Why summer is so unfair for people in the city, as explained by science.
Many cities around the U.S. are kind of awful to walk around right now.
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.
Stepping outside feels like stepping into one of those Quizno's sandwich toasters.
Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images.
And if you've ever thought, "Man, this has got to be the hottest place for miles," well ... you might be right.
Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images.
(Though there might be something we can do about it.)
Cities are hotter than their surrounding countrysides. Sometimes more than 20 degrees hotter.
Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images.
That's according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
This is because of something called the "heat island effect."
Photo from Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.
Our cities are basically giant jumbles of asphalt and concrete — both of which love to hold onto heat from the sun.
Photo by Andre Manoel/Flickr.
The countryside, on the other hand, is full of stuff like dirt and trees, which tend to stay cooler.
Photo from David McNew/Getty Images.
Cities are full of heat we produce ourselves – including, paradoxically, from air conditioners.
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.
Air conditioning works by essentially taking all the heat from inside the building and shoving it out the window.
You know, where all the rest of us are.
Not to mention all that car exhaust.
Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.
This excess heat in cities can be dangerous — and it's likely to get worse.
Photo from Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images.
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are a serious problem, especially for sick people, infants, and anyone who can't find a way to cool off.
Unfortunately, climate change is predicted to increase the number and severity of heat waves.
OK, so yes, that seems bad, but there's good news. We know how to defeat the heat island effect.
Photo from Alex Wong/Getty Images.
One trick? More green space.
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.
Trees and plants provide shade and don't retain heat the same way concrete does. They can also help reduce air pollution.
Plants aren't just good on the street – they're effective on our roofs as well.
Photo by Ryan Somma/Flickr.
Even just painting the roof of a building white can help.
Beyond city design, individuals can also help keep cities cool by creating green spaces, like community gardens.
An urban garden in Fort Myers, Florida. Photo from Stars Complex Urban Garden/Flickr.
Or even just by trying to drive less and use less electricity in the summer.
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.
There are a ton of clever tips for keeping cool instead of reaching for that air conditioner in the summer.
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.
So the next time someone says, "This city is way too hot," you look 'em dead in the eye and tell them they're right.
Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images.
Then take them down to city hall or your local garden store and show them how we can help keep our cities cool and safe.
Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images.
A Generation Jones teenager poses in her room.Image via Wikmedia Commons
An office kitchen.via 
An angry man eating spaghetti.via 
An Irish woman went to the doctor for a routine eye exam. She left with bright neon green eyes.
It's not easy seeing green.
Did she get superpowers?
Going to the eye doctor can be a hassle and a pain. It's not just the routine issues and inconveniences that come along when making a doctor appointment, but sometimes the various devices being used to check your eyes' health feel invasive and uncomfortable. But at least at the end of the appointment, most of us don't look like we're turning into The Incredible Hulk. That wasn't the case for one Irish woman.
Photographer Margerita B. Wargola was just going in for a routine eye exam at the hospital but ended up leaving with her eyes a shocking, bright neon green.
At the doctor's office, the nurse practitioner was prepping Wargola for a test with a machine that Wargola had experienced before. Before the test started, Wargola presumed the nurse had dropped some saline into her eyes, as they were feeling dry. After she blinked, everything went yellow.
Wargola and the nurse initially panicked. Neither knew what was going on as Wargola suddenly had yellow vision and radioactive-looking green eyes. After the initial shock, both realized the issue: the nurse forgot to ask Wargola to remove her contact lenses before putting contrast drops in her eyes for the exam. Wargola and the nurse quickly removed the lenses from her eyes and washed them thoroughly with saline. Fortunately, Wargola's eyes were unharmed. Unfortunately, her contacts were permanently stained and she didn't bring a spare pair.
- YouTube youtube.com
Since she has poor vision, Wargola was forced to drive herself home after the eye exam wearing the neon-green contact lenses that make her look like a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament and recorded a video explaining it all on social media. Since then, her video has sparked a couple Reddit threads and collected a bunch of comments on Instagram:
“But the REAL question is: do you now have X-Ray vision?”
“You can just say you're a superhero.”
“I would make a few stops on the way home just to freak some people out!”
“I would have lived it up! Grab a coffee, do grocery shopping, walk around a shopping center.”
“This one would pair well with that girl who ate something with turmeric with her invisalign on and walked around Paris smiling at people with seemingly BRIGHT YELLOW TEETH.”
“I would save those for fancy special occasions! WOW!”
“Every time I'd stop I'd turn slowly and stare at the person in the car next to me.”
“Keep them. Tell people what to do. They’ll do your bidding.”
In a follow-up Instagram video, Wargola showed her followers that she was safe at home with normal eyes, showing that the damaged contact lenses were so stained that they turned the saline solution in her contacts case into a bright Gatorade yellow. She wasn't mad at the nurse and, in fact, plans on keeping the lenses to wear on St. Patrick's Day or some other special occasion.
While no harm was done and a good laugh was had, it's still best for doctors, nurses, and patients alike to double-check and ask or tell if contact lenses are being worn before each eye test. If not, there might be more than ultra-green eyes to worry about.