Girls like guys who save energy by hanging out their clothes

Take a look:



This video was created by one of my coworkers for SmartPower.org's EnergySmart Ad Challenge. The deadline is soon (October 5th) but the prize is large ($10,000!) so think up some other great ads ideas that involve drying lines! And in case you don't know, SmartPower is the nation's leading nonprofit marketing firm dedicated to promoting clean energy and energy efficiency.

Friedman Needs a Fact Checker

Tom Friedman wrote, "France today generates nearly 80 percent of its electricity from nuclear power plants, and it has managed to deal with all the radioactive waste issues without any problems or panics. And us? We get about 20 percent and have not been able or willing to build one new nuclear plant since the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, even though that accident led to no deaths or injuries to plant workers or neighbors. We’re too afraid to store nuclear waste deep in Nevada’s Yucca Mountain — totally safe — at a time when French mayors clamor to have reactors in their towns to create jobs. In short, the French stayed the course on clean nuclear power, despite Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, and we ran for cover."

See http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/frances-nuclear-failures-020209?content_type_key=report&mode=related-items for an in-depth look at the flaws in Friedman's claim that there have been no problems. His claim that Yucca Mountain is totally safe ignores the transportation of waste issue and numerous studies that show Yucca would be a sieve, located on a fault line.

A Touch of Color: Clotheslines in the Capital

Concord, NH -A Touch of Color: Clotheslines in the Capital is officially over and we have lots of people and organizations to thank for its success. Presented by Project Laundry List, a locally based non-profit with a national network, and sponsored by Seventh Generation and Vermont Country Store. Their mission is making air-drying and cold-water washing laundry acceptable and desirable as simple and effective ways to save energy. The panning committee was run by Radio Host Arnie Arnesen, Jonathan Gregory of Real Green Goods, and Lisa Swan of KAZA Design.

A Touch of Color: Clotheslines in the Capital set out to achieve greater awareness and acceptability of air drying our clothes among the Concord community. We believed that in order to do this we would need the support and participation of the business district, so the event became a contest in which businesses would compete in designing the best overall clothesline to be shown in their windows between September 17^th – 21^st. One perk businesses could take advantage of was the on-hand design team, which included; Cyndi Rogers (Mariposa Design), and Aimee Leduc (Lavender & Lotus Interior Design). These designers volunteered their time and effort into creating the window displays for over one third of the contestants.

Another aspect of A Touch of Color: Clothesline in the Capital was the creation of a highly visible clothesline that stood in front of the State House. This line was managed by the design committee with the help of the local Girl Scout Troop. Their interest and energy level in helping us create a different clothesline for each of the four days was duly appreciated,. Without them the four clotheslines may not have been possible. The themes for each were as follows: Red Day featured an array of autumn fashions, White Day promoted the mission of Project Laundry List, Blue Day featured uniforms from the five branches of service, and Green Day featured multi-national wardrobes to stress the point that we are "Together Green", highlighted by a banner designed by Peg Lipin.

A criterion for the judging was based on six principles:

• Educational value
• Creativity
• Colorfulness
• Humor
• Mission-driven
• Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle

The clotheslines were judged by local professional leaders;

• Tom Burack, Commissioner, Dept. of Environmental Services
• Rebecca Rule, humorist and storyteller
• Betsy Gammons, Rundlett Middle School art teacher
• Greg Grappone, Grappone Auto Group
• Meredith Hatfield, New Hampshire Consumer Advocate
• Rev. Jed Rardin, South Congregational Church (invited)
• Rob Werner, City Councilor and Chair, Concord Energy & Environment Committee
• Patti Dugan, Director of Membership and Marketing for NE Region Girl Scouts and Environmental teacher of the Year.

We had, fourteen businesses set up clotheslines:

• Bead It
  
• Your Home, Your World
• Pompanoosuc
• Zoe & Co.
• Caffenio
• Bagel Works
• Concord Camera
• Lotions n Potions
• Gondwana & Divine Clothing Co.
• Main Street Concord
• Concord Cooperative Market,
• Gibsons
• Real Green Goods
• Goodwill

Judges were asked to tour and judge the list of participating businesses at their convenience over the four day period. Many judges reported the joy of seeing all the creative designs in the window display, and gave thanks for the opportunity to stroll downtown Main St., something they hadn’t done in some time.

The winner of the Clotheslines in the Capital contest was, by clear distinction, Concord Camera. Their design involved the incorporation of film, the third dimension, and the use of drying racks. A picture of their design is attached here for all to view. Concord Camera won a $50 Gift Certificate to our locally beloved Common Man restaurants, along with the "Green Together" poster displayed on the State House clothesline.

