Lately, it seems like all anyone can talk about is how hot it is outside.
And it’s for good reason: The whole world, from Texas to California to even countries overseas, is experiencing a massive heat wave. In Baltimore specifically, the Baltimore-Washington area recently recorded a streak of four consecutive days when the temperature was over 100 degrees, with highs tying heat records set in 1954, 1995 and 1988.
While none of these temperatures have beaten the current record of 107 degrees, which was set in 1930, the weather is still having a significant impact on the local population’s well-being. Notably, it has created obstacles for people who primarily work outside, which includes volunteer workers at places like Pearlstone and construction workers for Jewish-owned construction companies.
This has led them to try and find creative ways to stay cool,
Jared Stein is a stewardship associate at Pearlstone, helping to tend the retreat center’s land full-time. His work differs from that of the volunteer farm stewards who also help out on the Pearlstone campus because he works to maintain some of its more permanent fixtures, such as its orchards, walking trails and the farm animals that live there.
But the heat has made work difficult for the volunteers that work the land.
“It depends on where you are. In some areas, there’s a breeze, and other places are basically humidity sinks,” Stein explained. “I work with animals, like the sheep and chickens, and the pasture is an especially hard place to be when it’s hot out. The heat really hits you from both sides.”
No matter how hot it is, though, the stewards at Pearlstone still have a responsibility to maintain the retreat’s campus. Another challenge has been trying to figure out ways to manage the heat while working.
Stein noted that staying hydrated has been crucial to his work. He and many of his fellow volunteers have been putting electrolyte tablets in their water, which provide extra hydration. All water contains a trace amount of electrolytes, which helps to push more water into the bloodstream.
Another major concern for Pearlstone volunteer workers is the welfare of the animals who live in its pastures. Stein said that they have taken extra measures to keep the animals cool so they don’t overheat, such as installing fans in the chicken coops and regularly changing their water.
Yossi Azoulai, a construction contractor and owner of Key Tov Construction, is used to hot weather since he grew up in Israel. But the recent heat has been more difficult to deal with than the dry desert heat he was familiar with, he said in an interview with the Baltimore Jewish Times.
“A lot of Israel is desert, so it’s much drier,” Azoulai said.
The humidity has posed an additional challenge for him and the construction workers he employs, who primarily do exterior work.
One strategy he has found to help his workers beat the heat is changing their work hours so they can avoid the hottest parts of the day.
“We try to start early in the morning or later in the day. Most exterior jobs usually start in the afternoon, which is when it’s hottest,” he explained. “We’ve had to cancel some jobs due to the heat, because it can be dangerous for workers on the roof and who are placing siding, who are directly exposed to it.”
Azoulai also invested in Under Armor instant cooling shirts for his employees, which he notes have been very helpful. How cooling clothing works depends on the brand and the technology they use, but according to HowStuffWorks, they are typically made with materials that transfer heat and sweat away from the skin.
While solutions like cooling clothing and staying hydrated are relatively simple, they have been helping outdoor workers to avoid heat exhaustion. Stein noted that despite how difficult it has been, the heat wave has been a sort of bonding experience for him and his fellow volunteers.
“My boss says we should pretend we’re working on a tropical island,” he quipped. “We always talk about the weather and how we’re dealing with it. It’s a kind of communal suffering.”
