I’m an advocate for drying clothes outdoors. There are many reasons why I choose to do this but the biggest is the reduction in the utility bill (we have an electric clothes dryer). Even before we installed solar panels on the roof, I would hang laundry outside to reduce our carbon footprint.
Jeff just tipped me off to a new movie coming out in 2010 called Drying For Freedom that explores the growing and reversing trend of drying clothes outside. The trailer mentions that $5 billion (yes BILLION) is spent on just drying clothes in America. What a waste! The movie also exposes the growing trend of communities passing laws that prohibit clothes lines. What this causes, according to the trailer, is to equate power consumption with status. (This sounds awfully familiar!)