Dirty Laundry....

One of the larger environmental impacts in your average house is the laundry. All of the water and energy that is used, not to mention the soaps and other stuff. So how can you reduce your impact? Let's take a look at each step in the process.

Rub a dub dub....

For the washer, there are a few simple tips which probably everyone has heard:

• only run full loads
• wash your clothes in cold water (many detergents are made specifically to do this, and it saves the energy that would have been used to heat the water)
• look for detergents that contain no phosphates

One other thing to remember is to not use too much detergent. Most major consumer product companies (especially if you shop at a place like Wal-Mart) have switched to a "concentrated" version, which simply means that they reduced the amount of water that is shipped with the detergent. While this is a good thing (reduces water use and other impacts from manufacturing and transport), it just means that you need to be careful not to put too much in your washer - make sure to read the directions and experiment with how much detergent you actually need to clean your clothes so that you don't waste detergent (and money).

And if you are in the market for a new washer, make sure that you look for one that is EnergyStar rated. There are also models that feature a high-speed spin cycle, which helps wring the excess water out of the clothes (we have one of these and it works very well).

Out to dry

Another major impact comes from the drying operation. The best answer, of course, is to hang out your laundry and use the power of the wind and the sun. If you can't do that (or aren't ready/willing to take that step), though, look for a dryer that uses a moisture sensor. These dryers can then reduce the dry time according to how wet the clothes are, saving energy over a dryer that runs for set amount of time.

One item that is open to debate is the impact of the use of farbic softeners (either in liquid or dryer sheet form). There is some disargeement about whether the substance contained in farbic softeners are hazardous. Whether or not these items are hazardous, the manufacturing and delivery process does have an environmental impact. So one option would be to not use them.

But then there is the concern about "static cling". Looking on the web, I have found several different options to help reduce static:

• use a homemade fabric softener made with vinegar in the rinse cycle of your washer (I have not tried this, but it is said that there is no vinegar smell on the clothes)
• don't fully dry clothes in the dryer - hang on a rack or line for the last little bit (humidity would reduce static, but if you can do this, why not just dry on a line)
• "reusable" dryer sheets - cloth with copper wire embedded in it
• "dryer balls" - some versions sold are made of various types of plastic, whereas some people swear by balling up some aluminum foil and tossing it in

In Summary...

The largest reductions to be made in the laundry area are to stop using hot water (takes a lot of energy to heat up the water) and stop using a standard clothes dryer (again, lots of energy to heat the air and tumble the clothes). But if you can't take these steps, there are still a lot of little things that you can do. Even something as simple as making sure that your dryer exhaust vent is free of lint (which also eliminates a potential fire hazard) can help you reduce your laundry impact. Every household does wash, now let's see if we can all do it with a little less of an impact!

Biking it....

Ahhhh....Spring is finally here (at least in most parts of the US). For adults and kids alike this means that its time to dust off the bicycle and hit the streets. Bicycles have a lot going for them:

• bicycles are a great way to get around without a car (reducing air pollution!),
• bicycles can help you get into shape, and
• riding a bicycle is fun!

Safety Tips

First, for those of you who are not bicyclists this is a reminder to be on the lookout for bicycles. You can't always see them, and sometimes the rider won't obey the rules of the road. Be especially careful in neighborhoods or around schools where you are likely to encounter kids on bikes (they don't always look first before making sudden moves).

For those of you who are headed out onto the road:

• Check your bicycle and make sure that it is in proper working order;
• WEAR A HELMET!
• Follow the rules of the road!

Click here for a good article on avoiding collisions with cars. And the State of PA has a good website here with interactive safety quizzes and other bicycle safety information.

The Big(ger) Picture

In order to help reduce dependence on automobiles, cities and towns in the US need to embrace and promote alternative forms of getting around. This should include mass transit as well as bicycles and walking. If you want people to stop using their cars, you need to make it safe and easy for them to do other things. It's not that cars are necessarily bad, but there are good things that can come from fewer miles driven:

• As you reduce the number of cars on the road, you reduce the air pollution (and noise pollution) that cars create. This is important for many urban areas that have trouble with smog (ground level ozone), because smog can trigger hospital visits for those with difficulty breathing.
• Fewer miles driven means less gasoline used (see The Power of One), which means less oil pumped out of the ground. Regardless of where the oil comes from, there is a lot of pollution (air, water and ground) that comes with extracting and refining oil into gasoline. And if you don't appreciate the environmental angle, take a look at where we get our oil from and think about the potential security risks that some of those countries may pose.
• There have been some studies that suggest cities with good mass transit/bicycle infrastructure have healthier populations. That can mean reduced costs for large cities that have large numbers of uninsured/under insured people.

Ready to Ride

So if you are ready, get out your bicycle and take a ride. And if you don't want to ride alone, get your family and friends involved or search the web and find a local bicycle club. Whatever you do, follow the rules of the road and be safe!