Fresh air + sunshine+ clothesline=saving energy (Photo copyright Cynthia Clark)Did you know there's a Right-to-Dry movement afoot? Check out the 2007 Time magazine story here that mentions Suzanne's role.
Proponents of the movement support using a clothesline, a "renewable solar device," instead of your energy-guzzling clothes dryer.
Suzanne has sponsored legislation that would have given condominium owners the right to dry their clothes outdoors. The bill simply said that home associations and municipalities could not fully prohibit outdoor drying but could decide when and where on the property it would be allowed.
The intent of the bill, which did not pass, was to provide one more way folks could decrease their carbon footprint and save energy. The argument against the bill formed around the "contract clause" in the Constitution and the by-laws of home associations, which in almost all cases prohibit outdoor drying. But there really is a counter-argument based in the exceptions allowed in state law according to the clause--mainly, would the law serve an important and legitimate public interest?
Suzanne believes it would.
We find ourselves in a world vastly different from even a few years ago: People are aware of global warming; they know that saving energy is crucial; and they are eager to change some habits in order to help make a difference, and certainly to lower their utility bill.
An exception in the contract clause was made for the size of satellite dishes in California home association properties, since the larger size was deemed in the public interest. Using less electricity, we believe, is in the public interest.
To connect the dots between using electricity and global warming, we need to remember that our local electric utility company still operates two coal-burning plants (burning coal = burning fossil-fuels, a major cause of global warming) that release the energy created onto the electric grid to power our homes.
To learn about the benefits of what most of our mothers and grandmothers did to make our sheets smell so fresh and inviting, visit Project Laundry List.