Sprout's Green Blog Hop - Eco-friendly ways to keep cool!

It has been hot... for most of the country, it has been brutally hot recently so it has inspired me to think about ways to stay cool...in a more eco-friendly way!

First of all, the best way to stay cool is to stay hydrated - drink lots of water at all times of the day (not just when you are thirsty).  One thing I like to do to make my water more refreshing is to add a slice or two of fresh lemon.  Lemon is refreshing and adds a little vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and potassium to your water.  Another way to kick up your water (or iced tea or lemonade) is to add some fresh mint...I love how refreshing mint is and when the leaves are crushed or chopped the scent and flavor are just enlivening, crisp and cool! BTW - mint is super easy to grow, even from seed and is perennial so it will come back every year!

Once you have yourself cooled off, keep your home or office cooler... You can keep the temperature down in your rooms by closing blinds / shades during the day to block out direct sunlight.  Even better: plant shade trees on the south and west sides of your home to block sunlight and cool the building.  Mature trees can cool a building 10-20 degrees thus reducing the need for air conditioning (maybe even eliminating the need if you have a wooded area!) Trees also help to "clean the air" by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen.  If you want to plant trees around your home, consult with a landscape architect or arborist to make sure you choose an appropriate tree for your location and best time to plant.

Tell me your tips for staying cool this summer...

Welcome to Sprout's GREEN Blog Hop!
The weekly blog hop for GREEN Bloggers to meet, share and grow our eco-friendly network and do 1 new green thing each week!

Every week a new linky will be posted. Join in on the fun!  I would love to team up with other GREEN bloggers, so if you would like to co-host next week's hop, please leave a comment below and I will randomly select 1 comment to co-host next week.  Please spread the word - the more people who know about this hop, them more we can connect to and expand the Green Network!

THIS WEEK'S THEME: Eco-friendly ways to stay cool!  Got a great tip? Share it in the comments section below!

THIS WEEK'S CO-HOSTS:

Sprout's GREEN Family

Going Green with Noah 

NEW this week:  It's A Mom's World: GreenLiving for the Whole Family

and: Untrained Hair Mom

 

Suggested Guidelines:

1. Please follow Sprout's Green Family on GFC

2. Follow the co-hosts on GFC and as many others on the list as you would like - if you already follow them, follow them by some other means (facebook, twitter, networked blogs...)

3. Be sure to leave a comment with your green tip and so we know to follow you back

4. Follow as many other GREEN bloggers in this hop as you want - the more  you follow, the more will follow you back and the larger our green network grows!

Optional:
- Follow @sprout5 on twitter
- Tweet about this hop and include @sprout5 and #ecomonday in text

1. Host: Sprout's Green Family	2. Co-host: Going Green with Noah	3. Co-host: It's a Mom's World	4. Co-host: Untrained Hair Mom
5. Hallie	6. Good Girl Gone Green	7. Tiny Green Elephants	8. Jem's Room green parenting tips

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