Make hanging legal 

My Mom was so proud of her laundry hanging in the backyard. She always bragged that her clothesline was so much better than Mrs. Murphy’s who lived nearby; I couldn’t tell the difference and thought “So what?” but as a good little boy, kept quiet.

The instant city, Woodlands, has absolutely no clotheslines. I will give $10 to the first person that can show me laundry hanging in the sun in Woodlands. My next bike-tour there will be Labor Day, Sept. 1, meeting at the junction of Willow and Albert Way at 9:30 a.m. Join us.ÜAbout 10 percent of all energy used in California is used to dry laundry. In my opinion, we wouldn’t need Diablo if everyone in our state dried [their laundry] in the sun.

California receives a lot of sun; I love it. However, this state has more than 35,000 developments that have outlawedÜline drying. Why?ÜBoth Florida and Utah have “Right to Dry” laws, and legislation is pending in other states to do the same. I thought California was a “leader” state.

A group has formed called Project Laundry List (PLL) which is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, started in 1995, whose goal is to demonstrate that personal choices can make a difference for the Earth and its people. The focus of this group is on North America’s over-dependence on nuclear power, Hydro-Quebec’s large dams, and other unsustainable forms of energy. PLL advocates for the “Right to Dry” laws. [Their Web site is] www.laundrylist.org.

A few reasons to hang laundry:

1. Save money ($100 to $300 per year on electric bills for most households).

2. Conserve energy, the environment, and reduce global warming.

3. Clothes and sheets smell better.

4. Clothes last longer. Where do you think lint comes from?

5. It is outside physical activity and in the sun.

6. Clotheslines send a cultural message: “We’re rural and love it.”

7. The sun will naturally disinfect with ultraviolet rays.

8. 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.

Hanging laundry is a symbolic gesture promoting a sustainable future, rather than the terminal one to which we seem to be headed.