Who:
KC Little
Avid outdoorswoman
Where:
Wellington, New Zealand, Other
August 6 was an unseasonably clear, warm, windless day in Wellington, New Zealand; a tantalizing glimpse of the spring just around the corner. We had all the doors of the house open and I took the opportunity to hang our laundry outside on the line.
As I sat on the deck feeling the warmth of the sun and listening to the distant buzz of lawn mowers across the valley, I thought about the various forms that environmental activism can take. Watching my laundry wave gently in the quiet breeze, I realized that something as simple as hanging laundry can be environmental activism.
In New Zealand, most people don't own dryers. Every house and apartment has a clothes line. People hang their laundry all year long. In winter it is often started outdoors, then moved in to free-standing dry racks inside. On a beautiful day people will talk happily about being able to get a load of laundry on the line before going to work.
When I visit my family in California I am amazed at how few clothes lines I see, especially with all that beautiful Californian sunshine --> free alternative energy for everyone! Imagine if 295 million Americans started hanging their laundry at least half the time...
