Living on a Warming Planet

Usually, when lighting designers and manufacturers talk about security, we are talking about someone breaking into your home or business. Today, I want to talk about another kind of security.

Climate change is affecting global security, creating climate refugees as people leave areas afflicted by massive droughts and rising sea level. Competition for resources, and the growing disparity between those most at risk and those least at risk destabilizes communities, countries, and entire regions, putting populations at risk of war. Loss of our glaciated areas can release pathogens for which we have neither immunity nor cure.

Human activity is driving the gradual warming of our planet, changing the cycles of rains, winds, and currents. Satellite imaginary has shown a 3.1 cm sea-level rise between 1993 and 2003. The intensity and frequency of hurricanes and cyclones has increased. Heat waves in Europe and North America have become more frequent. This summer’s fires in California have dramatically shown the effect of climate change.

What can we small businesses and individuals do?

  • Reduce energy and resource consumption
  • Explore different forms of energy production and distribution
  • Assist at-risk communities
  • Support partnering with indigenous peoples in tradition and innovation
  • Support multi-faceted integrated solutions
  • Support environmental rehabilitation

But how? We are tiny, we don’t have a lot of money. A lot of us are “mom and pop shops.” What can we do that will affect a global problem?

Let’s take this “to do” list one at a time. They are in no particular order, just in the order in which they came to my mind. So, they are not “do one after the other,” but need to be addressed simultaneously. And we can do it!

Let’s start with an easy one:

Reduce energy and resource consumption.

We all know by now to turn off our lights and other power-eaters when they are not in use. Covid-19 has taught us that we don’t need to drive nearly as much as we thought. Telecommuting is a good thing. We can save that fuel for the people who really NEED to travel to their worksites, like farmers, doctors, and others whose work is not portable or digital.

In addition to switching off unused lights, we also can avoid lights in the first place, if we are working with the sun is up. Natural light is healthier for us, so not only will we save money on energy, but we possibly save money on medical treatments for depression and other illnesses associated with insufficient sunlight.

This innovative idea is one of my favorites for lighting indoor spaces with solar power — no batteries needed! Brazilian mechanic Alfredo Moser developed a method for using easily available water bottles and a splash of chlorine bleach to make ceiling lights, allowing people to work indoors in sheltered areas.

Reduce the use of heaters and air conditioners. The problem with air conditioners is that while they are cooling your personal air, they are warming the planet for all of us. We can turn to nature for effective and more closely carbon-neutral solutions.

Maintaining a comfortable temperature has been a goal of human civilizations for millennia. In ancient Rome, cold water from the viaducts was piped through the house walls of affluent citizens. In India, baoli (stepwells) have been revived for cooling structures.

Cooling through natural evaporation has been used for centuries. It is most effective, however, in a dry climate. But in such areas, evaporative refrigeration for food storage is making a comeback. Just a few generations ago, a large earthenware pot set in an open window and filled with water provided cooling for rooms. A large-scale cooler based on this traditional technology was developed by New Delhi based Ant Studio.

If we can learn to work with our climate, instead of fighting against it, we have a change to make our live more comfortable, take steps to mitigate climate change, and make ourselves and our communities more secure.

A fun up-cycle!

We all are looking for ways to shrink our carbon footprint, and up-cycling is a fun way to do it!

I thought I would post an easy bit of up-cycled metalwork. All you need is an aluminum tray the right size, the old switch plate, a cold chisel or big old flathead screwdriver (that you don’t mind kind of messing up), a hammer, drill and bit, sandpaper or a file.

Use the old switch plate as a template to mark where you want to cut the holes. Set the tray on an old piece of plywood or a stack of cardboard. While wearing safety glasses, place the business edge of the chisel on the lines and gently tap in grooves on the lines. Double check with your template. Then just keep going over the lines again and again, deepening them each time until you cut all the way through. File the cut edges smooth. Drill holes as per the template. Give it a final polish and install your new switchplate!

I inherited my Nana’s collection of aluminum trays – probably 15 or 20. Some I use regularly, others I enjoy looking at, but how many aluminum trays can you hang on your walls? So, since we were remodeling the kitchen anyway, and I needed new switchplates, 💁‍♀️

Oh! The wall paneling is deconstructed pallets, stained. The shelves are original wood from the house (1932 Craftsman).

He Ua lā, He Ua! – Tips for helping your electricals through the rainy season

Winter is wet here in the islands. Our home in Hilo can get over 200 inches in the rainy season. This is a real challenge for anything electrical. Connectors corrode, insulation mildews, and stuff stops working.

So, between the rains and the winds, our local electrical systems take a real beating. Mildew grows in the seals and contacts, water seeps in, condensation can occur inside components. Outdoor fixtures can fill with water and short.

Take some time to go check all your outdoor fixtures. Clean and repair any damaged seals and gaskets. Refrigerators and freezers also have a hard time in this humidity. The seals can get mildewed and start leaking air. Clean them thoroughly.

Utilities have a hard time, with the constant humidity affecting connectors. Even without wind, you may experience flickering power.

If this happens, turn off all unnecessary electricals to reduce draw on the grid. You may also want to turn off the freezer and refrigerator until the power stabilizes. Low and fluctuating power can damage motors, and power surges can damage microprocessors—which most appliances from washing machines to microwave ovens seem to have these days.

Once the power is stable, turn things back on one at a time.

He Ua Lā, He Ua

He ua lā, he ua
He ua pi‘i mai;
Noenoe hālau,
Hālau loa o Lono.
Ō lono ‘oe
Pā ‘ā‘ā nā pali
I ka hana a ‘Ikuā
Pohā kō‘ele‘ele.
A Welehu ka malama,
Noho i Makali‘i
Li‘ili‘i ka hana.

Living on a Warming Planet

Now that both Hurricane Madeline and Hurricane Lester have simmered down and gone on their ways, I am in thankful reflection for our beautiful mountains which protect us, and the natural forces which caused these two massive storms to perform something of a meteorological judo move and use each other’s energy to move away from us.

But I am a little disturbed by some of the comments I am seeing on social media. Someone asked if “things have changed,” as when that person lived in Hawaiʻi, we did not call storms “hurricanes.” The answer is, “Yes. Things have changed.”

We didn’t used to call most storms hurricanes because Hawaiʻi generally didn’t used to get hurricanes. They were few and far between. By the time most hurricanes reached Hawaiʻi, they had downgraded to tropical storms or depressions.

But now they are maintaining hurricane force ever closer to our islands, and coming more frequently. What has changed? The climate.

As ocean waters warm and currents in air and sea shift, the conditions for hurricanes become more favorable. These hurricane-generating conditions will only grow stronger in the foreseeable future. Hurricanes will become more frequent, draw closer to our islands and, if we are not prepared, will wreak more damage in our islands than we have ever seen before.

Whether one believes that climate change is human-caused or just part of the natural cycle, the climate is changing and we all must learn to live on a warming planet.