Going Green in Comfort

Baby clothes drying on the line. Back in May, I wrote about how my husband, who does the laundry in our house, has been using a clothesline for several years. When I had told him what my post was about that week, he confessed that he hadn't been hanging out as many clothes as he used to. Last year, he was hanging out everything except our unmentionables. This summer, only one load a week got hung out to dry, which made the umbrella-style pop-up clothesline in the background of the photo above unnecessary. He and I both vowed to do better, with me promising to help hang out clothes if he wants. So far, he hasn't asked for me to help, but because he's a man of his word, he took the pop-up clothesline out of the garage recently, stuck it in the ground and went back to hanging out everything but our underwear. Side note: Did you know that if you don't use a pop-up clothesline for a year or so, the ground builds up around the cement hole you made for it? It to...

(Jack Moreh/FreeRangeStock.com) Years ago, my husband and I belonged to a gym. It was a great gym. It had a pool and an indoor walking track, my favorite features. I've always loved swimming, and I like the idea of being able to walk without getting outside in the miserable heat this time of year is known for. But the best part was that it was on our way to and from work. We didn't have to go far out of our way to go there. I miss that gym, but it cost more than we can afford, especially now that we're parents. I've thought about moving to a cheaper gym, but I don't. The cheaper ones take longer to drive to, and in the few months I've been actively trying to minimize my carbon footprint, I've become more reluctant to drive more than necessary, especially to have to commit to doing it several days a week. I could walk outside at the gym or in my neighborhood, but it's darn hot out there, especially this time of year. So these days,...

Can we make the world cool back down? ( Geoffrey Whiteway / FreeRangeStock.com ) On Monday evening, my husband headed out for an exercise walk just as the sun was going down. When he came back home some 45 minutes later, I asked how his walk went. It was fine, he said, except for the damn heat and humidity. I started to tell him that it will get better once the majority of the planet gets on board with greener living, but then I wondered, is that true? If everyone on earth quit burning fossil fuels, began planting more trees than were cut down every year, and halted every other environmentally unfriendly practice, would Earth's temperature begin to cool back down, or would they just stop rising? A web search gave me some insight, but not a lot. According to an undated post on the MIT School of Engineering website, through which visitors are invited to "Ask an Engineer" states that studies have focused more on mitigating the problem than on reversing it. (Re...

Our clothesline, circa fall 2011. For the fourteen years that we've been married, my husband has done the laundry, from sorting to folding and putting the clothes away. I don't mind other indoor chores — dishes, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, dusting, etc. — but I've never liked laundry. I'm thankful he has always been willing to do it. That's why I felt a little guilty suggesting we get a clothesline years ago. It's more work, for him . At the time, I wasn't thinking about reducing our carbon footprint. I'm not even sure I was aware of climate change at the time. My goal was simply to reduce our electricity bill, especially during the hot months when the air-conditioner is in constant use. But my husband was up for the challenge. We bought a pop-up clothesline, which can be seen in the background in the photo above, that he can haul out to the yard when needed and put away when the laundry is done. I don't know how long ago...

Solar power (Photo by Chance Agrella/ FreeRangeStock.com ) One of my high school friends lived in a house that her father, who I think was an architect, built himself. I was in awe the first time I saw it, mostly because it was — and probably still is — the largest home I've ever set foot in. I have no idea how many square feet it had, but my friend was one of six children, and each had his or her own bedroom. It also had solar panels, a rare thing in my hometown back then. Though even today, I can't think of another house I've laid eyes on that is powered, a least in part, by the sun. My friend's family moved away in the 1990s, and she and I lost touch not too long after graduation. But even today, a couple of decades later, when I pass by the house, I am still fascinated by it, oddly enough, because of those solar panels. Were they enough to power the whole home? Or did they just mitigate what otherwise would've been a large electricity bill? What does th...