LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif. — When sculptor Bobby Zokaites moved to Phoenix in summer 2011, walking the half-mile to classes at Arizona State University in triple-digit heat felt risky. He learned to find shade along his route — resting in a stoplight's sliver of it, dodging the sizzling sun at each opportunity.
Edward Shephard, left, and Adrian Simpson play basketball near a temporary public art piece that provides shade Aug. 30 at Sunnyslope Park in Phoenix, Ariz.
“It was pretty crazy,” he recalled.
Those experiences influenced one of Zokaites' latest projects: He was one of nine artists commissioned this year to bring shade to the region.
Across the U.S., cities are weaving art, science and community engagement to protect people from extreme heat and communicate its risks. As cities adapt to hotter temperatures, driven by human-caused climate change, and contend with urban heat, shade is playing a critical role. But communicating heat risks and safety can be challenging. That is where art comes in. It can engage, bring hope and even enhance how cool someone feels.
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Shade “can be much more than functional," said David Hondula, Phoenix’s director of heat response and mitigation. "It can enrich our public spaces."
At one park in Phoenix, a large awning is held up with panels of dazzling colors. On them are painted whimsical creatures called “alebrijes" from Mexican folk art, and the structure contains a solar-powered misting system. At another park, a canopy decorated with colorful drawings uses reflective paint and an ultraviolet-resistant canvas.
These are part of Phoenix's temporary public art pieces created with help from locals. Each was unveiled during a community event featuring information about shade and heat safety, along with free cooling towels and sunscreen.
“The more you know and the more you can recognize your own body’s response, the better you can take care of yourself," said Carrie Brown, deputy director for the city's office of art and culture.
Arizona State University doctoral student Muhammad Abdullah sets up MaRTY, an instrument used to take measurements in direct sun and shade, at the Reflections on Sunnyslope shade structure Aug. 30 at Sunnyslope Park in Phoenix, Ariz.
These art installations are one element of the city's plan to expand shade. Studies show that shade significantly reduces air and surface temperature and how intensely people feel heat. In a city that has averaged in the past decade more than 115 days annually with day temperatures past 100 F, cooling shade can be lifesaving.
Shade can feel even cooler when combined with beauty. One study in Phoenix, co-authored by Hondula, found that people rated aesthetically pleasing bus stops as being cooler than less beautiful ones. In another from Hong Kong, findings suggested that people had a higher heat tolerance when they perceived their environment as quiet and beautiful.
In Cambridge, Massachusetts, a place accustomed to dreary winters but not heat, a project titled “Shade is Social Justice” is helping the city convey heat dangers and safety with creative designs. One installation features hanging flowers that open when temperatures hit 85 F, signaling to people to cool down with water and shade, said Claudia Zarazua, the city's art and cultural planning director.
On a recent afternoon in Phoenix, Arizona State University doctoral student Muhammad Abdullah rolled an advanced mobile weather station called MaRTy 3D+ next to a shade art installation in Cielito Park. He measured temperature, humidity, wind and radiation, then estimated what could be happening to a person’s body in both the shade and in direct sun light.
He found that moving from sun to shade dropped the mean radiant temperature from about 145 F to 88 F. The change did not significantly affect core temperature, but skin temperature decreased immediately. When MaRTy3D+ returned to the sun, skin temperature rose again.
MaRTy 3D+'s ability to model and measure how different people thermoregulate is unique. It can tell researchers, for instance, the skin and core temperature as well as cardiac strain in someone who is elderly or on a specific medication, said Jennifer Vanos, an associate professor at ASU who studies heat’s impacts on the human body and how to mitigate them. This technology allows them to collect real-time data in sometimes risky situations without impacting humans. They are using their findings to make recommendations to the city.
Edith de Guzman, a cooperative extension researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, has spent years researching how to increase shade in communities most impacted by heat. With colleagues, she has also quantified that shade can reduce up to 25% of heat-related deaths in LA and up to 66% of heat-related emergency room visits. When the opportunity emerged to curate an art exhibit about shade and who lacks access to it, she and her husband took it.
Reflections on Sunnyslope, an art piece by Jessica Arias that also functions as a shade structure, stands at Sunnyslope Park on Aug. 30 in Phoenix.
“Roots of Cool: A Celebration of Trees and Shade in a Warming World" takes visitors into the past, present and future roles of shade in LA with textiles, paintings, mixed media, interactive maps, suspended multicolored umbrellas and more. Their goal is not just to highlight the issue, but also show the general public that solutions exist, de Guzman said.
