Project Laundry List: 04/01/2008

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Check these out!

Friday, April 25, 2008

The Right To Dry In Connecticut

by Attorney Ryan McKeen of www.aconnecticutlawblog.com:

All of this great sunny weather prompted me to investigate the status of Connecticut’s Right to Dry Bill.

According to Project Laundry List, dryers account for 5 to 10 percent of all residential energy use.

With sky rocketing energy costs I’m happy to report that the bill has received a joint favorable report from the energy and technology committee. The bill passed the committee 12-9.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal spoke in favor of the bill and noted that 10 states have similar laws.

I’m more than a little disappointed to see that my State Representative, Richard Ferrari, voted against the bill in committee.

Is Mr. Ferrari aware that in 2007, atmospheric C02 increased by 19 billion tons over 2006 levels?

Is Mr. Ferrari unaware of the rising energy costs faced by his constituents?

Does Mr. Ferrari understand that elderly on fixed incomes are selling their houses to move into condos?

Does Mr. Ferrari understand that Connecticut residents who have lost their homes to foreclosure have no choice but to rent? People who may have lost their homes in part because of rising energy costs? People who are trying to support families on limited incomes and are faced with increasingly higher energy costs.

Mr. Ferrari and all of the legislators who voted against this bill in committee should be ashamed of themselves.

Does $4.00 for a gallon of gas mean nothing to certain legislators?

Do your part. Email this blog entry to your friends. Urge your state representatives to support this bill.

Otherwise, I’m afraid that we’ll all be left out to dry.

All of this reminds me that I need to put up a clothesline.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

What's behind the thought process?

We went to Boston to see the circus yesterday. We live on Cape Cod in an area where the houses must sit on 1/2 acre or more. The city is not new to us as both my hub and myself grew up outside of NY - within view and about a 15 minute drive. What's new is my thoughts. Lots of people, lots of rules.

If you go to the "real" country - houses that look like specks to each other - there are no rules. You live how you need to live, you make your own rules. No one is going to dare tell you that you can't dry your clothes in the sunshine or plant a garden. The rules may increase ever so slightly as the population becomes more dense but it's a tediously slow increase.

Then you get to places that are more densely populated such as cities, planned communities, apartments, etc. and the rules go over the top. You can't do this, you better not do that. You are no longer living in your own home, living your own life. You are, in essence, guests, in someone else's home and are expected to act as good guests would.

What are these folks afraid of? Do they think that if they allow residents to hang laundry on clotheslines that all hell is going to break loose and the next thing they will see are drug dealers running the streets and random shootings?

Maybe they aren't afraid at all. Maybe they are just on a power trip that includes micro- managing every aspect of their "guests" being.

I'll continue to try to put myself on each of these sides so I can try to understand where they're coming from but it's tough to understand why something so minor as hanging laundry in the sun evokes fear or control issues in so many.

(climbing onto soapbox) I looked up all the houses on my street (there are a few of us who hang laundry, some (me) more than others) and the lowest evaluation is higher than what we paid for our house 8 years ago. Our house has almost doubled in value (triple if you count the land) so don't expect me to believe that hanging laundry brings down property values. Property values drop because people don't want to live there (crime, messy properties, traffic flow) and if seeing laundry on a clothesline is going to make or break them you don't want them in your neighborhood anyway! (getting down from soapbox)

NP

Monday, April 21, 2008

Make Every Day, Earth Day

Long before Earth Hour managed to grab our attention for an entire 60 minutes, there was Earth Day. While it was originally created in 1970 as a university teach-in, the purpose of Earth Day has evolved over the past four decades. Unlike Earth Hour, which was focused on a single event, the goal is to make every day Earth Day.

After twenty years of trying to do just that, I can honestly say that this is a lot harder than it sounds. It's not that we don't have the right information. The problem is that we have so much information available from so many sources that it has become impossible to take it all in. So we skim the headlines and glean what we can from 60-second sound bites. And therein lies the problem. No one delivers those 60 seconds better than commercial advertisers.

Every time we turn on the television or radio or pick up a newspaper or magazine, we invite the big global marketing machine to invade our personal space and entice us to buy everything from bottled water (which has been parlayed into a $100 billion dollar a year industry) to the latest generation of electronic gadgets (which will be obsolete in six months).