We hope that the momentum created in Concord will continue throughout the year; that individuals will consider the use of clotheslines and drying racks, that businesses will consider using more recycled or reused items for their window displays, that we work together as a community when we want to support an issue of importance and that we can all make the 2nd Annual Clotheslines in the Capital Contest ten times as brilliant and visible as this years was!

Elizabeth Soychak Joins the Tour

Elizabeth Soychak--the Lady in the Green Dress from the Renegade Cabaret, who sang with us in New York City's Cooper Square--has joined the tour as co-pilot and activist extraordinaire. She is a native of Tilton, NH, and grew up in a house where the clothesline was an everyday part of life.

Long May It Wave

Today, the Drying for Freedom film crew will come here to Appalachia-- Science in the Public Interest. To see a really great project of theirs visit http://kysolar.org/. We will head out to St. Louis about 10 AM. Yesterday was a travel day. Before we head out, we will join Steven Place and Casey Sterr, the Executive Director here, on a brief tour of clotheslines in this area. One of the people we will talk to is Martha Bond, who also works here. Then, we will head up to Berea. Lunch in Louisville and then onward to the city with the Arch. Come find us at ParkPalooza tomorrow. An estimated 15,000 people will be in attendance.

Rock wall climbing, reel casting, wildlife encounters, biking and kids’ crafts are just a few of the hands-on activities planned for ParkPalooza 2009 on the grounds of the Gateway Arch at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (JNEM) September 12-13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Created and hosted by the National Park Service (NPS) at JNEM, in collaboration with Jefferson National Parks Association and Gateway Arch Riverfront, the free, two-day interactive event was designed to celebrate the fun, education and recreation offered at America’s national, state and local parks across the country.
“ParkPalooza’s interactive activities were designed to instill an understanding of the role and importance of public land and water resources, including the Mississippi River, in people’s daily lives and to foster future stewardship,” said Tom Bradley, superintendent, JNEM. “In addition, the event is a great fit with NPS’s initiative to provide environmental education in outdoor settings, as well as to promote an active, healthy lifestyle for children and adults with a focus on bicycling, rock climbing, camping, hiking and canoeing.”

Cubs, Gov Pat Quinn, and Line Drying

Project Laundry List Executive Director Alexander Lee has been invited to attend a Cubs Game on Sunday, September 13. The game start 1:20 PM at Wrigley Field where a group of supporters will be watching the game with Illinois Gov Pat Quinn (who is really a White Sox fan like another famous Chicago political office holder).

Gov. Quinn is aware of our traveling through the US on a conservation campaign journey and is very interested in seeing The World's Largest Laundromat in Berwyn, IL, be a model for municipalities around the nation.

Some Details on the Tour

CLOTHESLINES ACROSS AMERICA TOUR
Project Laundry List to Visit Ten Cities

Concord, NH (Sept. 3, 2009)- Did you know that drying clothes outside on a clothesline is illegal in some places? Alexander Lee has spent more than a decade trying to change this. The founder and executive director of Project Laundry List, Mr. Lee says, "I have been working to make clotheslines a ubiquitous part of the American landscape, as they are in most other nations. We launched National Hanging Out Day (April 19) in 1998 and in 2007 we made the front page of the Wall Street Journal for starting a green movement. Today, there is legislation that has made it possible for more people to use outdoor clotheslines in states from Hawaii to Maine."

Mr. Lee is now on tour, traveling to nine cities and towns including New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Washington, DC; St. Louis, MO; and Aurora, ON. British filmmaker Steven Lake will follow his every move. Project Laundry List is making air-drying and cold-water washing acceptable and desirable as simple and effective ways to save energy when cleaning your clothes.

Over the next year, Project Laundry List seeks to post a picture of a clothesline from every populated municipality in the United States to Clotheslines Across America. The tour is designed to put pressure on the White House to install a clothesline there once again. See www.right2dry.org.
NEW YORK, NY
In an attempt to call attention to the large number of New Yorkers and Americans everywhere who are not allowed to hang out their clothes in the sun, Project Laundry List will host a rally at Cooper Square on Labor Day, where they will call on the Obamas to put a clothesline at The White House, just as they did a garden earlier this year.

Patty Heffley, Elizabeth Soychak and other recent performers from the Renegade Cabaret will appear at the 3 PM rally to sing an assortment of songs, mostly related to laundry. Heffley's fire escape, located next to the new Highline Park in Manhattan, is their normal venue but they are joining Project Laundry List in Cooper Square. The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated in 1882 in New York City.

"We chose this Monday, this Wash Day," said Alexander Lee, who turns 35 on Labor Day this year, "because we wanted to honor all of the people who labor at home trying to do the right thing. Truth is using a clothesline is not that much more work and the savings are tremendous." "Fresh Off the Escape" Rally
3-5 PM
Cooper Triangle
3 to 4 Aves, E 6 to E 7 Sts
New York, NY


WASH-INGTON, DC
Project Laundry List is coming to Washington, DC, just two days after Congress reconvenes from its Summer Recess to call attention to this important discussion that America and the world need to have if we are to confront climate change in a meaningful way before the Copenhagen conference in December.

