Article: STAY COOL OLD SCHOOL SAVE MONEY AND LESSEN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT WITH OLD-FASHIONED METHODS OF COOLING OFF.(HOME)

Byline: Chris Martell

The hum of dripping air conditioner units is a summer sound as familiar as the drone of lawn mowers.

Without giving it a second thought, most of us flick the air conditioner thermostat at the first bead of sweat. But as people are now searching for ways to save money and the environment, it's useful to look back at how humans beat the heat before AC.

Some would be hard to pull off nowadays. Ancient Romans channeled water from aqueducts into the walls of certain homes to keep them cool. Medieval Persians chilled themselves with systems of cisterns and wind towers, while the ancient Chinese used immense rotary fans.

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