Creating all these consumer goods uses massive amounts of raw materials and energy that's used to mine, produce and ship finished goods to the Big Box store nearest you. In addition, there are mountains of mine tailings, sludge and other wastes generated by the refining of raw materials for the manufacturing process. A study done by the U.S. EPA estimates that for every bag of garbage we put at the curbside, 72 bags of manufacturing wastes are generated. Add to this the gas that we dump in the family van or SUV to get to the store (and back again) and all the related plastics bags and packaging materials.

Curbing our consuming habits isn't just about reducing our staggering impact on the environment. Spending less can dramatically reduce our debt loads and our stress levels.

James Main, a regular reader of this column, has agreed to let me share some of his common sense ideas.

"Who says saving the earth and saving your pocketbook can't go hand-in-hand?" wrote James. "I've received a lot of flak from family and friends over the years about my frugal ways, but I am able to bask in the glory of having my mortgage paid-off."

James says that responsibility and restraint are the flip side of living in a prosperous society. Just because we can buy stuff, doesn't mean we should. The key is learning self-control and then teaching this lesson to our children.

Here are a few of James' suggestions (most of which he and his family have been doing for more than a decade):

* Get rid of your gas-guzzler in favour of a more efficient vehicle. Take public transit whenever possible and walk your kids to school.
* Forego the drive-thru and make your own coffee. Take a thermos to work and save even more.
* Don't buy bottled water.
* Slow down. Reducing your speed from 118 to 80 km/hour improves fuel efficiency by 30 percent. It's safer and you can actually enjoy the scenery.
* Regularly maintaining your vehicles improves fuel efficiency by 10 percent. Proper inflated tires can save another 4 percent.
* Wash in cold water and only wash full loads. Don't forget to use your clothesline.
* Install compact fluorescent bulbs wherever possible, and dimmer switches where you can't. Use motion sensors in low-traffic areas and outdoors lights.
* Turn down the water heater and install low-flow showerheads and toilets.
* Learn to say no to your kids every time they want you to buy something.
* Get the marketing machine out of your living room. In James' case, he got rid of cable TV in 1999. At a rate of $100 a month, he estimates that he's saved over $10,000 in nine years.

As James explains, while he did most of these things because he is frugal by nature, there is definitely a win-win.

"Let's make frugality cool again. If not in the name of saving the environment, then in the name of avoiding excessive personal debt," wrote James. "Perhaps the green movement should frame their arguments in this context."

Thanks, James. Consider it framed.

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd. To find out more, visit www.earthday.ca.

The Story of Stuff looks at underside of our production and consumption patterns. Check out www.storyofstuff.com.

Read Elizabeth Farrelly’s brilliant essay, Fear of Not Having Had, in the March/April 2008 issue of Orion Magazine at www.orionmagazine.org.

Right to Dry-Are we living in a "hypocracy?"

I posted something to the Project Laundry List email group last week. I had just started a new job, so I was in a hurry. The next day, I got an email--rather embarrassing, I have to say--from someone, pointing out I had misspelled "hypocrisy," but that it may have been an appropriate application, after all. Between my boyfriend and I, I came up with the following definition and example of the word, "hypocracy," in use:

Definition courtesy of Urban Dictionary.

Example of usage.

I read my local papers every week when they come out. While I am not an "out in the community" type, I do like to know what is going on around me. I like to know about new laws or changes to local rules or upcoming events that might be fun for us to attend.

Last week, the local paper for my town (we get one for our town and one for the county) featured letters from our two top leaders for our community about their plans for greening the community--they are looking at adding solar to community buildings, for instance, and encouraging the residents to "go green," as well. Folks, I found this quite laughable: When I bought my house back in 2006, the first thing I did was to sit down with my HOA rules and read them carefully through. Start to finish. I had made mistakes living in my previous home, and I wanted to be a better neighbor this time around.

I would like you all to know, my good readers, that the rules for my HOA prohibit just about ALL green practices that a suburbanite might manage: We are NOT allowed to hang our clothes out to dry. We are NOT allowed to compost. We are NOT allowed to catch rainwater--all practices that contribute to a healthier planet while also reducing a household's dependence on fossil fuels.