In September 2007, Congressman Brian Baird held a hearing where he said, "Solving our nation’s energy challenge will depend on a combination of technological innovation and behavior change. This Committee and this Congress have held countless hearings on the energy technologies of tomorrow. What we don’t talk about is behavior -- and how changes in behavior can start making a big dent in our energy challenges today.”

Project Laundry List Comes to Washington
6:00-8:00 PM
Sonoma Restaurant & Wine Bar, 223 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington DC

Tickets: $30, silent auction, "dry" white wine


MOUNT VERNON, KY
This Sept. 11, citizens of Kentucky are being asked to securely hang an American flag on their clothesline as a tribute to the victims of terrorism around the world. If you live in Kentucky, take the opportunity this Sept. 11 to honor those who fight for our freedom by hanging Old Glory on a clothesline.

The film crew from Drying for Freedom (www.dryingforfreedom.com) will be in Mount Vernon, KY, on the evening of Sept. 10 and morning of Sept. 11. Hang your flag on a clothesline and call Appalachia - Science in the Public Interest at (606) 256-0077 to find out more about how you can be involved.


ST LOUIS, MO
The 19th Annual Great Green Pesto Feast is one of the best vegetarian dinners in St. Louis. Alexander Lee, Executive Director of Project Laundry List, will speak on “Hanging Out to Save Dough.”

Alexander Lee’s keynote address at the Pesto Feast will focus on the rewards of cold-washing and air-drying for low income households. The laundry room is a great place to start cleaning up the mess of personal finance, consumerism, climate change, and energy security.

Saturday September 12, 2009

The Gateway Green Alliance's
21st Great Green Pesto Feast
“Hanging Out to $ave Dough" Grace United Methodist Church
6199 Waterman, St. Louis, MO

COST: $15 advance purchase by Sept 7 ($20 at the door).
Call 314-727-8554

CONCORD, NH
Between September 17 and September 21, downtown businesses in Concord, NH, will be asked to display a clothesline in their shop window. Project Laundry List will also display a series of clotheslines in front of the State Capitol to promote their mission of making air-drying and cold-water washing laundry acceptable and desirable as simple and effective ways to save energy.

Concord and a growing network of downtown green businesses pride themselves on the forward-thinking, results-oriented, no-nonsense conservation that has always made New England unique. New Hampshire -- the “Live Free & Dry” state -- is home to frugal Yankees who have long understood that not just technology, but behavior change will be at the core of how we address problems like climate change, energy security, and personal financial savings. See A Touch of Color.
As much as twenty percent of many families' residential electric bills gets eaten up washing and drying clothes by machine. In the face of climate change, Project Laundry List works on the Right to Dry and making the clothesline acceptable and desirable. These events are stops on the Clotheslines Across America Tour (Sept. 7-17), which is sponsored by Seventh Generation and the Vermont Country Store.

Project Laundry List is making air-drying laundry acceptable and desirable as a simple and effective way to save energy. It is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization which aims to demonstrate that personal choices can make a difference for the Earth and its people.

Seventh Generation is committed to becoming the world's most trusted brand of authentic, safe, and environmentally-responsible products for a healthy home. For 20 years, the closely held Burlington, Vermont-based company has been at the forefront of a cultural change in consumer behavior and business ethics. www.seventhgeneration.com


Vermont Country Store- Founded in 1946 by Vrest and Ellen Orton and carried on by their son, Lyman Orton and his three sons, this famous mail order and web business has two stores in Rockingham and Weston, Vermont, visited by customers from all over the world. Lyman has been a huge supporter of “Hanging Out” and helped get Vermont’s “Right Law” passed this spring. As The Purveyors of the Practical and Hard-to-Find, the company’s motto is, We Sell Products That Don’t Come Back To Customers Who Do, and from the looks of things in their packed stores this certainly seems to be true. The Orton’s have an uncanny knack for reviving those long-lost products that so many folks remember with great fondness. www.vermontcountrystore.com

Clotheslines Across America Tour Begins Monday

I am packing up my stuff for this little adventure. Yesterday, I went to get the Prius that I will be driving. The tires are all properly inflated for this long journey. Do you know how important that is? See http://www.pumpemup.org/. This site is several years old now, but full of good information.

Here is an idea: Start a No Pressure? Brigade in your town that checks people's tire pressure for them. This might put pressure on people to do this. I can picture the uniforms--high school students in mechanics jumpsuits popping out in WalMart parking lots and asking, "Can I check your tires? No pressure."

Doesn't the car look great with our logo and Seventh Generation's. This whole adventure would be impossible without their support and that of the Vermont Country Store.