Happy Hump Day, Shit Givers.
Hot enough for you? Over the July 4th weekend, a heat dome parked over the eastern US and set at least 148 daily high-temperature records in less than a week, while pushing more than 20 states past 100 degrees.
Europe, too, is in the middle of what the WHO is calling its worst heat event on record, with at least 1300 confirmed excess deaths since June 21st, and early modeling suggests the real toll may run far higher, especially among people over 65 and those without AC.
Last week, Lauren stepped in to cover how communities are planning for heat. This week, we’re going to focus on who is most exposed, what’s fixable at the infrastructure level, and what you can do, today, not just when your city finishes its heat plan.
Let’s go.
— Willow
Don’t Let Them Cook
These are the bills in Congress right now that would finally get workers a federal heat standard (or block it before it exists).
Here’s what you can do:
The Asunción Valdivia Act would finally direct OSHA to issue a federal heat standard for workers (go).
Protect farmworkers from heat by advocating for H.R.4844, which would add smoke and heat protections for the people growing your food (go).
Tell Congress to fund heat-resilient schoolyards by passing H.R.8303/S.4258 (go).
Protect families from climate change with funding for pregnant and postpartum people facing climate health risks (go).
Oppose the Heat Workforce Standards Act, which would block the Secretary of Labor from finalizing or enforcing the OSHA heat injury/illness standard that’s been in the works since 2024 (go).
Shade Is Infrastructure
Heat is a design problem as much as a weather problem. Tree canopy and reflective surfaces can drop neighborhood temperatures by several degrees.
Here’s what you can do:
Mitigate Excess Urban Heat — H.R.3703 creates a HUD grant program for tree canopy and cool surfaces in underserved neighborhoods (go).
The TREES Act of 2025 funds residential tree planting through the Department of Energy (go).
See what this looks like on the ground with the Baltimore Tree Trust. They plant trees that cool streets and clean the city’s air (go).
Check out the Cool Roof Rating Council’s directory of cool roof and wall materials if you’re renovating (go).
Stay Cool Without Going Broke
Staying cool isn’t free. Here’s a range of ways to lower that cost.
Here’s what you can do:
Household Water Assistance — H.R.4733 helps low-income households afford water bills (go).
Energy Independence & Affordability — H.R.5862 restores clean energy tax credits (go).
TECH Clean California provides training to become a certified heat pump installer (go).
Finance energy-efficient home upgrades using Atmos Financial (go).
Compare vetted solar and heat pump quotes using Energy Sage (go).
Know Before It Hits 110
Knowledge is power! Learn about how heat is impacting where you live, and steps you can take to stay safe.
Here’s what you can do:
Check out this NYT interactive How Much Hotter is Your Hometown? (go).
Vox’s Be Ready For Extreme Weather is a community prep guide for heat, floods, and wildfires (go).
Carbon Brief’s Extreme Weather and Crops article explains how heat and drought are reshaping food supply (go).
Listos California has family disaster prep tools covering heat, wildfires, earthquakes, and floods (go).
That’s it for this week. Stay cool and check on your neighbors.
Thank you — as always — for giving a shit.
— Willow
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