Project Laundry List

The American Clean Energy Security Act

2009-07-16T16:14:00.001-04:00

The Energy and Environment Committee of the Senate will roll out its version of ACES (The American Clean Energy Security Act) on September 8th!

In its current form ACES is unacceptable. While it has some elements that we can support, ACES essentially rewards the fossil fuel industry with subsidies through cap and trade proposals, spends federal and ratepayer dollars on coal and other forms of fossil fuels that we certainly do not need and allocates tax dollars to carbon capture and sequestration of coal. (To see CLEAN's analysis of the bill click here).

ACES will not be changed UNLESS you and your communities act now.

The Senate will undoubtedly hear from the lobbyists of the fossil fuel industry. It is urgent that you call your Senate office, set up meetings with both Senators from your state and mobilize other people in your community to do the same.

Call your Senators (Get Started Here) and ask them to:

1) Recognize that the current version of ACES as passed by the House of Representatives does not
adequately address global warming, fails to encourage true economic and energy security for
Americans, and continues the transfer of wealth from taxpayers to the coal, nuclear, and fossil-fuel
industry - a result of that industry's immense power and influence. It is a costly way to not fix our
problems adding to, rather than reducing, our unsustainable national debt. There are alternatives
that are a smarter use of public funds, a least-cost approach that will adopt a straightforward clean
energy path, solve global warming and help lead us out of rising debt.

2) Eliminate subsidies for the coal industry by eliminating all federal funding for carbon capture and
sequestration (CCS) research. If the coal industry wants to see if CCS can work, the coal industry
should make the investment.

3) Eliminate the cap and trade system proposed in the House of Representatives bill (ACES).

4) Vigorously fund renewable energy programs.

5) If ACES isn't changed along these lines, vote against the bill and start over!

Meeting with your Senators during the August recess:

The Senate is on recess from August 6th until Labor Day (September 7th). This is a good time for your organization to meet with both Senators from your state. Use the CLEAN statement as the basis for your meeting.

A Clothesline Opportunity

2009-07-15T23:20:00.003-04:00

I sometimes wonder that, if my dryer hadn't conked out three years ago, would I be using a clothesline today? I would like to think so, but I must admit that sometimes (in my darker moments...) it would be so much easier to just toss a load in the dryer. But since I don't have a newfangled dryer tempting me with all its bells and whistles; I hang.

Sometimes opportunity comes in strange ways. It's whether or not we choose to take that opportunity that is quite often the hard part. I understand the beauty and nostalgia of hanging laundry, but it's the actual DOING it that is quite often difficult. I love this quote by Thomas Alva Edison, "Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work". And yes, let's be honest, sometimes hanging laundry is just plain work...but within it lies great opportunity. Opportunity to save energy and money. Opportunity for your clothes to last longer. Opportunity to do your own small part for the greater good of the earth.

So while the humble clothespin has 100% hold on me now; I do understand the hesitance of some to actually get going and actually do it themselves. Hanging laundry around the house in the depths of winter is not fun. But it is countered with the sheer joy of hanging outside in the summertime. It does take effort, planning, and a good eye on the weather report, but it is so worth it. Small smug satisfaction can be a good feeling too!

So those of you who like the idea of hanging laundry, but have yet to try it, I say start small and see how you like it. You might be surprised at the ease of hanging. No waiting around for the dryer to dry the load; you are free to leave! No risk of a dryer fire. Lower energy bills too.
I started air-drying out of sheer necessity at the time of my dryer failure. I was really mad at the time without the use of my once-beloved dryer. But you know what? I got over it. You will too.

Marilyn

What Would Laura Do?

2009-07-14T12:31:00.007-04:00

Laura Ingalls Wilder, that is. In preparing for an article today on clotheslines for Early Homes magazine, I came across some clothesline quotes from the "Little House" series. And who could have imagined that a clothesline would save Pa and Almanzo from getting lost in the harsh prairie blizzards while heading to their barns? (Not once but on numerous occasions.) PHOTO: From the Ingalls Homestead (recreated) in DeSmet, South Dakota.

From On the Banks of Plum Creek:

Even though the sunny day was not Monday, Ma washed the clothes and hung them on the clothesline to freeze dry. That day there were no lessons.

From Farmer Boy:

Then the carpets were hung on the clotheslines outdoors, and he had to beat them with a long stick…

From By the Shores of Silver Lake:

Next day Laura helped to wash all the quilts and blankets. She was glad to lug the loaded basket out to the clothesline in the sweet, chilly March weather.

From The Long Winter:

Pa sat down and leaned to the heater, holding out his hands to warm them. But he was uneasily listening to the wind. Before long he started up from his chair.

“I’m going to do the chores before this get any worse,” he said. “It may take me some time but don’t worry, Caroline. Your clothesline’ll hold and get me back all right.”

Same book, different blizzard:

“Jerusalem crickets! This is a humdinger!” he exclaimed. “Good thing the stable is tight. I had to dig my way into it. Snow was packed as high as the door. Lucky I put your clothesline where I did, Caroline. I had to come back to the lean-to to get the shovel, but there was the clothesline to hang on to. Hot pancakes and fried pork look good to me! I’m hungry as a wolf.”