A three-part installation by artist Leslie K. Gray invites visitors to consider the past, current and future experiences of public transportation users in the city. Each features a silhouetted woman waiting at a bus stop with either no shade, a little bit or ample amounts. The bus stop signs include facts about the dangers of heat, the benefits of shade and the disparate access to it.
The exhibit ends in a room with hundreds of postcards with handwritten messages from visitors to the past, present or future. On the other side are drawings showing how they would bring much-needed shade to a bus stop.
Behind one card dated Sept. 1, a visitor wrote this message: "Dear people from the past. Take care of others among you. Take care of mother earth or we will be at fault for its destruction and ours. Sincerely — Someone (who's) watching the effects of our actions occur."
15 ways to stay cool this summer without AC
15 ways to stay cool this summer without AC
The summer of 2025 continues to heat up across the United States. According to the National Weather Service's climate outlook for June through August of this year, above-normal temperatures are expected throughout the country, with the highest temps predicted in the Southwest and Northeast. Already, most of the nation endured a record-breaking heat and humidity wave in June 2025, and there's more than a month of summer still to go.
Unfortunately, warmer-than-average summers are quickly becoming the norm. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration notes that the summer of 2024 was the fourth-hottest recorded in the nation's history. The month of August 2024 alone set a new standard as the warmest August in NOAA's global climate record, which goes back 175 years.
Suffice it to say, staying cool has become more important—and more difficult—than ever. According to a May 2025 report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and the Center for Energy Poverty and Climate, prices for home cooling are expected to soar in the summer of 2025 and may reach a record high. Luckily, there are many low-cost, energy-efficient ways to cool off during summer heat that work and don't involve sitting in a bath of ice water all day. These tricks can make a difference when your attention is required in a classroom or office setting, or if you're working outside and need relief from the hot sun. Stacker scoured scientific studies, DIY websites, and even American history to devise 15 ways to stay cool on warm days without AC.
Keep reading to learn a simple hack for using skin care products to bring down your core temperature, how hot beverages may actually cool you off, and how to use fans more to beat the heat this summer.
Aloe ice cubes
Despite one's best efforts to reapply sunscreen as directed, being out in the sun all day can still lead to sunburn and skin damage. The medicinal use of aloe vera to help treat skin ailments can be tracked all the way back to the 4th century B.C. The antiseptic aloe vera is ultimately a wonder plant: In skin care applications it acts as a cleanser, astringent, and moisturizer, and it can stimulate the growth of new skin tissue, while also calming the nervous system. For an extra cooling effect, mix water and aloe vera in ice cube trays, and pop them into the freezer for use when needed.
Keep skincare products cold
Whether your skincare routine involves multiple products or just one, keeping them in the refrigerator can make for a refreshing reprieve from the heat. Many lotions, serums, sprays, and masks will even keep their potency for longer when kept cold.
Stop cooking
There is no better way to heat up a home in the summer than by switching on the oven, burners, or toaster oven. Avoid that entirely by grilling outside, eating out, or switching things up with meals that don't require the stove on the hottest days. Salads, cold sandwiches, cold soups like gazpacho, and nori rolls are all great options for hot days.
Cool down pressure points
A well-placed bandana that's been soaked in cold water will work wonders to cool you off. Be sure to tie it around a major pressure point (ankles, wrists, neck, or elbows) and it can provide an instant chill.
Up your fan game
Strategic placement of fans throughout the home can completely change an indoor climate. Window fans pulling in cooler outside air should be positioned on the first floor of the shadiest, coolest side of the home (most likely in a north-facing window). A fan blowing out the window, which will suck warmer air from inside, should be placed on the sunniest, hottest side of the second floor (or same floor if it's a one-story home or apartment). Ceiling fans should be rotating counter-clockwise (from your vantage point below it)—don't forget to reverse this direction during cooler months!
Increase water intake
Besides keeping your body hydrated, drinking water helps regulate internal temperatures. Keep your hydration levels topped off throughout the day and evening to ensure heat is being managed most effectively by your most powerful weapon. The American Heart Association recommends drinking water in equal measure to how many ounces of sweat you're expelling—for a high school football player, that can be up to five pounds in one summer practice, or 80 ounces.
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Fill water bottles with ice water
Hot water bottles are built to keep people warm on cold nights, but they can also serve the opposite purpose. Fill your hot water bottle (or a regular water bottle, if that's what you have) with tap water, put it in the freezer for a few hours, and then sleep with the bottle at your feet. Your feet are one of the most temperature-sensitive parts of your body, so keeping them cool will help the rest of your body stay cool.
