Mountain Spirit's Blog

Effective: being put on notice.

I first met Project Laundry List founder Alexander Lee in Manchester at a Going Green Expo a few years ago. I noticed he was passionate about his mission.  Since then his passion to make line drying of clothes legal and acceptable has taken off.  The mission of PLL is
“making air-drying laundry acceptable and desirable as a simple and effective way to save energy.”

Recently they have received a significant grant for purposes of strategic planning. They plan to strengthen their focus and deliver on their  mission.
Vermont just passed its Right to Dry legislation. PLL expects to see a  more states pass “right to dry” legislation this year. Lee is writing a book about laundry and planning Project Laundry List’s first Clotheslines Across the Nation Tour (Sept. 7 to Sept. 17).  Lee asks people to help him make drying legal and acceptable when he writes in his most recent newsletter –  “Will you step up to the line?”
Why, we ask?

Drying Rack

Dryers use ten to fifteen percent of domestic energy in the United States!

Ten top reasons to dry:
10) Save money (more than $25/month off electric bill for many households).
9) Clothes last longer. Where do you think lint comes from?
8) Clothes and linens smell better without adding possibly toxic chemicals to your body and the environment.
7) Conserve energy and the environment, while reducing climate change.
6) It is moderate physical activity which you can do in or outside.
5) Sunlight bleaches and disinfects.
4) Indoor racks can humidify in dry winter weather.
3) Clothes dryer fires account for about 15,600 structure fires, 15 deaths, and 400 injuries annually. The yearly national fire loss for clothes dryer fires in structures is estimated at $99 million.
2) Can be an outdoor experience that is meditative and community-building.
1) Demonstrates that small steps can make a difference. Don’t have to wait for the government to take action!

Electricity or Air Dry??

“My #1 reason for hanging clothes: time management. When I dry clothes in the dryer (which I must do in Illinois in the winter) I need to be there when the dryer stops or everything comes out wrinkled, so I can’t walk away except for short periods. When I line dry, I can walk away – go shopping, have fun, garden, whatever – and the clothes will be fine no matter how long they hang on the line after they’re dry.”
– Marti Jernberg, Elgin, IL

I encourage readers to get involved by visiting PLL’s Action Center webpage, making a donation to PLL, start drying, and check out what you can do to change local laws and ordinances that ban line drying.

Tags: Alexander Lee, Clothes Drying, Dexter R. Richards, electricity consumption in USA, Going Green Expos, Mountain Spirit, PLL, Project Laundry List, saving energy, service projects

This entry was posted on 20/06/2009 at 22:47 and is filed under Conservation, Environment, Holistic Living, Inspirational People, Leadership, Sustainable Living/Communities. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.