Going green: How to keep your cool and beat the heatwave

Spring this year was the UK's warmest and sunniest on record. Hot on its heels, last month became the warmest month on record for England.

We are already experiencing the third heatwave of the year—and it’s mid-July.

The highest temperature of the year so far was recorded July 1 when 35.8C was measured in Faversham, Kent.

While this is still well below the UK's hottest ever day – recorded in July 2022, when temperatures exceeded 40C for the first time – the trend of increasingly frequent extreme heat days is clear.

Tips for staying cool:

At home, during the hottest part of the day, keep windows and curtains shut to prevent the warm air from coming inside.

Avoid cooking and other appliances that add extra heat. At night and early morning, open all your windows to create a cool draft through your home.

Long-term think about shutters or awnings. If you have a parasol, move it in front of your south facing windows or doors.

Wear light loose clothing, preferably natural fibres such as linen, cotton and viscose and sandals. Wear a wide brimmed sun hat and factor 50 sun protection when outdoors to prevent burning. This is particularly important if you work outdoors or your skin burns quicker than others.

Synthetic, dark clothes trap your body’s warmth so increase the risk of being a sweaty and stinky. Fans – electric and traditional can help create a light breeze and encourage evaopration. You can also put your feet in a bowl of cold water or pop a bowl of ice in front of a fan for instant cool air.

Sip cold drinks to stay dehydrated throughout the day and lunches with fruits and salads that have high water contents. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, heavy meals and spicy food.

A cup of tea can help you sweat more so long as it’s not too humid.

Avoid exercise and going out in peak hours between 11am and 3pm and seek shade. Parks and green spaces can be several degrees cooler than concrete areas, which absorb heat.

In London there’s a list of cool spaces to rest in from the heat: https://apps.london.gov.uk/cool-spaces/

Shopping centres and supermarkets often have air conditioning, while churches and other big stone buildings can be cool inside and free to visit.

In a poll this month by YouGov, 77 per cent of adults surveyed described recent weather as much too hot or somewhat too hot.

Westminster council has a plan to create cool neighbourhoods.

So as summer heats up, if you do not feel well then get help.

It may be you are suffering from heat exhaustion or worse still, heat stroke.

Take off any excess layers, go to a cool place and cancel any immediate plan.

Celebrity spot

A host of famous folks turned out on the Greenpeace stage at Glastonbury and is well worth a watch. Benedict Cumberbatch, the amazing Ambika Mod One Day, Simon Pegg, Andrew Scott, Paapa Essiedu – wearing his climate stripes T-shirt, James Norton, Bella Ramsey and author Caitlin Moran. They read Letters Live featuring a wide range of subjects including environmental topics as well as Catilin’s own letter to her daughters.

Green swap

​Swap an expensive face spray for an old-fashioned atomiser bottle.

A spray bottle will avoid the metal manufacturing, the can be continuously refilled and the ingredients can be just plain water rather than lots of additives.

Why it matters – a guide to sustainable palm oil

Palm oil is one of those ingredients that appears in an incredible amount of food and personal hygiene products, from chocolate spread to tortilla crisps.

The reason the oil is so well liked by manufacturers it is very cheap, primarily because palm trees grow very fast in tropical countries so it’s easy to mass produce and is a very versatile component.

The disadvantage however is that many pristine and ecologically-rich rainforests have been cut down and lost forever for these plantations, negatively impacting the communities and wild life that live there.

This is obviously bad for climate change, local people and nature as forests store carbon and are home to a wealth of animal and plant species.

Greenpeace produced an impactful film about orangutans one Christmas, voiced by Emma Thompson called there’s a Rang-tan in my bedroom to highlight these issues

Just the fact you are reading this means you are educating yourself about the important issue as protecting forests are crucial for a stable climate and biodiversity. However, boycotting palm oil is not always the best solution.

Buying sustainable palm oil means you are helping to protect nature and ensure that those working on harvesting the crop are paid a fair wage. It’s tricky to know when doing the weekly shop, to know which items to avoid and those to support.

Some shops and brands do not use palm oil in their own-brand food while others use the product but from sustainably–sourced production lines.

World Wildlife Fund for Nature produces a palm oil scorecard, which is a way to check which companies are doing a good job and other agro-industry players who seem not to care.

For example, Müller UK & Ireland LLP had a red score as did the SPAR group – so marked low for sustainability while Mars – pet and human food producer – scored very well.

The good news is that most of the major supermarkets score highly including Aldi, John Lewis, Morrisons, Marks and Spencer and Tesco, it shows that consumers can help influence businesses who in turn help transform their supply chains and help protect forests and wildlife.

Another initiative is Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) – “a global certification system for “certified sustainable palm oil”.

It has a green and yellow trademark of a palm tree that helps shoppers identify brands that carry the eco-label.

Its website lets you search by country for products that are registered from soaps to cookie mixtures and hair dyes. https://rspo.org/as-an-organisation/our-trademark/products-with-rspo-label/ website.

Fact or fiction

1 in 4 cars sold are now electric vehicles (EV).

FACT.

In June, EV sales were up 46 per cent, while petrol sales were down 11 per cent, meaning more British drivers are benefitting from cleaner and cheaper electric driving.