Pa was gone a long time. Ma set the supper back to keep warm. She did not light the lamp, and they all sat thinking that the clothesline would guide Pa through the blinding blizzard.

From The First Four Years:

For three days and nights the blizzard raged. Before Manly went to the barn again, he followed the house wall to where the long rope clothesline was tied at the corner. With his hand on the rope, he followed it to the back of the house. Unfastening it at the corner, he followed the house around to the door and fastened the rope there, and to the loose end he tied a shorter rope, the drying line he had put up in the storm shed. Now unreeling the rope as he went he could go to the haystack at the barn door, make the rope fast, and follow it back to the house safely. After that he went to the barn and cared for the stock once a day.

From On the Way Home (this section, written by daughter Rose Wilder, describes the houses as they appeared in 1894 in their new town of Mansfield, Missouri where they settled for over sixty years):

All the houses had front porches; all were painted and trimmed with different colors and wooden lace. Behind them were vegetable gardens and clotheslines, barns and chicken houses; some had pigpens.

Now those are my kinds of houses!

Catherine Seiberling Pond is a freelance writer on design and historical topics and author of The Pantry–Its History and Modern Uses [Gibbs Smith: 2007].

© Catherine Seiberling Pond

The Right to Dry

2009-07-13T21:35:00.012-04:00

Yesterday I was so inspired by the CBS Sunday Morning profile on "The Right to Dry" that I had to get right up from my cup of coffee to blog about the issue of clotheslines. My blog In the Pantry has covered pantries, recipes, farm life, and other domestic topics for four years, as well as a penchant for practical, even nostalgic things. [For two other related laundry blogs click here and here at a book group blog, Cupcake Chronicles, where I also contribute.] PHOTO: Laundry on a clothesline is a regular sight at farmhouses as seen at this Old Order Mennonite farm in south-central Kentucky.

Today I was invited to participate and "hang out" on this blog as a "Clothes Pegger," an honor for which I am grateful.

Living now where we do in south-central, very rural Kentucky, where everyone has a clothesline it seems, I was surprised that there needs to be such a movement that allows people the right to have clotheslines, but there it is. Clotheslines have never had a negative connotation for me as they have always seemed economical and environmentally-friendly, too. In the United States I've seen them outside of farmhouses, on fire escapes, and strung from houses in many European cities. Growing up in Akron, Ohio they were everywhere in the back of our small, well-manicured suburban house lots, usually on those spinning deals. I've seen walled-in yards on great estates and work yards in the back of urban row houses designed just for hanging out laundry. Clotheslines are both ubiquitous and universal.

There is a beauty and certain randomness of pattern to clothes hung on a line and they are as noiseless as a billowing sail. [I even wanted one at our historic home in the center of our former New Hampshire village, tucked discreetly between our barn and the stonewall. Problem was, that particular stonewall was shared with the town library and talk about airing our dirty laundry! I don't know if our historic district commission was against them or not but I know, at the time, my husband was. He has since come around on the subject.]

In future postings I will include more photographs–I have always gone around photographing clotheslines. I also will include quotes from literary sources like this one that I found today in a book I read a few months ago: Little Heathens–Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression [Bantam: 2008] by Mildred Armstrong Kalish. I highly recommend this book. In her acquired Depression-era childhood, infused with no-nonsense wisdom, she is an exemplar for living frugally and sensibly today.

This excerpt was taken from her chapter entitled, "Wash Day":

Is there any sense in trying to make the modern-day reader understand the immense satisfaction we experienced in viewing our bright, clean wash arranged in such a meticulous fashion on the clothesline? Heaven knows we had more than enough to do without this added display of superhousewifery. But the whole ritual was a matter of pride...

In the summertime the clothes would sometimes dry so fast that by the time we got the second basket out to the line, the first batch was already dry. We removed the clothes from the line as soon as they dried, being careful not to wrinkle the sweet-smelling, deliciously warm, sun-dried garments. We, meaning Grandma, Mama, my little sister, and I, would immediately put the sheets and pillowcases back on the beds, looking forward to the time when we could lie down on them. To crawl between crisp sheets, warm and fresh from the sun and air, at the end of a bone-wearying day, is one of the true soul-restoring luxuries of life, which hardly anyone of the current generation will ever know.

Here's to more clotheslines with laundry "warm and fresh from the sun and air." Thank you, Mildred. Thank you Project Laundry List.

Catherine Seiberling Pond is a freelance writer on design and historical topics and author of The Pantry–Its History and Modern Uses [Gibbs Smith: 2007].

© Catherine Seiberling Pond
Please do not reprint article or use photograph without permission of Project Laundry List or the author.

The Right to Dry on CBS

2009-07-12T14:08:00.002-04:00

Watch CBS Videos Online

Martha has a great rack

2009-07-07T16:37:00.005-04:00

Check out this great design for a clothes drying rack from Martha Stewart. Soon she will be selling them.

See Drying Rack Drawing and Martha talking about it.

Pacific Northwest: No Clothesline Emergency For You!

