Indoor cooking adds heat to the inside of the house.  In cold weather, cooking can help heat the home.  In hot weather, indoor cooking works against your efforts to keep the inside of the home cool.  If you are operating an air conditioner at the same time you are cooking, the air conditioner has to work harder to remove the additional heat added by cooking and so uses more energy.  If you are not using an air conditioner, the inside of the house is more uncomfortable.  Here are some ideas to help keep the heat out of your house while preparing meals in hot weather.

• If you boil water to cook pasta or vegetables, pour the hot water down the sink (or outside) as soon as you are done cooking.
• Adjust your menu.  Save the long-cooking menu items for winter.  Cook enough for more than one day; in most cases it uses far less energy to re-heat food.  Microwaves are an energy-efficient way to cook or reheat food.
• When heating food in a pan on top of the stove, use a burner that matches the pan size.  Turn the burner off a few minutes before the food is completely cooked.  The residual heat in the pan and the heating element will finish the cooking.  If you are using an oven, you can generally turn the oven off several minutes before the food is completely cooked.  Don’t keep opening the oven door to check your food. 
• In addition to my standard large oven, I have a smaller, portable electric oven/air fryer that can accept a 12-inch by 12-inch baking pan.  If I want to cook something that requires an oven (like baking a pizza or a cake), I carry the portable oven outside.  I am still using energy to cook, but I am not releasing heat into the house.  You can also take crockpots and Instapots outside.  This only works if you can protect your food and cooking devices from nearby animals and insects (or if you sit outside and guard your meal). 
• I know several people who cook most of their meals in the summer on propane-fueled outdoor griddles.  These come in a variety of sizes including some that are small and portable. 
  

After I wrote a post about getting started with sustainability actions, I started thinking about what sustainability means.  We hear the word a lot but how much do we know about what sustainability really means?  I looked at some definitions and thought about what I know about our planet.  Here’s what I think sustainability means. 

One article used the phrase “healthy planet”.  In the biggest sense, sustainability means that individuals, corporations, and governments make choices that support a healthy planet.  A healthy planet is one where all of the creatures (including people) and plants can live healthy lives in a habitat that supports them, for many millennia into the future.  Based on this definition, we have a long way to go to reach sustainability.  We are using irreplaceable resources at an alarming rate, polluting the planet, quickly losing biodiversity and habitat, and changing our climate.  And there is no Planet B.  I am not suggesting that everyone needs to cut back to using only enough resources to barely remain alive, because there is more to life than just existing.  However, if we make lifestyle changes where we can, it will make a difference.  Each of us needs to evaluate our own situation - what aspects of our lifestyle are most important to us and what aspects we can change.  Start your sustainability lifestyle changes using baby steps so the effort is not overwhelming.  Here is a more detailed list of aspects I would include in addressing sustainability.  The list seems overwhelming, but don’t let that stop you from taking baby steps.  I’ll write more on each of these topics as time goes by. 

• Disposable items:  While many of us think of obvious items such as plastic straws, our disposable culture includes much more.  Items that are discarded instead of being repaired, reused, or recycled may be considered disposable.  Anything that goes into a landfill is actually a disposable item.  Items designed so they cannot be repaired are disposable even if you keep them for a few years. 
  
• Biodiversity: The earth has many millions of living things with a wide variety of types and needs. All species of plants and other living creatures, including human beings, are intricately linked by their interactions with each other and the environments they live in.  Taking away or modifying habitat or the “residents” of that habitat has an effect on every other living thing in that habitat.  Healthy habitats and residents are essential for a healthy planet.  Threats to biodiversity include monoculture (large areas with only one type of plant), invasive species, and loss of habitat through human activities. 
• Consumption: Manufacturing and transporting all the items we buy takes resources and energy.  Managing these items after we discard them also takes resources and energy, and some items create greenhouse gases as they decompose in landfills. 
• Energy: Energy requires resources for production and use.  Even renewable energy sources require resources to manufacture and then dispose of the components.  Some forms of energy production generate greenhouse gases. 
• Greenhouse gas emissions: These emissions are changing the earth’s climate.  There are many greenhouse gases, and some (methane, for example) are much more effective at increasing global temperatures than carbon dioxide.  Freon is not only a very powerful greenhouse gas but also destroys a high-altitude ozone later that protects the earth from some of the sun’s harmful radiation.
• Pollution: Tens of thousands of different chemicals are put into the air and water every day and can cause significant problems.  The list includes simple things like air fresheners and complex things such as chemicals discharged into the air and water during a manufacturing process.
  

I have seen a lot of discussion on the Internet about the environmental impact of natural fibers and synthetic fibers used to make clothing.  Synthetic fabrics are made from oil, just like plastic is. According to the attached article, “Petrochemical-based synthetics make up 65% of all fibers produced annually, with polyester by far the most widely used synthetic fabric. Despite the serious environmental impacts of cotton production, a T-shirt made from cotton produces 2.1 kg CO2-eqemissions while a polyester T-shirt emits an estimated 5.5 kg CO2-eq.”  Synthetic fabrics also contribute to plastic pollution. Washing clothes breaks off microfibers that contribute to microplastic contamination in waterways. Coatings on fibers or clothing contribute to pollution when they wash off and some are made with chemicals that are harmful to us and the planet. 
  
However, sometimes you need the qualities produced by synthetic fabrics and the treatments/coatings applied to the fabric, such as waterproofing.  Here are some ideas on how to reduce the environmental impact of clothing made with synthetic fibers.

• Buy clothing made from recycled materials when possible. Several manufacturers have begun making clothing using some recycled materials, so look for them.
• When evaluating clothing ,whether new or made from recycled materials, look for textile certifications such as Bluesign and Oeko-Tex, which indicate that a product was made with only safer materials and treatments.
• You can reduce microfiber pollution by using cooler, faster laundry cycles. Hanging clothes to dry reduces microfiber pollution and also saves energy. 
• Research microfiber filters that can be installed on your washing machine to capture the microfibers. 
• Purchase fewer clothing items of higher quality and maintain them carefully.  Read the laundering instructions on the label inside the item of clothing.  Some clothing requires special detergents or laundry cycles to maintain their waterproof or fire-retardant properties. Clothing that is properly maintained will last much longer, hopefully leading to fewer resources being used to make new clothing. 

https://earth911.com/style/wearing-synthetic-fabrics-more-sustainably