I was reading an article on the Internet about how a new controversy has sprung up in the USA. Apparently, there is new battle to be fought between the ecologists who think hanging your clothes out to dry saves the planet by saving energy and those who think that clotheslines are unsightly and make the neighborhood look poor and in decline. The ecologists quote studies that show that dryers are second only to refrigerators and air conditioners as the top energy consumers in most US homes. There is a “right to dry” movement and even a website that addresses the issue. I don’t know how many of the citizens of Bucharest have heard about these concerns, but in Bucharest many people hang their clothes out to dry. They’re not doing it to save the planet, they’re doing it because dryers are almost unheard of in Romania. I don’t think you can find more than 1000 households in Bucharest that own a dryer. And some of those who own a dryer still hang their clothes out to dry because “they don’t like the smell of the dryer”. I heard that there was a proposal for a law that would forbid the hanging of clothes on the balconies in Bucharest, but I have no idea if the law passed or not. Fact is, a stroll through the city would reveal many balconies with hanging clothes.
Oct 192009
Looks like you were out with your camera on "Wash day." Great photo and another GREEN issue!
hanging clothes!? i think that's always an issue whether it's for the beautification of a certain structure or simply bec. we're short of space and it's more convenient.
In here, hanging clothes is just normal,but in high-rise condos, it is definitely not allowed. ^_^
Sounds pretty much like the Philippines. Unfortunately, the more upscale condominiums and subdivisions don't allow hanging clothes where they can be seen by others. Though other people have also gotten dryers especially for the rainy months, everyone here will agree that nothing smells more wonderful than sun-dried clothes.
I just finished hanging my laundry on my terrace, out of sight of everybody. Extreme ecologist are funny people which quite often make me wish to change my quite green way of life just in spite of them. Here nobody use dryers, but to hang laundry out of the windows is often considered rude and disrespectful.