Indian Summer? I Say African Summer.

So it's hot. It's really hot. As I type this, I can think of little else. My original intention for today's blog was to educate you all on a very important bill coming up on the ballot too soon for comfort. But, as it stands, I can't think over the sound of my own sweat dripping in my ears. So, I started looking up ways to keep cool without using an air conditioner (saving the environment and all).

While a few of them were sort of no-brainers, such as drinking cold drinks, a couple of them were pointers I'd never heard before, so I thought I'd pass them on to you in the midst of this Indian Summer.

• Wet your wrists and other pulse points with cold water. This will instantly cool you down and can lower your body temperature up to 3 degrees F for up to an hour.
  
• Turn off hot sources of electricity (such as the computer I'm typing this on, for example). Stoves, lights, anything that puts off heat.
• Eat less, especially meat. You may be inclined to do this anyway, as people tend to lose their appetites in ONE HUNDRED AND THREE DEGREE WEATHER. Protein rich foods require a greater metabolic temperature to digest, and therefore will keep you a bit warmer.
  
• Mint is a natural cooling agent. Mint lotions, mint leaf in your five o'clock cocktail, mint anything will keep feeling cool.
  
• Fill a glass to the brim with ice and breathe into it. The air that blows back in your face will be like an arctic breeze.... just don't let other people catch you, it looks kind of silly. I had to explain to a customer who walked in today.
  
• "Heeee better lay low!" Wise advice, Snoop. Heat rises, so get down to the ground kids.
  

Alright. Six ways to avoid the heat, or at least pretend it isn't there, without turning on that power sucker. Try and keep cool and remember to wear your all-natural sunscreen, available here at Bambu Batu. Friendly Tips provided by GreenTerraFirma.com

Song of the day: Buster Poindexter's "Hot Hot Hot"

Bonus Video: Christine O'Donnell's look on science.

Bamboocycle

"I want to ride my bicycle!!!" (my bamboo bicycle)

Is there a greener form of transportation on this earth than riding your bicycle? The average U.S gas mileage in 2005 was 21 mpg, so theoretically, for every 21 miles you put on your foot buggy, you save a gallon of gas. You put no toxic waste in to the air, and jeez, if you ride 21 m/day, you're bound to get in decent shape. But can you make it greener? YES YOU CAN! CAN YOU MAKE IT GREENER?!?!?!?! YES YOU CAN!!!! CAN YOU MAKE IT GREEEEEEEENER?!?!?!?!? YES YOU CAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!! (whew. got a little too excited.) How? Bamboo bicycles, of course. Cool huh?

As I'm sure you know already, bamboo is a sustainable resource. It grows naturally in great abundance, and requires no pesticides or fertilizers. It provides more oxygen than trees, and prevents soil erosion, amongst other things. This means you're saving the planet when you choose bamboo made products over plastic, aluminum, steel and wood. Additionally bamboo is stronger and lighter than steel, more flexible so as to absorb shocks from riding, sturdy and long lasting, (it isn't going to rust) and can be worked and formed without even using electricity or other such intensive resources, while simultaneously providing job opportunities such as harvesting, building and shipping.

So where can you get one of these newfangled contraptions? Well there's a pretty neat company out there called Bamboosero. The company was conceived in 1995 when the CEO, Craig Calfee, made his first bamboo bike. Since then, it has been a fifteen year journey to get the place they are now. The fine folks there provide job opportunities in several different locations including New Zealand, Zambia, Ghana, Uganda and the Philippines- all places where bamboo is native. This, along with keeping mother earth alive, is the goal of their company. You can opt to buy a frame or a complete shiny new bicycle (with some parts made from other materials) and get to know builders through their online profiles.

Once you get your bike, come on in and see us to get some to-go wear and some locally made sunscreen to take on your cross country trip. Go forth, and put the bamboo fun between your legs.

Song of the day: Pink Floyd's "Bike"