooperative
​Connected, Engaged Community
Ecological Sustainable Design and Development
​Greening  and cooling our urban areas 
​
​
​Renewable Energy Benalla
Sustainable Farming Practices
Waste Wise Benalla

​Donate to Support BSFG
​Benalla Sustainable Future Group acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we live, work and meet, the Taungerang and Bpangerang people
​of North East Victoria, and pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
Photo used under Creative Commons from Aka Hige