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What if?

What if the world was different? What if employers gave time for people to bike to work and hang out their laundry? What if weatherman reflected on whether it is a good day to dry during their morning report? What if we harnessed more energy from the sun and the wind? What if people were more concerned about the climate than the view out their window? What if we spent half as much time on the Internet and twice as much time outside? What if we considered the effect of our decisions on the next seven generations? What if we designed our communities to accommodate the discreet, tasteful drying of clothes? This is the beginning of a dream—the Project Laundry List vision. What is your vision?

Alexander P. Lee

Contributing Blogger, Alexander Lee:

Alexander Lee is the founder of Project Laundry List, an organization dedicated to making air-drying laundry acceptable and desirable as a simple and effective way to save energy. We are delighted to have him as a guest blogger here at LineDryIt.com...

From The Washington Post, “Of all the office buildings downtown, Washington Square is perhaps the oddest place for an underwear-art [hung on a clothesline] controversy: One of its tenants is Victoria's Secret. The lingerie store, under renovation until fall, is just a few feet from where [the] installation once stood. Victoria's Secret is known for its racy window displays of scantily clad mannequins.” Nevertheless, lawyers got involved and an experienced artist, Joyce Zipperer, was forced to remove the exhibit. Dr. Helen Caldicott, a Project Laundry List Advisory Board member and Australian activist, is fond of saying, “A strange brand of American prudery has made it impossible for some people to conserve energy and money by using a clothesline.” Indeed, that is why Project Laundry List gave her their most recent Laundry Hero distinction.

Today I received an email message from a new supporter that read, “My husband does not like to see someone else's clothes hanging in their yards. We live in a controlled community where beauty - landscape is a big aspect of keeping the property value. My husband argues that in order to allow people to hang out their clothes we all have to have our yards fenced, so no one get to see anything. I grew up hanging my clothes out (not in this country) so for me not being able to do it, it is a bit difficult to understand. I believe that even hanging out just what is not private would help a lot with the fact of saving energy. I mean we can hang out pants, t-shirts, sheets, towels, etc that will certainly reduce energy consumption and would make our clothes last for longer. I think that there is nothing more beautiful than our Planet, and if we have to sacrifice some comfort in order to preserve it for future generations we have to do it, and do it now. Thank you for this great initiative. Good luck.”

The work of changing the American aesthetic is critical. Elsewhere, people accept the ancient and venerable practice of hanging clothes outside in the sun as a part of everyday life. It is true that prior to Ronald Reagan’s first trip to China an edict was sent out that bamboo shafts with laundry were not to be stuck out the window on the days of his visit, so that he would think China was a more modern country. Only about 5% of Italians own a clothes dryer. In Australia, the Hills Hoist has brand name recognition akin to Kleenex (er, facial tissue). Even in the European Union’s most dryer-owning nation (The Netherlands), only an estimated 61% of folks owned a dryer in 2005.

Alexander P. Lee

New York Summer Streets

This August, New York City kicked off their Summer Streets Program. On three consecutive Saturdays-August 9th, 16th, and 23rd-nearly 7 miles of NYC streets will be closed to automobile traffic. August 9th was the first day of the program and it proved to be a success! People were riding their bikes, jogging, skating, and enjoying the empty streets!

Image courtesy of Fox NY

One Summer, One Tank

College student, Danni Brancaccio, set a goal to survive the entire summer on her 12-gallon tank of gas. So how exactly is she doing it? Instead of using her car she is taking the bus, riding her bike, and walking. With determination and will-power we can all do our part just like Danni!

Biking is Back!

Paris Hilton just bought a pink one, American cyclists are winning gold medals at the Olympics, and all the cool college students are riding them to class. Bicycles are making a comeback!

Save yourself a trip to gym and bike around the neighborhood instead. It’s good for your health and saves your from taking a trip in your car.

You can personalize your bike to fit your tastes by purchasing one in your favorite color and adding accessories!

Go Green In the Dorms

This August, many teens are making a mass exodus from the comfort of their homes to college dorms. While maintaining an eco-friendly lifestyle in a college dorm will be more difficult due to size and other limitations, it is still possible!