When I read these newspaper letters, I got very annoyed, and I prepared myself to write a letter to this organization, stating that they really need to talk to their HOAs and have them revamp their covenants if they want us to go green: How can we do that, if we are not ALLOWED to? The problem was I wanted to write anonymously. Why? These organizations often don't like to be questioned. Anyone who lives under one knows that if you question them, you draw attention to yourself.

I sat down and thought out my letter carefully, and then I consulted their Letters to the Editor guidelines: They do not accept anonymous letters. Not only that, but they say right in the guidelines that if you ask to have your name witheld, they will not even consider your letter for publication! (Outrageous! I wonder how many other community organizations behave in this manner?)

Needless to say, when I was invited to post to this blog, I was thrilled: I can express myself here, somewhat anonymously, and not have to worry about being "targeted."

The point of my whole post is this: How can HOAs , condo associations, etc. preach green, while at the same time not allowing people to do the things we need to do in order to be greener?

My boyfriend and I are not waiting for them to catch up. We line dry our clothes, we catch rain water, and we have even started a small vegetable garden. We are Stealth Greens. Meanwhile, the state of Maryland, it appears, is starting to consider legislation that will limit the power of HOAs when it comes to folks trying to be greener. My fingers are firmly crossed that this legislation will pass in my state, especially legislation concerning Right to Dry.

Will I still write to my community organization? Yes. I probably will write them a letter, though not for publication in the paper. Will they start to harass us once I do write? I'm not sure, but I don't feel like we can stay quiet about this: They either need to allow us to be greener, or they need to keep their mouths shut!

You know you're a clothesline junkie when...

(add your own by leaving a comment)

You don't wear perfume to cover up the way you smell
Your friends tell you that they thought of you during the (musical) clothesline scene in "HAIRSPRAY"

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Happy Hangin' Out Day!

As a teenager in the 70's Hangin' Out had an entirely different meaning in the lingo of the day. Hangin' Out meant to relax, to do nothing to just enjoy the moment with people who you connected with on a level that had nothing to do with work or school or even parents! Now when I tell my teenager I'll be Hangin' Out he knows I'll be hanging clothes on the clothesline. (shhhh don't tell anyone but I heard him trying to inhale the clothes I brought in from the clothesline last week and put in his room to put away :)

Hangin' Out still has the same meaning for me. I still relax and enjoy the moment, this time with nature on a level that becomes consistantly closer. How could it be so easy to do something that is to the benefit of my mental state, my family's finances, my family and the world? What is the downside? I don't see any....

My husband and I were "porch dwelling" yesterday and I mentioned that today is National Hanging Out Day and continued on about how some places, even entire towns don't allow clotheslines. I thought he would just uh-huh me along but what he said rings so true "hanging clothes is tradition". It's what we grew up with. It's probably the only tradition that has stayed consistant in both of our lives. He grew up celebrating holidays differently then me and we blended them when we got married. Kids came along and new traditions were added. Clotheslines have been there for both of us, from the beginning, and are being passed along to our children, from the beginning. A legacy to be proud of.

NP

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Why do we complicate our lives?

Hub put up a third clothesline for me yesterday :) The kids don't use the swingset anymore

but they want to keep it for sentimental reasons so I'm putting it to good use!

I've often wondered about this. Why do we insist on complicating our lives and then complain and become unhealthy because of the stress?

Do we really need all the gadgets we have today? I don't think so. They are sold to us by very well trained salespeople who truly make us believe that we need the product they are selling. They are good at what they do and we end up buying one only to get the product home, look at it and ask "What was I thinking?".

Hardware stores, on the other hand, are usually small, neighborhood stores that carry items that people want. Items that nurture that old fashioned, common sense, thrifty, do it yourself attitude. The salespeople are there to help you do it your way with suggestions and help in locating parts.

