The first thing I always see people say is plant a garden/trees or recycle, but I don’t have land, and I live in a red state that seems to hate recycling. The closest place to take plastic last I checked was over an hour away by car.

I know anything I do would have a negligible effect, but I’m sick of not doing anything.

Also is there anything I can do about the heat without running the AC? I try to leave the windows open, but they’re all on one side and don’t seem to allow for much airflow that way.

  • Redditmodstouchgrass@lemmy.zipOP
    2·
    2 days ago

    I figured, but when i looked it up a couple people were saying to put it outside, but one of those said double paneled windows would crack if it got too hot, so it might just be those cases.

    • Septimaeus@infosec.pub
      2·
      2 days ago

      There is a combination of full mirrored rejection film (often not allowed in urban apartments) + prolonged intense sun exposure + certain types of sealed double pane windows which can lead to overpressurization of the interior chamber by both doubling the intrapane greenhouse effect while thermally insulating one side with film. Though IIRC this usually results in the glass perimeter seals failing (like a “blowout” which defeats some of the thermal barrier function of the double pane glass) rather than glass cracking (usually associated more with rapid thermal changes, such as from certain styles of compact vertical ejection window ACs).

      But the type of thermal rejection film described above is not so aggressive as that. If the window is double pane and has a lot of direct sun exposure, you could ask an installer or consult with a store that sells these window treatments in your area to get an idea of the risk given local climate and specifics of your window for peace of mind. They might be able to recommend some film specifications as well.

      • Redditmodstouchgrass@lemmy.zipOP
        2·
        2 days ago

        So before I go to my smart-ass landlord about this, are these films easily removable if necessary?

        Edit: Also, when you say full mirrored, do you mean the kind that goes transparent at night or are there kinds that stay that way all the time?

        • NihilsineNefas@slrpnk.net
          2·
          2 days ago

          The way the transparency thing works is similar to a two way mirror; they’ll always let light through, but at night the light from the outside isn’t bright enough to overpower the light from inside, which is what makes the outer layer a mirror

          There are some which reflect about 95% of the light and practically 100% IR that are made of mylar foil like an emergency thermal blanket, think that’s what theyre talking about

        • Septimaeus@infosec.pub
          2·
          2 days ago

          Yes, I’m not aware of any designed to be permanent, since most films eventually have to be replaced. The easiest to remove use static cling without adhesive. Those can just be ripped off in one piece, if you needed to demonstrate.