Summer in the Tropics

Summer has kicked in – and though it’s generally warm all year round in the Philippines, it’s especially more hot and humid from the end of March through May. Today, it’s 32 degrees celsius (90 degrees fahrenheit) – not too bad. Yet. It’s in May when it gets to be the hottest.

So as we prepare to keep cool during the next couple of months, let me share with you some of the sustainable activities in our itinerary:

Iced Refreshments

One of the things I crave for on hot days is a cold drink – and because I’m temporarily cutting off coffee from my diet, I’ve switched to tea. I brew tea, using either a loose leaf tea infuser, or reusable organic cotton teabags. I try to steer away from teabags unless they’re made of compostable material. After brewing, the used loose leaves are good addition to our compost too.

There’s always a pitcher of iced sweet tea in the fridge these days – and sometimes to add a bit of a kick I would add mint or kalamansi from our garden.

Solar Power

One of the perks of summer is we get to maximize the use and benefits of our solar panels. Drying of our clothes is also so much faster, as we hang them at the backyard to let the sun and wind do their thing.

Coral-safe sunscreens

While it’s good for the skin to use sunscreen, most of the products out in the market are not safe for the corals. Some ingredients are harmful to marine life and the oceans, and cause coral bleaching. We must do our research and check the ingredients before making a purchase. Ingredients like paraben, oxybenzone and octinoxate are not reef and marine friendly, so these definitely do not pass my ‘sunscreen screening’. First thing I look for in sunscreens are words saying ‘reef safe‘ or if they contain non nano zinc oxide.

Hydrate

During this time of the year I would hear news about people and animals who get dehydrated. So we put up some water-filled basins around the yard that can serve as birdbaths, or simply just aid the birds when they’re thirsty. We also placed some drinking bins outside at the street so that they can aid stray cats or dogs beat the heat.

When we go out for walks, I also bring my personal water tumbler so I don’t have to but bottled water. For out of town trips we bring our refillable water jugs and first thing we look for is a water refilling station.

Savor Fruits of the Season

Now’s the best time to drink up to this season’s fruits – and no trip to the beach would be complete without a taste of coconut juice, mango shake or watermelon shake. Yum!!

What’s your favorite summer activity? Let me know what sustainable practices I can also try out!