UV window films
While a west-facing home may be perfect in winter, it makes cooling the house down in the summer a bit more challenging. Stock up on reusable UV window film to keep the sun's harmful rays out and the cool air in (it will also work to keep your home warm in the winter). Tinfoil and space blankets work great for blocking heat from windows, too, and may save you a few bucks.
Wear cotton clothing
Cotton is a great fabric for the summer whether you live in the dry heat of Arizona or humid Florida; this light material allows air to circulate without getting trapped in one place, cooling your body naturally. Other fabrics that can help you fight off the sweat are chambray, rayon, linen, and synthetic blends, and lighter colors are generally cooler than darker colors.
Eat foods with high water content
Drinking a lot of water is one way to stay hydrated during the summer, but it can also be done through eating foods that have high water content. This includes fruits and vegetables such as melons, cucumbers, lemons, grapes, leafy greens, and berries. Spicy foods prepared with chili peppers are great coolers as well: the chilis increase circulation and cause perspiration. And while ice cream might seem refreshing in the moment, it will only make you feel warmer in the long run—flavored ice is a good alternative.
Drink something hot
It seems counterintuitive, but drinking something hot on a warm, dry day can help to cool a body off. A Thermal Ergonomics Lab study found that drinking a hot beverage increases sweat production, which in turn cools the body off. There's just one caveat—the sweat needs to be able to evaporate in short order. This trick will not work if you're wearing a lot of clothing that can trap sweat or if the scorching day is paired with high humidity.
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Close your windows during the day
Strategically opening windows at night when the air is coolest and keeping them closed (with curtains drawn!) during the day is one of the most straightforward ways to keep a home cooler in summer months. This method is most effective if you have adequate insulation in the walls to trap the cooler night air inside. Another window trick is to take advantage of convection: When double-hung windows are open, keep them as such at the top and the bottom. Having the top window cracked allows hot air to escape, while the bottom window being cracked will suck in cooler air from outside.
Chill your sheets before bed
Plan ahead for hot nights: fold up a top sheet, put it in a bag, and set said bag in the freezer a few hours before bed. When it's time to hit the hay, take the sheet out and lay it on top of you. For a last-minute (slightly messier) iteration of the same technique, before going to bed wet down a top sheet in cold water, wring the sheet out well, and put it over yourself.
Block the light
In addition to keeping windows closed during the day and open at night, use blackout curtains to trap cool air inside and keep the heat from coming in. They've been said to reduce heat transfer through windows by as much as 24%—that's a lot of degrees when it's sweltering outside.
Practice Pranayama
Pranayama is the practice of breath control—and utilizing it can make you feel noticeably cooler. Two breaths, in particular, that can help are the sitali ("cooling breath") and sitkari ("sipping" or "hissing"). In the sitali, the mouth is opened into an "O," and the tongue folded lengthwise into a tube to suck air through. After sticking the curled tongue out almost an inch from the lips, a big breath is drawn in, using the tongue like a drinking straw. This will pull cool air into the diaphragm. After breathing in, the mouth is closed and air slowly exhaled through the nose. The sitkari variation of this breath involves closing the top and bottom teeth together with lips open in a smile. Long, slow breaths are drawn in this position through the teeth and mouth, then the mouth is closed and the breath exhaled slowly through the nose.
2021 is already shaping up to be a hot year, with warmer than average spring temperatures and hot streaks across much of the continental U.S into June. In May 2021, there were 947 record warm daily high temperatures recorded across the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Stacker scoured scientific studies, DIY websites, and even American history to come up with 15 ways to stay cool on warm days without AC.
For anyone not living along the northern edges or mountains of the U.S., the dog days of summer feature weeks—if not months—on end of intolerable heat. Sizzling temperatures have been shown to negatively affect memory, reaction time, productivity, moods, and even suicide rates. One study by Harvard University in 2016 tracked students before and after a heatwave and determined that higher temperatures correlated with decreased cognitive function; another by Stanford University in 2018 studied the links between suicide rates and temperature and ultimately theorized that bumps in temperature from now through the year 2050 may correlate with an added 21,000 deaths from suicide.
For the times we can't be in air conditioning 24/7, there are thankfully many low-cost, energy-efficient ways to cool off during summer heat that work and don't involve sitting in a bath of ice water all day. These tricks can make a difference when your attention is required in a classroom or office setting, or if you're working outside and need relief from the hot sun.
Keep reading to see a simple hack for using skin care products to bring down your core temperature, how hot beverages may actually cool you off, and how to up your use of fans to beat the heat this summer.
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