For a Ethics class project I am working on informing the community just how simple it is to live more sustainably, with a focus on line drying clothing.
Benefits of line drying your clothing:
- Reduces wear and tear on your clothing
- Reduce costs for new clothing because your old clothing doesn’t wear out as fast
- Reduces energy costs.
By line-drying 2 laundry loads per week (many families do more than this), in one month you will reduce your energy cost by $2.80 a month, and that adds up!
- Helps the environment.
By line-drying 2 laundry loads per week for one month, you will reduce your CO2 emissions by 37.6 lbs.
How to do it:
1. Buy a clothesline. You can get these at pretty much any store (try to get the ones specifically labeled clothesline to make sure that it won’t damage or stain your clothing). Dollar Tree is a good place where you can get a 70 ft line for $1 in a bunch of different colors.
2. Buy clothespins. These can also be found at the Dollar Tree, for just a dollar!
3. Buy strong hooks to hang clotheslines up in your house, or just tie the line around a couple of trees in your backyard (make sure the hooks are strong, wet clothing is pretty heavy!)
Two other options:
- If this is still too big of an investment for you try drying your clothes on hangers in a place that is well ventilated.- If you want to invest more in a smaller device buy a drying rack, these are convenient because they have a lot of space to hang clothes in a little area, and you can move them outside easily on sunny days to dry clothes much faster.
What are you waiting for? Start line-drying your clothing today and help your budget and the environment! Keep an eye out around campus for other ways to live sustainably in the coming weeks.
To learn more about my project go to my project blog at:
http://ra-cep.blogspot.com/
Great idea! My only suggestion is to think about where your tools are coming from when you purchase really inexpensive items at the Dollar Tree or anywhere else. Is the reason they are so inexpensive because the place they were made has poor environmental regulations or very low wages for workers? Or are the items harvested or manufactured in ways that degrade the environment? Remember to think about not only YOUR budget and YOUR effect on the environment (which are important) but the larger effects as well. It's hard to know exactly where some items have come from, but it is important to track that down and purchase as sustainably as you can, too.
ReplyDeleteOK- line drying is great. I grew up in Germany and we never owned a dryer. I don't have one now and am proud of it. Ikea has some fabulous drying racks that are sturdy, fold small and fit almost a load. One caveat- in sunny weather consider placing the rack in the shade. Clothes will dry just fine and not get so much uv bleaching. In the winter consider using the attic or garage. I would not do the basement since the moisture will drift into the house and cause mildew issues. Lastly now that you save money on the dryer consider investing in a good washer with high rpm. At 1200 rpm the clothes come out practically dry.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice project. I am guessing I have ran across your request to late for your project but wanted to throw my two cents in that clotheslines are banned in many communities. So the ethics becomes even more complicated. One way around these ordinances is clothes drying racks that you can keep in your house or garage.
ReplyDeleteHere in Bend, we made P. 1 of the Wall Street Journal a couple years ago with a lady who was fighting a ban on clotheslines in the Awbrey Butte neighborhood's CC&Rs (the rules homeowners must live by.)
ReplyDeleteDespite all that attention, and some weak attempts at compromise by the developers, Brooks Resources, she eventually... moved.
Bet she's line-drying her clothes somewhere now!;-)
-Barney Lerten '77
This is a good idea. It is a simple suggestion that many can put into practice to be more sustainable. It is an interesting point, however, that in certain communities clotheslines are banned because they are a disturbance to some residents and this practice may be difficult for students who live in dorm rooms.
ReplyDelete