I’m looking out my window at a sky that’s hazy with smoke. About half an hour north of here, a forest fire is burning in Squamish, growing larger each time I look. I used to associate summer in BC with fresh air and outdoor activities, long beach days or boat rides or hikes in the mountains. Now, I feel summer in my throat. It’s not smart to exercise outside, or even be outside for long, until the air quality index dips down again.

But neither is it time to cry despair from the sidelines. These fires are a wake-up call — should we choose to accept it.

This week’s sustainable step is about how to stay cool and create a healthy indoor space when the outdoor air quality isn’t good, in as eco-friendly way as possible, and use these dark skies as a launching point into a deeper conversation.

Climate Change Is Here

Scientists estimate that our earth’s surface has already warmed by 1.47 degrees Celsius (2.65 degrees Fahrenheit) since the pre-industrial average from the late 1800s. It seems pretty clear that we’re going to miss the Paris Agreement’s target of reversing global warming before we hit 1.5 degrees Celsius — the projected tipping point beyond which the damage we cause is irreversible.

Does that mean all is lost? We might as well crack open the nice wine we’ve been saving, blast our A/C, and watch Netflix while the world burns?

I don’t think so. I think the planet is a living, breathing organism that can scar over and heal — if we stop treating it like garbage and give it space to breathe anytime soon.

But the shape of things will be different. We’ll have to modify our lives to live with the new, hotter, smokier normal. Ideally, we can make those modifications while scaling back on the damage we’re doing at the same time.

Adjustment #1: Choose A Heat Pump over A/C

Listen, I get it. If traditional air conditioning is all you’ve got, it’s 40 degrees outside, and you’re going to melt without it, you need your air conditioning. But when and if you’re able to make the switch, here’s why heat pumps are a cooler way to cool, long term:

Energy Consumption: Air conditioning units use a lot of electricity. Heat pumps are way more efficient — they typically use about 25% of the energy to cool the same space.

Refrigerant Emissions: Many air conditioning systems use chemical refrigerants (like freon) that are potent greenhouse gases, thousands of times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Heat pumps use eco-friendly refrigerants that have a much lower global warming potential.

Heat Island Effect: Air conditioning units release heat back into the environment. When lots of people run their A/C units at once, urban areas become warmer, which causes more people to use their A/C. And so on. Heat pumps move heat from one place to another, and do not have the heat island effect.

They’ve recently begun to make window units for heat pumps as well. So if you can’t afford to retrofit your whole house — or you live in an apartment, or rent a space — you can buy a single room heat pump instead of a traditional window box A/C.

Adjustment #2: Air Purifiers

I have three blasting today — including one right beside the table where I’m typing — and already my throat feels much better than when I woke up this morning. A good air purifier doesn’t have to break the bank — just make sure it’s equipped with HEPA and activated carbon filters to remove smoke particles.

I’m not sure if there’s a huge difference in energy efficiency between brands, but if you live in British Columbia, BC Hydro is offering rebates on brands they identify as energy efficient.

Adjustment #3: Indoor Plants

Every plant is a natural carbon sink — they breathe in the carbon dioxide with delight, and breathe out nice fresh oxygen for human consumption. They purify air by removing toxins like formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene. While not quite as efficient with wildfire smoke, they do help a little with that, too.

Plants also increase humidity, which helps cool down your home without electricity.

Really, any plant will work, but if you’re looking for the most powerful purifiers to start your indoor collection, consider: spider plants, snake plants, aloe vera, rubber plants, pothos, dracaena, peace lilies, philodendron, or bamboo palms.

Adjustment #4: Exercise Smart

While exercise remains essential, it’s time to skip the mountain hikes until the air clears up. When you raise your heart rate through exercise, your body needs more oxygen — so it takes in more air. Smoke-filled air has fewer oxygen molecules and more fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Repeated exposure increases the risk of developing chronic breathing or heart issues. If you’re very young or very old or already have a heart or lung condition, it’s even more important to take it easy in the smoke.

But we can’t just not exercise until summer ends. That’s not healthy either — for our bodies or our minds.

So when the skies are smoky, I’ll target one room to blast the purifier in, and find a YouTube video to do in the fresh, clean air. My favorite online instructor for the past 15 years or so has been Jessica Smith. (I find her walking workouts easy and flowy while still getting my heart rate up to a cardio level.) There are many options out there — find one that feels right for you.

And the long game?

In addition to adapting to live with the smoke, I think we have to use times like this as a wake-up call. It’s a great time to bring up the conversation with friends. In as casual (not preachy!) a way as possible, guide the conversation toward solutions. When people can see the smoke out their window, and feel it in their lungs, their concerns about climate change will become more present. When you hear someone despairing, it’s an opportunity to give your friends action items that can help them feel empowered instead.

Whether you inspire them to shop more sustainably, install a heat pump instead of an air conditioner, cultivate an indoor jungle, or (and I think this is the biggest one right now) resolve to vote for candidates who care in the next election, you’ll be using the chaos to take a sustainable step toward a future we can breathe in.

It’s easy to feel apocalyptic when the sky is black with smoke. We’re backsliding right now in a big way — people have forgotten all about climate change in the face of Donald Trump and economic uncertainty. But the earth, like our society, is a living organism that can heal and change and reshape itself under the right circumstances. Let’s use this smoke to deepen our resolve to fight — and win.