Why is the old fashioned way the best? That's easy! Besides the obvious savings to the environment and our pocketbooks it's TIME. Why are people so stressed these days? With everything being so automated there is no time to "idle". Take laundry for example. I did 3 loads of laundry today. Instead of putting each load into the dryer only to have to rush to take it out to make room for the new one in 1.5 hours I hung it on the clothesline. Today that includes about 40 pairs of socks :) If I used my dryer, I would have had to rush, in about 4 hours time to fold and put 3 loads of laundry away. Instead I started at about 7:30 this morning and by noon all my clothes will be hung. During this time I also went out for breakfast with my hubby and am writing this blog. No rush, no stress. And if I don't get to pulling my clothes in this evening they'll be there, wrinkle free waiting for me in the morning. Try doing that with a dryer!

As we have seen there are alot of harmful enviromental effects going on with all these supposed time savers. Someday the realization will hit that we are also losing our personal freedoms. We need to slow down and reclaim "me time" not just free it up for someone else to grab to use for their own gain.

NP

Clotheslines and Cardboard Boxes

As a child growing up in the 60's there wasn't the assortment of (unnecessary) toys that there are today. My fondest memories are clotheslines and cardboard boxes. Funny that those are still popular to this day. Put a child outside with a clothesline full of laundry and in minutes that child will realize the he or she really can "fly" through those clothes. With sheets as tents and shirt sleeves as boxing opponents the fun never ends :) Add a large box to the mix and you'll have trouble getting them to come back inside!

As a teen, since it would have looked pretty silly for me to be playing in a box and hitting the laundry I progressed to being the "hanger-outter" hanging laundry from inside the house. Living in New Jersey at the time, all the houses were pretty much on top of each other so it was a great way for a nosey teenager to listen to all the gossip :) I also experienced some kind of satisfaction that wouldn't really make itself known until I got much older.

Time went on and I got married. Our first house had a clothesline, 2 actually. I could have hung out of the window but there was a little roof that the laundry would have had to pass over and that didn't make much sense so I had my first experience with actually getting my butt outside to hang the laundry. I liked it! It was a different feeling, being whole with nature instead of just peeking out at it. I could zone out for a moment and watch the birds flying by or the squirrels scurrying up a tree and for some reason that gave me incredible joy.

After a while we moved to Cape Cod and this is when I started really getting "clothesline crazy" . We rented our first place and my clothesline consisted of an umbrella style one sitting in the center of a cable spool. Not my favorite but we didn't have kids yet so it was sufficient for the time. After a year we moved into our first house and hub BUILT me a clothesline. It was wood on both ends with 6 or 8 long clotheslines and it was cemented into the ground. Our first son was born during this time and it was his turn to "fly" through the clothes.

When 2nd son came along space started getting alittle tight and we drove around town looking for neighborhoods that appealled to us. I remember vividly driving through a neighborhood and my husband saying "They don't allow clotheslines there" GASP! Forget that neighborhood. Clotheslines are as much a part of my being as the air I breathe! We found a nice house, near the bay and I am back to hanging clothes from inside the house. Why? I'll tell you ...

I have almost completely lost my mind when it comes to hanging clothes. I have to admit that I use my dryer more than I want to but that is progressively getting better. I have 2 clotheslines coming from my bathroom/laundry room window out to the unused swingset. If the weather is favorable (I'm a huge fan of Weatherbug) I could be hanging clothes and spending time admiring the stars as late as 10 p.m. I can fit almost 3 loads of laundry on those 2 lines and I do! I have an umbrella style clothesline that I usually reserve for towels and I have 2 Mrs. Pegg's Handy Lines in the house. One downstairs and one up for the kids stuff.

I have often heard people who garden say that it makes them feel closer to God. Personally having bugs crawl all over me would make me feel more like I'm visiting with the guy downstairs! But I get that feeling from hanging laundry. The energy savings and other benefits take a back seat to my relationship with God although they all compliment each other. I see it as God showing me that he cares - "You wash, I'll dry" - and it's a good feeling. While I'm looking out the window I still see lots of birds and squirrels but I have the benefit of being above the ground too so I am often "visited" by chipmunks and bunnies. It's when I thank God and talk to Him and I always feel better after I have my time with Him. It saddens me that some people who feel the same way are being told that they can't connect with God in their own way because someone else doesn't want to look at clothing off of a body.

My hope is that, someday, everyone gets to experience the peace that comes along with hanging laundry and the joy of playing in clotheslines and cardboard boxes.

NP

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