Heerlen picks up heat approach: 'Heat? Keep your head cool!'

The municipality of Heerlen has launched the campaign 'Heat? Keep your head cool! With this campaign, the municipality helps residents cope better with hot days in and around the house. Because heat is increasingly a problem. Heerlen is extra vulnerable to this. Our city scores highest on the national fragility index. This means that heat is more likely to cause problems here, especially for vulnerable residents.

What's in the "cooling kit"?

Alderman Casper Gelderblom today kicked off the campaign in the Molenberg neighborhood, together with housing corporation Wonen Zuid. Residents there received a "cooling kit. This consists of:

  • a cooler bag
  • an insulated drinking bottle
  • growing paper to grow more greenery on balcony, garden or even indoors
  • a leaflet with useful tips against the heat

Over the next few weeks, the municipality, along with partners, will hand out 1,000 more of these cooling kits to people who could use it.

Alderman Gelderblom: "Heerlen is one of the warmest and most vulnerable cities in the Netherlands. That's why we do everything we can to help residents. With smart tips and more greenery in the city, together we provide cooling."

Small adjustments make a difference

Many people want to keep their homes cool, but don't really know how. This is the outcome of research commissioned by the municipality, together with housing corporations and the Meander health care organization.
Sometimes people open the windows during the day, for example, even though this is counterproductive. Also, people often think they drink enough, while that is not always the case.

Therefore, the campaign does not provide standard lists, but rather practical tips that fit how people live. This makes it easier to actually do something.

The neighborhood in

In the coming period, the campaign is moving into neighborhoods. Together with housing corporations and health care organizations, the municipality is organizing meetings for people who may suffer from the heat. There, the first 1,000 cooling kits will be handed out.

There are also "cooling rooms" scattered throughout the city: public places where people can cool off during the day. These include:

  • BMV Heerlerbaan
  • Sports Hall A Gene Bek
  • Sports Hall In de Biessen - room Time-out
  • Varenbeuk sports hall - cafeteria
  • BMV Auvermoer - staff canteen
  • Public spaces in SCHUNCK

Everyone may use this for free.

More greenery helps

The campaign is also affiliated with Operation Stonebreaking, a program that provides more greenery in gardens and balconies. More plants and trees help fight heat. A small green space can cool the surrounding air considerably. One square meter of green space, for example, can cool the immediate environment by almost 0.75 degrees.

Working together for a cool city

The campaign is part of a larger approach the municipality is implementing with housing associations and other organizations. In addition to cooling kits and tips, technical solutions in homes, such as shade cloths or building modifications, are also being worked on.

With the combination of area, building and behavior, the municipality is providing an approach that suits Heerlen. The lessons learned from this campaign will form the basis for Heerlen's heat plan, which will be adopted later this year.