2009-06-30T17:12:00.004-04:00

This picture was just taken from my backyard here in the Pacific Northwest...yes, and that is the sun, glorious sun! We have had an inordinate amount of sunny weather here with, I think, only about one day of rain in the past two months. Highly unusual for this dank, damp climate!

This has lent itself to perfect drying conditions; low humidity and gentle breezes dry the laundry in about 2 hours. So, unlike those in the Northeast who are suffering from a 'Clothesline Emergency', we Northwesterners have NO excuses!

In fact, I feel that a "Clothesline Mandatory" proclamation should be issued. Get those clothes on the line while the weather is good...we know it won't last forever!

Marilyn

Live Free and Dry:

2009-06-24T18:01:00.002-04:00

A list of famous New Hampshire natives who accomplished great things while wearing line-dried undergarments.

A debate in raging in the New Hampshire legislature about whether the people of New Hampshire should be prohibited from line drying undergarments. Can we be a great society if people are given the right to dry their underwear next to their sheets, towels, pants and skirts? Let's check our history. The following list of people made their way into the world in underwear dried in the New Hampshire sun.

Alice Brown (1856 -1948) Alice described New Hampshire's people and places through her short stories and plays such as "Meadow - Grass: Tales of New England Life" and "Children of Earth."

Salmon P. Chase (1808 -1873) Chase was secretary of the U.S. Treasury during the making of the first green dollar bill in 1863 and went on to become the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court a year later.

Mary Baker Eddy (1821 -1910) Mary was known for founding the Christian Science religion in 1879 and also starting the daily newspaper The Christian Science Monitor.

William Pitt Fessenden (1806 -1869) William was known for his influential politics in the 1800's and served as a U.S. Senator from 1854 - 1864 and from 1865 - 1869.

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (1890 -1964) Flynn is known for her help in founding the American Civil Liberties Union, which is dedicated to protecting the rights of all Americans.

Sam Walter Foss (1858 -1911) Foss was a poet, journalist, and editor and was mostly known for his portrayal of the speech of the New Hampshire people.

Robert Frost (1874 -1963) Frost is known for his poems that described the nature and daily life of New England. His home in Franconia is now a museum.

Horace Greeley (1811 -1872) Horace founded and published the New York Tribune, which was a famous newspaper during the 1800's. He used the paper to voice his ideas on politics and other issues during that time.

Sarah Josepha Hale (1788 -1879) Hale wrote and edited two magazines during the early 1800's: Ladies Magazine and Godey's Lady's Book. She also wrote several books and the popular nursery rhyme "Mary Had A Little Lamb."

William Loeb (1905 -1985) Loeb was best known for publishing the Manchester Union Leader, New Hampshire's largest daily newspaper.

Maxfield Parrish (1870 -1966) Parrish illustrated hundreds of magazines and books. His home (Saint-Gaudens) in Cornish, New Hampshire inspired most of his work.

Franklin Pierce (1804 -1869) Pierce was the 14th president of the United States. He was born in Hillsborough, New Hampshire.

Eleanor Porter (1868 -1920) A children's author from Littleton, Porter made it big after she sold over 1 million copies of her book Pollyanna.

Red Rolfe (1908 -1969) Rolfe played professional baseball for the New York Yankees and was an American League Leader in 1939 with 213 hits and 139 runs.

Daniel Webster (1782 - 1852) A farmer's son, Webster graduated from Dartmouth College in 1801 and, through his later efforts as a lawyer, orator, and secretary of state, he became his era's foremost advocate of American nationalism. Webster was born in Salisbury, NH.

With thanks to Ben Davis of www.wpiweb.com and http://www.nhliving.com/famouspeople/index.shtml.

Someone likes my peg bag!

2009-06-19T15:19:00.006-04:00

About a week ago I had left the peg bag on the line overnight and we had a rather windy day so I was not over surprised to see a few leaves inside. I upended it, cleaned it and put the pegs back.

Yesterday morning I took the washing plus bag out to hang. It was about 7.30 or so. I came back to check it about 4 in the afternoon and as I approached my line, a little wren flew off to the trees. She was squarking at me from a nearby tree. As I went to the bag to put the first few pegs in, I noticed that it was filled with moss and leaves again. The little charmer had decided to make a nest in the bag! Fortunately there were no eggs but still a sizeable amount of stuff was in the bottom. I did empty it again, when I was sure there were no eggs, and the bag stays inside now during the day and night!

Take a look at an industrious nest, made in just 8 hours by a tiny wren.

The Little Peg Bag The Nest Inside.

In all my years of hanging laundry, this is a first for me!

The Simple Pleasures of Air-Drying

2009-06-05T17:34:00.004-04:00

With the arrival of warm (and hot!) spring days, I am really enjoying some of the simple pleasures that come along with line drying my laundry in the nicer weather. My clothesline goes from my house, out to a huge lilac tree, and back to my house in a triangle shape. The lilacs were recently in full bloom and the scent is so beautiful. Bees love the lilacs and there are always a plethora of them buzzing about while I hang the laundry. So far, we leave each other alone; each of us absorbed in our own busy task.

