A new protest movement is sweeping the United States, centred on the humble clothes line. Tens of millions of homeowners are forbidden by community associations and landlords from drying washing outdoors, on the grounds that it is unsightly and lowers property values.
However, a number of 'clothes line rebels' have risked legal action by defying these rules, arguing that it is their duty to reduce their carbon footprint and leave energy-hungry tumble dryers idle. Supporters are holding a rally in Concord, New Hampshire this Sunday to promote line drying.
Deborah Brensinger, a 55-year-old nurse from Pennsylvania, began hanging clothes in her back yard after moving to her home nearly three years ago. Despite checking that neighbours had no objections and ensuring the line could not be seen from the street, she faced the threat of legal action from her homeowners' association and now uses drying racks indoors.
Alexander Lee, founder of Project Laundry List, is championing the 'right to dry'. He argues that tumble dryers consume 6% of household electricity, second only to fridges, and that if one in three Americans line-dried for five months a year, 2.2 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved by 2020.
Six states—Florida, Utah, Maine, Vermont, Colorado and Hawaii—have passed laws restricting the rights of housing authorities to ban clothes lines, and several others, including Pennsylvania, are considering similar bills. The movement unites libertarians, environmentalists, Christian mothers and radical homeowners.
