I was thinking about this posting as I hung out the laundry last night. I love hanging out laundry! And this year for the first time I'm going to be able to hang out laundry all year round thanks to lines that Lloyd has strung under the roof of our back porch. Coincidentally, this is also a national day of action for the 350 movement....see http://www.350.org/ I signed the pledge to stop using the clothes dryer as one significant action that I am going to take to reduce greenhouse gases. Hanging out laundry is much more creative than dumping the clothes into the dryer. I'm not consuming any gas or electricity plus I get to sort by colour, size and shape...a very creative endeavour! Plus I like the flutter in my belly from giving everything a good shake before pegging it to the line!
We humans are creative by nature but within the last 50 years or so, many of us have lost that impulse opting to be consumers instead. What's creative about that? We now have more leisure time, and how do many people use that time? They go shopping. Wow. I hang up laundry, I cook, I sew, I knit... and sometimes I do housework...
And the wonderful fresh scent of the dried clothes...
ReplyDeleteI approach the 350 movement in small creative ways, every little bit helps. I also hang most of my clothes to dry but in the bathroom over the tub as I live in a condo. The extra humidity in the air is great during the winter. Impossible to hang sheets to dry indoors so I succumb to the dryer for those.
Additionally, shopping is my least favourite thing to do and I don’t own a car. I try to walk and use public transit whenever possible (feeds my creativity seeing the colours, shapes, sounds and scents around me) and I buy from the local farmers (unexpected new sources of yarn) or from local companies.
I am proudest of the no-new-plastic-bag rule that I have imposed on myself. About 3 years ago, I started re-using the small produce bags from markets and grocery stores when I buy fruits and veg. To date, some of the bags have started to tear but all but two bags are still in use (they were recycled). I turn the bags inside out to dry after use, if necessary. I wonder how much of an impact three years of produce bags has had. Every time I use one, I think that I have saved the bag from a landfill or the plastic bag island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Ocean/Trashing-Oceans-Plastic4nov02.htm
Some knitters/crocheters have used plastic bags to create tote bags and door mats. Don't think my hands could take it.