This week a spider decided to take up residence on my clothesline. I love spiders as long as they are not in my house, so I'm careful not to destroy its web. I have to carefully hang laundry around it as to not disturb it. So far, the clothesline spider has made it through two laundry hangings and seems perfectly content flapping in the wind along with the clothes!

I've been using an environmentally safe laundry detergent that is scented with lavender oil. The scent is just incredible. That, combined with the natural air drying scent is pretty heady stuff! My rhododendrons are now blooming; they also have a lovely scent and are gorgeous to look at. I only wish their blooms would last a little longer than a few weeks; their beauty is so fleeting.

Butterflies are now fluttering about to add to the scenario. There is so much simple beauty right in your own backyard. Try hanging your laundry out this summer... it's much better than having a hot dryer running on a sweltering day. I guarantee that you'll like it!

~Marilyn

This is How We Do It.

2009-05-24T17:26:00.004-04:00

Finally, I have some clotheslines pics to share. Our yard is reallly tiny. We live in a townhouse, so we are talking about a postage stamp.

My boyfriend has run clothes line under the top of the fence, so that when we hang, it is not visible from the street--unless you are LOOKING for it. We use a rack for overlow and to hide "unmentionables."

We live in a planned community with one overseeing agency and a homeowner's association for each neighborhood/complex. Mine is one of two neighborhoods in which hanging out is not allowed. All others are allowed to hang out during certain times of the day. Our neighbors have never said anything about our hanging out, and the HOA does not enforce it. I suspect that's because they realize it is a stupid rule to have, considering it is allowed in the rest of the community.

Naturally, after I took this photo, it clouded up, and I had to bring the clothes in. I'm glad I could share this, though.

Broad Coalition Criticizes Climate Bill

2009-05-22T16:02:00.002-04:00

In response to passage of the “American Clean Energy and Security Act” by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, a coalition of environmental, legal, consumer, and community advocacy groups, including released the following joint statement:

“While a week of debate failed to adequately strengthen protections for consumers, communities, and the climate in this bill, it erased all doubt of who will benefit most from it: Big Business. Despite the best efforts of Chairman Waxman, the decision-making process was co-opted by oil and coal lobbyists determined to sustain our addiction to dirty fossil fuels, even as the country stands ready to rebuild our economy and clean up the environment with real clean energy. The resulting bill reflects the triumph of politics over science, and the triumph of industry influence over the public interest.

“Regrettably, we cannot support this legislation unless and until it is substantially strengthened. The lives and livelihoods of 7 billion people worldwide will be affected by America’s response to the climate crisis. The response embodied in today’s bill is not only inadequate it is counterproductive.

“As passed through the Energy & Commerce Committee, the American Clean Energy and Security Act sets targets for reducing pollution that are far weaker than science says is necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change. The targets are far less ambitious than what is achievable with already existing technology. They are further undermined by massive loopholes that could allow the most polluting industries to avoid real emission reductions until 2027. Rather than provide relief and support to consumers, the bill showers polluting industries with hundreds of billions of dollars in free allowances and direct subsidies that will slow renewable energy development and lock in a new generation of dirty coal-fired power plants. At the same time, the bill would remove the President’s authority to address global warming pollution using laws already on the books.

“The international community cannot solve global warming without real leadership from the United States. We urge the President to demonstrate that leadership by working with Congressional leaders to craft a real, science-based response to the challenge of global warming and by immediately exercising his substantial authority to regulate global warming emissions under existing laws.”

####

Oy Veo

2009-05-21T09:29:00.002-04:00

Veos- Laundry is one of the most energy-intensive chores we do. The Veos is a design for a fabric softener dispenser, so it goes into the machine with your clothes. It harvests the kinetic energy from the clothes being spun and tossed around. When the wash is done, you pull the Veos out and hook it into your grid and use the energy. This isn't going to reclaim all the energy you use in the laundry - so clothesline advocates may not be Veos users – but if you use a machine and want to do so, this may be for you.

I am constantly amazed by the garbage we invent and push on the public to make them feel better about doing things that they choose to do even in the face of overwhelming evidence that it is a bad idea.

Let's Bring Back Good Old-Fashioned Laundry Fun!

2009-05-07T21:57:00.008-04:00

One of my favorite things to do is look at advertising in old '40s and '50s women's magazines. I am a lover of all things vintage and it's a good way to get a feel for everyday life in bygone years. Since I hang dry my clothes now, it's interesting to note how the portrayals of laundry and clotheslines were back then.

In detergent and bleach ads, the women are shown very cheerfully hanging their clothes out in the yard. Often they are chatting with a neighbor over the fence - with a bit of bantering going back and forth about laundry methods. "You hang up the kind of bright clean wash that makes your neighbors look twice" states an ad, injecting a little competitive pride in the mix. "She hangs the cleanest wash in town" is another. Not only were you getting your laundry clean and dried, it was a showcase for all the neighbors!

Other ads show it as a family activity, with children handing mom the clothespins as she joyfully hangs clothes. Babies are in playpens out in the sunshine and everyone is enjoying being outdoors doing something productive. Even dads and sons get in on the action, helping with doing the wash. Maybe it wasn't all fun and games, but the ads sure made it look like an enjoyable activity.

