Saving the Planet

In Boulder, alternate energy sources are abundant and you will VERY rarely see someone actually throw anything away that can be recycled.  Cardboard, newpaper, aluminum cans, glass bottles, junk mail, milk cartons, juice containers, and even the cardboard box tampons come in!  You name it, they recycle it!  It not just about recycling.  Its about water and fuel and pollution and open space and so on.  Here in AZ, it seems that the standard thought process is about a decade behind when it comes to preserving our natural resources.  Don't get me wrong; people still think of it. Just not nearly to the degree they do in Boulder.

I have decided not to let the fact that I live in AZ deter me from my Boulderite sense of energy awareness.  So yes, I still recycle.  And yes, as soon as its not 110 when I get off of work, I'll be commuting on bike.  But the most recent decision I have come to, is that I am going to line-dry all my clothes.  I first thought of it when I noticed that you cannot turn on the light in my laundry room without a fan turning on.  I cleverly deducted that the reason behind such mandatory air circulation was because a dryer heats the air you are paying $$$ to cool with A/C.  Hence, the fan to draw out the hot air before it seeps into the rest of the apartment simply to get cooled back down.  My conclusion?  Skip the dryer all together and hang your laundry.  I found a convenient rack that can hold almost a full load  (I don't want my personals hanging off my balcony, anyway) and it collapses nicely to be stored when not in use. (The one I have is similar to this: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11072972)  So yes I'm saving energy, but that's not even the best part!  My clothes dry QUICKER in the AZ summer sun then they do in the dark confines of man-made dryer.  Ironic, eh?

I guess I should mention one thing to AZ's credit. I noticed that my water heater is located outside in the storage closet off my deck.  It makes a perverse sort of sense...  I already miss the snow.