Laundry Activism

There are certain things I take for granted, like being able to hang my wet washing outside to dry. Laundrylist is a North American organisation dedicated to educating  "people about how simple lifestyle modifcations, including air drying one's clothes, reduce our dependence on environmentally and culturally costly energy."   They claim that "clotheslines are banned by nearly all of California's 35,000 homeowners' associations."  It had never occurred to me that hanging washing outside might be someting I could be prohibited from doing.  Come to think of it, I think I have heard of people in swish apartment blocks not being allowed to hang their washing out on their front balcony.  As the sight of someones indies or tshirts drying on a rack or line might ruin some "classy" aesthetic. But I have never heard of such prohibition on such a large scale. I am truly shocked & appalled.

To counter this sorry state of affairs, Project Laundry List, together with other community groups, organises National Hanging Out Day every year on April 19.

The folks at laundrylist also see the beauty of washing out to dry & you can view art and photos at the gallery of clothesline art.