Maybe it's selfish, but I like to believe that humanity has evolved to the point that allows me to have a few modern mechanical luxuries.
In this Sunday's New York Times, there was a special opinions section with contributions from students, environmental activists and regular citizens on why more people should use clotheslines instead of dryers.
There wasn't a single anti-clothesline voice - it was all, "clotheslines are like modern art! They save energy! They're so convenient!" So, I'll take this opportunity to come out of the pro-dryer closet.
I do believe in being eco-friendly. I'm pretty good about recycling, and I try to minimize my consumption of meat. But some choices are more feasible for my lifestyle than others, and for me, using a clothesline is not one of those choices.
I barely do laundry now, and my washer/dryer are outside my bedroom door. One of my biggest fears post-graduation is living somewhere like New York where I would have to take all my clothes to the laundromat. That would never happen. I would rather buy new clothes every day than drag a hamper several blocks. Add a clothesline to that, and forget it. I'll just walk around in a Snuggie.
I also happened to notice that none of those New York Times opinions writers are from Florida. I'm not surprised; people who don't have to deal with humidity would advocate clotheslines. It's tedious enough getting my hair to dry in Gainesville, much less a pair of jeans.
I admit that this sounds obnoxiously lazy and American. But there's a trade-off for our hectic lifestyles. We can't work 50 hours a week, cook every meal from organic food that we bought at farmers markets, bike to and from work and hang out our clothes to dry. In Europe, where clotheslines are the norm, attitudes about everything are more laid back. Sure, they hang out clotheslines in Spain, but they also take two months of vacation a year and have a scheduled afternoon nap.
You won't hear me claim that global warming doesn't exist or that we shouldn't do anything about it. But what about things like solar panels that enable us to use current technology at less of an energy cost?
Plus, it's hard to make a case for giving up dryers when the most eco-conscious among us still uses twice as much energy as a person in a developing country. In one of my environmental science classes, we had to calculate our carbon footprints. The girl who would theoretically have the best footprint was a vegan, made her own clothes, rode her bike and recycled, but if the entire global population had her lifestyle, we would still need more than two Earths to sustain that type of living. I don't necessarily trust estimates of how much energy would be saved by giving up dryers when our energy consumption is astronomical simply by virtue of being American.
I would take the bus, carry around water bottles in my purse until I came to a recycling bin, take two-minute showers and compost my food before I would give up my dryer. All I'm asking for is a shirt that I can wear within two hours of putting it in the washing machine.
I know we only have one planet. I respect that. I don't want to cause starvation in Third World countries with my actions. But I've got one life to live, and there are so many things I would rather be doing with it than laundry.
Hilary Lehman is a journalism senior. Her column appears on Wednesdays.