I'd like to see more happiness in hanging clothes shown in today's media. Let's bring back the positive images of actively hanging laundry, with all ages and sexes involved. A little friendly competition wouldn't hurt either - there could be contests with your neighbors with who has the cleanest laundry or who can hang the fastest!

I'm lucky in the fact that I have a neighbor who also hangs her laundry. Quite often we are out at the same time and often chat over the fence. We haven't gotten into any competitiveness or giving laundry tips yet, but it sure is enjoyable when hanging clothes is a bit of a social event. It would be great to bring back that aspect.

~Marilyn

Gov. Schwarzenegger Discusses Earth Day 2009 in His First YouTube Broadcast of Weekly Radio Address

2009-05-04T17:46:00.002-04:00

This is a wonderful plug for our cause. See 2 min 27 sec:

Everyone can do something. This is the bottom line.

By adjusting the thermostat, unplugging unused electronics, using efficient fluorescent bulbs, carpooling, or buying recycled products, and the list goes on and on.

These are the kind of things that anyone can do.

Did you know that air-drying your clothes for 6 months saves 700 pounds of carbon dioxide?

You see the impact that you all have.

Keep the right tire pressure in your car and you will reduce gasoline costs by 4 percent.

Now maybe that doesn’t seem like much.

But listen to this.

If everyone in the country took this simple step, America’s oil consumption would drop by 800,000 barrels a day.

You get it?

That’s the power the individual has.

We don’t have to wait for government or anyone. We all can take action.

As you remember, I did a lot of action movies, but this is real life action.

So let’s all get involved with this.

I’m counting on you.

I Love My Solar Powered Clothesline!

2009-04-20T17:21:00.001-04:00

It’s a beautiful sunny morning in Seattle and my clothes are already washed and out hanging on the line. I’m taking advantage of the free natural solar dryer that we all have available. I, frankly, have become a bit obsessed over this whole line-drying thing!

It all started a while back when my dryer suddenly didn’t heat anymore - still worked, but no heat. This was in the dead of winter - rainy, damp, cold and wet out. I was trying to find places in the house to hang things; the shower curtain rod, backs of chairs and hanging things around the house. Things dried fairly quickly - a little stiff, but okay. I decided to invest in air-drying aids to continue on this ‘new’ line-drying adventure.

I got one of those folding clothes drying racks. They hold quite a bit of clothing and they are good to use in winter, or when it’s raining out. Another handy thing is a lingerie hanging dryer - this is a hanger with a rack of attached clips. It’s great to hang socks and underwear on. I also hung a cotton clothesline outside. This worked for awhile but the cotton line slowly started disintegrating over time…I needed a more durable clothesline.

I searched high and low for a decent clothesline but there were seemingly none to be found. Then one day I was in the auto supplies department at Target and happened to espy all kinds of rope (so that’s where they hide them!) I bought some heavy nylon rope used to tie up boats; I figured that would be durable. It works great!

I have gotten really used to my air-dried clothing. Everything is so clean…not with that filmy layer of dryer sheet residue. It’s been determined that you can save up to 20% on your energy bills just by line-drying, so that’s a big incentive too. Plus the lovely sunshiny smell of air-dried clothing is something that cannot be duplicated. It takes a bit of getting used to having clothes out and about drying…but there is something just so homey and comforting about it. Seeing clothes waving on a line is just so…cheerful!

Happy drying!
~Marilyn

National Hanging Out Day

2009-04-19T12:20:00.008-04:00

Today is the day when we all hang laundry out across the nation. Alas today is one of those rare, but necesary, rainy days in the south and my laundry doesn't stand a chance of getting dry! So in the spirit of the day though, I did venture out to take this picture of my lonely laundry line. It sits towards the back of the property about 80 feet from the house, and is nestled between hedges on the property line on one side, and a small grove of trees and shrubs. Right now the azaleas are in bloom, so each morning I get to pass the fragrant cherry laural and look at the abundant flowers on the bright red azaleas.

The Betsy Ross Freedom Drier

2009-04-01T14:59:00.011-04:00

Q: What's a flag?

A: A flag is patriotic laundry, drying in the wind.

As we all know, in many cities and towns, clotheslines are illegal. However, hanging a piece of red, white, and blue linen from a pole is not only legal; it's encouraged.

Ladies and gentleman, I proudly introduce to you the Betsy Ross Freedom Drier!

The Betsy Ross Freedom Drier is named after the most famous inventor of freedom-representing-laundry in history.

The freedom drier is a vertical system of drying clothes. There are four "rope ladders" 90 degrees apart from each other.

Naturally, the halyard and pulley system on a standard flag is designed for only one or two flags. Not to worry, sailboats have been in existence for 1000's of years. The technology to hoist a rope ladder ring of wet clothes certainly exists.

Additionally, for those who still have difficulty accepting all the colors and randomness of laundry, a "green scene" can be screen-printed on a sleeve that would surround the rope ladder ring. (see picture below) With today's printing technology, the scene could be anything from an oak tree to a blue background with puffy clouds.