Here are some green tips to make shopping and adjusting to college life easier and more eco-friendly:

• Check with your school to see if they have any recommendations for green alternatives
• Keep an eye out for items made out of recycled material and try to avoid plastics!
• Try to buy organic bedding and towels, like those that are 100% cotton. They often don’t come in extra long twin for dorm beds but you can compromise and buy an organic pillow!
• Recycle and reuse. You can buy dorm items from vintage stores and thrift shops. Some schools also have recycling programs that let students buy used items, such as chairs and appliances, left behind from previous students.
• Share. Communal appliances will help save electricity and money! However, if you need to have your own appliances, unplug them or put them on power save mode when not in use.
• Change your behavior. Minimize water use, avoid using plastic bottles, use a reusable canvas bag to go shopping, and ride a bike when you can.
• Make your roomie aware. Although it may be difficult to turn your roommate green, it doesn’t hurt to teach them about recycling and turning off appliances!
• Green alternatives. When buying products such as laundry detergent and even snacks, try purchasing products with less packaging. It will reduce the amount of plastics used to package materials and also reduce your trash. You can also use green cleaning products like Green Works (featured on this site before) and LINE-DRYING your clothes with a Hills clothesline!

Weeds Season 3 – The Neighborhood Has Gone Green

The Season 3 DVD of Weeds is out and greener than ever! Season 3 makes small references to an eco-friendly lifestyle (Nancy Botwin drives a hybrid), includes witty banter, and features guests such as Mary-Kate Olsen.

The DVD package itself holds touches of green. The DVD tray is made purely of recycled materials and can be recycled again. The paper used to package the DVD is also made of recycled materials.

Helping the environment = Free admission!

Rye Playland, a historic amusement park in Westchester, New York encouraged kids to do their part to help the environment. They recently held a promotion where kids who turned in 100 bags that could be recycled received free admission to the park for a day.

The promotion proved successful as children turned in about 40, 000 plastic bags! Such simple acts can go a long way!

Tristan Prettyman

Talented singer/songwriter Tristan Prettyman is doing anything she can to help the environment. At home she drives a hybrid, uses compost in her backyard, and recycles whenever she can. She donated one of her songs titled “War Outta Peace to BEF (Bonneville Environmental Foundation), which produced a DVD in order to increase awareness about the advantages of using renewable energy.

In turn for donating one of her songs to BEF, she received 30 green tags—tantamount to one mega-watt of solar energy. These green tags also counteracted the CO2 production created during the recording of her album. This carbon offset is the equivalent of taking 4 cars off the roads for an ENTIRE YEAR! Prettyman is also devoted her time to beach clean ups near her tour stops.

Prettyman attributes her appreciation for the environment to her childhood in San Diego. “Having grown up in San Diego, I spent most of my time at the beach and can’t imagine what life would be like without the surf and the sand.”

How to Green Your Summer

It’s summer and you have a little more free time to spend with the kids. You also have more free time to make your summer as green as possible. Here are some tips on how to stay green despite the summer heat :

• Keep it simple. Go on trips that have little environmental repercussions (going to the park, woods, zoo, baseball games, beach, etc.).
• Cool out. Don’t go overboard on the air conditioning. Try turning the thermostat up a few degrees. This will save you a little bit of cash and help the environment!
• Change your grill. Try using propane, which burns cleaner than wood or charcoal. However, if you can’t live without your charcoal trying using Cowboy Charcoal. Natural products are a lot cleaner. When cleaning, use natural cleaning products. Conventional cleaners leave chemicals that will seep into your food the next time you use the grill.
• Farmers markets. Goods purchased at farmers markets were obtained locally. This reduces the amount of fossil fuels needed to transport goods long distances thus reducing pollution.
• Reuse. Reuse your dishes and utensils. Avoid using plastic or Styrofoam items.
• Eco-friendly fashion and beauty. Look for eco-friendly clothes, shoes, accessories, and skin care products.
• Keep your garden safe. Although pesticides can keep away the mosquitoes, they can also be harmful to animals and even YOUR CHILDREN. Instead, use a natural product like garlic barrier.
• Conserve water. Be vigilant about your water use. Don’t use unnecessary amounts of water!
• Eco-travel. Consider driving or taking a train to travel long distances instead of flying.

Check out Planet Green for more Green Guides!