Monday, January 12, 2009

Be Green:- flaunt your underwear.

I enjoyed reading Sherri's http://recoveringsociopath.blogspot.com/ post recently. It was about how we can live our day to day lives in a more environmentally friendly way.

One product absent from her scrutiny was something no English family would be without. They stretch across gardens and yards. They are festooned with bright hanging garments of all shapes sizes and descriptions. Every morning, if you took a head count, you would probably see a thousand or more women (and the odd man) outside with baskets, bags and bins, stretching down, reaching up, all taking part in a corporate workout routine. Inclement weather is no barrier. In fact, the ritual often precipitates rain (a meteorological mystery, as yet scientifically unproven) At the end of the day, the routine can again be witnessed, this time in reverse, Stretching up, reaching down, time after time.

Nearly every house in England, if it possesses an outside area, has a clothes line. If there is no room for a line, then it will probably have a rotary clothes dryer http://breezecatcher.com/.

In this part of America, the old fashioned way of drying ones clothes died out several decades ago. Every home comes with a tumble dryer, but very few sport a line or any outside drying devise. And in some communities, drying clothes in public view is even against housing association regulations. Heaven forbid anyone see your off white extra large knickers swinging in the morning breeze!

Last summer we purchased a rotary dryer, and my husband fixed it (very cleverly, I thought) to the deck outside our kitchen. When the weather is agreeable (NOTE:torrential rain, ice, snow and high humidity do not make good drying conditions) I am out there, hanging out the washing. I asked a couple of neighbours if they minded and was given the all clear. I don't think I am breaking any rules, but I guess I will find out if someone complains.

And although we are not ones to closely scrutinize out monthly utility bills, I can safely surmise that we are saving ourselves a few dollars every time we choose to be old fashioned and use pegs instead of electricity.

Then there is the obvious benefit to the environment. Your tumble dryer is one of the most energy intensive appliances in your home. Not using it cuts down on C02 emissions, which is a plus for someone wanting to live the green life.

4 comments:

Recovering Sociopath said...

I was just thinking about one of these the other day! Many of my rural relatives still have and use these. I sort of want one for myself, but I don;t think our HOA would allow it.

Lynne said...

HOA's need to get with it a bit. I would rather help the environment and my purse than worry about seeing others peoples clothes drying. Go for it Sherri, and make some waves!

Rainy day said...

I can't believe that you aren't allowed washing lines in some places in the US! Ok so call me backward but I don't have a tumble dryer....I have a washing line in the summer and radiators in the winter................

Unknown said...

This is something I have been thinking about for a long time. In California there is the perfect climate for clothes lines, yet they all use their dryers (on high, til the clothes are bone dry). If we could work out how much energy the US could save by drying say 50% of their clothes this way, maybe we could lobby someone...At least change HOA laws so that clothes lines were allowed!!

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I have been married to Andy since 1991, we have 4 daughters, 2 dogs, 2 cat, 4 rabbits (and various baby rabbits) and a hamster (not dead). We have lived in the U.S.A since 2000, and are citizens of the U.K. I miss many things about the U.K.(pubs, old buildings, red post boxes, church bells,narrow roads, a good joint of roast lamb with mint sauce, to name but a few) but I have grown to love the U.S.