Is this concept easier than using a $20 clothesline? Absolutely not. It's simply another method to sidestep the serious problem of "aesthetic laws" and to help look at the challenge in a different way.

What's the end result of the Betsy Ross Freedom Drier? There will be an increase in patriotism! More people will fly the flag of the nation that is supposed to represent freedom while drying their clothes for free!

This is an invitation to help build a movement--to take one day day and use it to stop the climate crisis

2009-03-31T17:37:00.002-04:00

On October 24, we will stand together as one planet and call for a fair global climate treaty. United by a common call to action, we'll make it clear: the world needs an international plan that meets the latest science and gets us back to safety.

This movement has just begun, and it needs your help.

Here's the plan: we're asking you, and people in every country on earth, to organize an action in your community on October 24.

http://www.350.org/oct24

There are no limits here--imagine bike rides, rallies, concerts, hikes, festivals, tree-plantings, protests, and more. Imagine your action linking up with thousands of others around the globe. Imagine the world waking up.

If we can pull it off, we'll send a powerful message on October 24: the world needs the climate solutions that science and justice demand.

It's often said that the only thing preventing us from tackling the climate crisis quickly and equitably is a lack of political will. Well, the only thing that can create that political will is a unified global movement--and no one is going to build that movement for us. It's up to regular people all over the world. That's you.

So register an event in your community for October 24, and then enlist the help of your friends. Get together with your co-workers or your local environmental group or human rights campaign, your church or synagogue or mosque or temple; enlist bike riders and local farmers and young people. All over the planet we'll start to organize ourselves.

With your help, there will be an event at every iconic place on the planet on October 24-from America's Great Lakes to Australia's Great Barrier Reef--and also in all the places that matter to you in your daily lives: a beach or park or village green or town hall.

If there was ever a time for you to get involved, it's right now.

There are two reasons this year is so crucial.

The first reason is that the science of climate change is getting darker by the day. The Arctic is melting away with astonishing speed, decades ahead of schedule. Everything on the planet seems to be melting or burning, rising or parched.

And we now now have a number to express our peril: 350.

NASA's James Hansen and a team of other scientists recently published a series of papers showing that we need to cut the amount of carbon in the atmosphere from its current 387 parts per million to below 350 if we wish to "maintain a planet similar to that on which civilization developed."

No one knew that number a year ago-but now it's clear that 350 might well be the most important number for the future of the planet, a north star to guide our efforts as we remake the world. If we can swiftly get the planet on track to get back below 350, we can still avert the worst effects of climate change.

The second reason 2009 is so important is that the political opportunity to influence our governments has never been greater. The world's leaders will meet in Copenhagen this December to craft a new global treaty on cutting carbon emissions.

If that meeting were held now, it would produce a treaty would be woefully inadequate. In fact, it would lock us into a future where we'd never get back to 350 parts per million-where the rise of the sea would accelerate, where rainfall patterns would start to shift and deserts to grow. A future where first the poorest people, and then all of us, and then all the people that come after us, would find the only planet we have damaged and degraded.

October 24 comes six weeks before those crucial UN meetings in Copenhagen. If we all do our job, every nation will know the question they'll be asked when they put forth a plan: will this get the planet back on the path below 350?

This will only work with the help of a global movement-and it's starting to bubble up everywhere. Farmers in Cameroon, students in China, even World Cup skiers have already helped spread the word about 350. Churches have rung their bells 350 times; Buddhist monks have formed a huge 350 with their bodies against the backdrop of Himalayas. 350 translates across every boundary of language and culture. It's clear and direct, cutting through the static and it lays down a firm scientific line.

On October 24, we'll all stand behind 350--a universal symbol of climate safety and of the world we need to create. And at the end of the day, we'll all upload photos from our events to the 350.org website and send these pictures around the world. This cascade of images will drive climate change into the public debate--and hold our leaders accountable to a unified global citizenry.

We need your help-the world is a big place and our team is small. Our crew at 350.org will do everything we can to support you, providing templates for banners and press releases, resources to spread the word, and tools to help you build a strong local climate action group. And our core team is always just a phone call or e-mail away if you need some support.

This is like a final exam for human beings. Can we muster the courage, the commitment, and the creativity to set this earth on a steady course before it's too late? October 24 will be the joyful, powerful day when we prove it's possible.

Please join us and register your local event today.

Onwards,

Bill McKibben - Author and Activist- USA
Vandana Shiva - Physicist, Activist, Author - India
David Suzuki - Scientist, Author, Activist - Canada
Bianca Jagger - Chair of the World Future Council - UK
Tim Flannery - Scientist, Author, Explorer -Australia
Bittu Sahgal - Co-convener, Climate Challenge India - India
Andrew Simmons - Environmental Advocate, St. Vincent & The Grenadines
Christine Loh - Environmental Advocate and Legislator - Hong Kong

P.S.-We need you to do something else, right away, that's pretty easy. Please forward this message to anyone you know who is even remotely appropriate.

