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New Orleanians know it well: That steam-room atmosphere you discover when you step off the airplane and onto the jetway. Here, heat is about more than weather. It’s about alchemy, about embracing extremes, about pain and pleasure, often intertwined. Heat can open blood vessels and improve your memory. It gives us Tabasco peppers. Heat can elicit humor in a way cold never will. And don’t be complacent: Those in more northern climes will be facing temperatures equivalent to two states south of you by 2050. Join us on the hot seat as we talk about our love/hate relationship with heat, and why it can be oddly wonderful. And bring your fans.
Earthtalk: “Cool Roofs” for New Orleans
It’s hot outside, but it could be cooler! In this article, Brooke Theis explores Cool Roofs, an effective solution to the urban heat island effect that makes the New Orleans heat so unbearable. The author also explores inequalities in how people experience the environment from identity perspectives like race and class.
Big Chem-EZ: How can small Louisiana communities access clean drinking water after a hurricane?
When I went to visit the Pointe-au-Chien tribe after Hurricane Ida with my Service Learning class, I heard that one of the biggest challenges in the aftermath of the hurricane was finding enough drinking water, so in this article, I explore water purification methods: 1) when they are necessary, 2) how they work, and 3) if they really make your water safe to drink.