Help consumers purchase good drying racks and clotheslines by reviewing them at Huddler.com

2009-03-29T15:24:00.008-04:00

Have you ever tried to purchase a drying rack or laundry line online, but were totally overwhelmed by the number of options and lack of credible information on product quality? Those days have come to an end! A start-up based in California called Huddler has created a fabulous website/online community for exchanging information about green products. Better yet, they have a whole section devoted to drying racks (click this or any image to see a larger view):

Anyone can add new products to their site, modify the profiles of existing products, and rate and write reviews of products already listed.

The main page of a product listing looks like this:

Product listings also contain Products Specs, a list of relevant links, and other features:

This website has tremendous potential to help get out the word about line-drying and make the experience of purchasing an expensive, high-quality drying rack less nerve-wracking for those new to the activity. Here are a few ways you can help out:

1) Review any laundry product you already have on the Huddler Green Home website. The more reviews, the better the site!

2) Add to existing laundry product profiles. Many products lack complete profiles.

3) Add a link to the Project Laundry List store for products that we carry. Let's send some more customers our way!

4) Add new drying rack and laundry line models to the site. Currently, there are only 25 listed. However, there are hundreds of racks out there! This wiki page that I made last summer lists many drying products that are currently listed on Huddler.

5) Tell your friends and blog-readers about the site. Let's make the Huddler Green Home site the clearing house for quality information about purchasing drying racks!

Slightly overwhelmed by the site? Huddler has made a site tour to get you oriented.

A lemon for New Hampshire

2009-03-26T09:37:00.001-04:00

A lemon for New Hampshire
By Bill McKibben
March 26, 2009

IN AN EFFORT to meet clean-air laws, the Public Service Company of New Hampshire is busy trying to install an expensive scrubber on the smokestack of its Merrimack Station coal-fired power plant in Bow. A group of angry ratepayers is trying to slow it down. And here's the man-bites-dog thing, which makes this one of the more interesting ecological battles underway in the nation: The angry ratepayers are almost certainly the real defenders of the green.

Green as in the environment. But also green as in the stuff the ratepayers of the Granite State are likely to be taking out of their wallets in ever-larger amounts should the utility succeed in stifling any further review, and sticking the scrubbers up on top of the plant.

Under the Clean Air Act, power plants aren't supposed to spew mercury into the environment. That makes sense: Mercury from power plants is why New Hampshire anglers are only supposed to feed their kids 4 ounces a month of the fish they catch. For a long time, PSNH, like many utilities around the country, fended off the mandate to install scrubbers, but finally decided to go ahead and put on $250 million worth of technology, a figure that as construction is about to begin has now almost doubled. It's a couple of decades late, but, hey, better late than never.

In the meantime, though, scientists - and environmentalists - have figured out a more important reason to worry about coal-fired power plants, and that's the carbon dioxide they spew into the atmosphere. This is what causes global warming, and the scrubbers PSNH is talking about will do nothing to remove it from the exhaust. Which is too bad, because if the scientists are right about climate change, soon New Hampshire anglers will be able to catch salt-water species in their own living rooms. That is, mercury is a problem, but carbon is a crisis.

In light of all the new data, it would make real sense to start talking about alternative sources of energy - to begin investigating how to dramatically reduce electric use, and find smaller, more localized sources of power. It makes environmental sense, but also economic sense, because almost everyone now realizes that pretty soon carbon will carry a price. President Obama has called for a bill to cap carbon, and once something like it passes, the cost of coal-fired power will begin an inexorable climb. And by the way, these approaches would eliminate all the mercury - not just the 80 percent the scrubbers will scrub.

So why spend $450 million on new scrubbers if there's a reasonable chance you won't be able to keep the power plant running? Isn't it a little like buying pricey chrome rims for your car the week before inspection, when you're pretty sure the lack of brakes means you aren't going to pass? That's the question a group of big commercial ratepayers in the state are asking. They're led by Gary Hirshberg of Stonyfield Farms, Dean Kamen of Segway, the folks at Timberland - that is, the kind of businesses that have a real future in New Hampshire.

They haven't asked for much - just a 90-day pause while a series of analyses are undertaken to see if the scrubber plan really makes sense. But PSNH has responded with a series of roundhouse punches, claiming the delay will lead to job losses and great expense.

As to the prospect of Obama's carbon regulation, which would make their plant leak money, they have these reassuring words: "Speculation on future federal environmental costs for CO2 is just that - speculation."

Yeah, but even New Hampshire's GOP Senator Judd Gregg has backed carbon-cap regulation. It's not hard to see the writing on the wall. Heck, a few weeks ago congressional leaders began the process of converting their own coal-fired power plant, two blocks from Capitol Hill, over to natural gas - a tack that would be cheaper for Granite State residents as well.

After 40 years of service, the Bow plant represents the best of yesterday's technology. It's as outdated as a hulking old SUV. But the used-car salesmen at PSNH are determined to get it off the lot, so they're hard-selling the nifty new rustproofing. New Hampshire ratepayers better kick the tires a little harder, or they're going to get stuck with a lemon. A lemon with brand-new scrubbers, but still a lemon.

Bill McKibben is scholar in residence at Middlebury College and co-founder of www.350.org

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.

Clotheslines Hidden by Fences Make Good Neighbors

2009-03-22T21:51:00.009-04:00

What if we solve the clothesline ordinance dilemma with a "piggy-back compromise"?

Let's append the saying, "fences make good neighbors" to "clotheslines hidden by fences make good neighbors".

Since fences are accepted and encouraged between homes, clotheslines can take advantage of that existing standard.

The strategy is to have one or two additional lines in parallel to the clothesline. Each additional line will be a screen printing of a fence. A homeowner can choose whatever fence best fits the property. If the back side of the clothesline is facing woods, only one faux-fence is needed . If the back side of the clothesline is facing another neighbor's house, then two faux-fences would be needed to create a corridor.

We live in a country that is allowing laws on aesthetics and looks. Regardless, of whether that is wrong or right, the screen printed fences can certainly side-step the aesthetics issue with a compromise.

Some people just can't handle the colorful, random, chaotic, look of a clothesline. A fake fence would provide an orderly look with straight lines and predictable patterns.

Screen printed fences might only solve 20% of the problem at homes with flat topography and ideal conditions. Questions certainly remain on downtown locations and properties on hills.

Naturally, a screen printing is subject to ultra-violet deterioration. The fence would have to retract or roll-up when the clothes are removed from the line.

While this idea is not as practical as simply repealing anti-clothesline laws, with any luck it might stimulate some other ideas.

Art on the Line Judging to Begin Soon

2009-03-21T21:21:00.003-04:00

Project Laundry List's first Art on the Line Competition is closed! We have over 100 beautiful submissions in our http://www.flickr.com/groups/projectlaundrylist/pool/. You can help us pick a people's choice award by going and commenting on items you like with the word vote. One vote per flickr user please. All votes must be in by April 10. Winner of the juried contest to be announced March 30. Please check back.

The Electric Clothesline Ready for Spring Display

2009-03-04T11:26:00.005-05:00

Exhibit will connect energy use with energy supply

Concord, NH – The Electric Clothesline exhibit is now on display at Gallery One in Nashua, NH from March 14th to April 30th.

The Electric Clothesline, created by artist Matt St.Onge, is a scaled down version of standard power lines. It shows the correlation between drying clothes and where the energy comes from. The power transformer is made from a stainless steel, foot-pedal trash can. Its partially open lid alludes to, and warns of, our partially damaged environment.

The three power lines represent a family. A mother, father, and daughter each have their own powerline/clothesline.

The exhibit is designed to simply reinforce awareness of the effect that power production with gas, oil, and coal has on our environment. It is yet another reminder to seek renewable energy sources, and hopefully, it is interpreted in a subtle and respectful way.

By simply looking up in the air, The Electric Clothesline was inspired while driving through Penacook, NH. The power lines looked like giant clotheslines in the sky. A connection was made that to operate a clothes dryer; the power must first be transmitted through these lines. This led to questions that we are all facing today about our energy production.

“I'm going to miss having The Electric Clothesline in my living room.” Said Matt. “The best part is inviting people over to see my art. They look over, around, and through the piece trying to find my art... only to realize, Oh my God! I thought you were drying your clothes! This IS the art!"

About Matt St.Onge

For two seasons, Matt has searched for an art medium to work with. As a member of the Manchester Artists Association, as well as attending countless museums and galleries, he found a calling.

With a background in mechanical design, it’s natural for Matt to design and build artwork of a 3D nature. Dubbed “Home Depot Art”, Matt loves to merge basic building materials into items that convey a message.

The next project is titled The Invisible Trees exhibit. It is a multi-item showing that portrays a vivid contrast between “invisible” trees and the colorful man-made objects that we attach to trees. A mild funding source is needed.

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Makesa Creations, 37 Alice Drive, Suite 31, Concord, NH 03303, (603) 769-7491 MatthewStonge@Yahoo.com

An improved BAPE for the Romaine River?

2009-02-24T10:38:00.000-05:00

The BAPE, or the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l'environnement, ‘consulted’ the public concerning the Romaine River hydroelectric complex in Havre St Pierre and Sept Iles in December 2008 and received little participation or media coverage. We are looking for partners to help conceptualize and conduct a mock BAPE in Montreal for the Romaine River. While it is important for local people to participate in the process, it is also essential that residents of Québec, Canada and the United States have the opportunity to speak about projects that will affect them. We intend to provide a forum for those excluded from the original BAPE process and allow for alternative forms of expression.

Project Description: To host a mock BAPE in Montreal

Objective: To highlight the flaws in the current environmental impact assessment and BAPE process, while engaging in meaningful discussions about real solutions and real alternatives.

Time Frame: End of March, beginning of April, approximately one month before the Ministers release their report from the official BAPE.

We look forward to hearing from you, whether you choose to simply voice support for the project or decide to work in partnership with us.

Alliance Romaine is a not for profit organization founded in January 2008 to oppose the construction of four dams on the Romaine River. Through our work we foster an appreciation and love of Québec’s beautiful rivers and support energy conservation as a viable alternative to dam development.

Contact: Fran Bristow, 514 486 9857
info@allianceromaine.org