TH Forums Highlights: Lazy People, Laundry Tips, What is Green? and More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.30.07
The TreeHugger Forums are growing into a pretty diverse community, where you can get green tips and info, ask your burning green questions (and get some answers) or have it out in a debate over the respective benefits of different green approaches. Here are some highlights...
 | 1) Forum user Chris_Belgium has a rant that basically comes down to this: "What's wrong with people? Is everybody so lazy??" Working hard to implement some small, positive changes at work, Chris has become pretty frustrated with the level of laziness exhibited at the office. It seems that poor Chris isn't the only one subjected to workplace laziness, but there are a few bright spots out there. |
 | 2) In what can only be termed "washing machine madness", user greenervenus is having some difficulties with a new front-loading washing machine. The thread started way back in May, but there has slowly been a consensus building (that there might be some operator error going on -- everyone else seems to love their front-loaders), and, as an interesting side note, it's been discovered that it's not such a hot idea to put the washers on the second floor...hmm. |
 | 3) Since clean clothes (hopefully from a front-loading machine) have to be dried, user Pandorasbox recommends line or rack drying, and wants to know: "Who has one? Do you use it? How often? What sorts of items do you hang dry on it? For me it's everything from shirts to pants, socks to underwear, blankets to towels, diapers to bibs!" We get existential with "What is green?" and economical with green students on a budget, after the jump... |
| 4) In another old (but good) thread, user Alex ponders what it actually means to "go green." Truth be told, it encompasses a growing variety of possibilities; for him, it's "Less brown. You have done everything to reduce your energy consumption (direct and indirect), but you still use a gas hybrid and use "the mix" to power your house." What does "green" mean to you? |
 | 5) Lastly, user (and burgeoning green student on a budget) ashibata is looking for some advice. "I am a college student in LA that is attempting to pay the bills while being a responsible citizen and consumer. Does anyone have any tips on being cheap and green? It's hard to buy organic/fair trade/sustainable when you have a very limited budget." |
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I live in Italy, where hardly anyone uses electric clothes dryers. I have to admit, I miss the convenience of being able to have my clothes dry in 30-45 minutes (rack or line drying takes a full day, and several days in wet and/or cold weather). But what I find even more inconvenient is having to iron all my clothing. Not having a garden or enough line space to line-dry, I use a rack, with the result that all of my clothes have, in addition to myriad wrinkles, annoying line marks. In the summer, this is especially inconvenient. It's not just an annoyance to iron the clothes, I have found that there is an art to ironing well, which, in 5 years, I have still not mastered. My other option would be to hire a Philippina (most maids here are from the Philippines) to do all of the ironing, but I've also not mastered the art of feeling okay with having servants, so...for now I'll keep in the iron..but I can't help eying the clothes dryers whenever I go into electronics shops. Aaah the woes of being a woman..
I just wanted to point out to Chris that yes, indeed, people are that lazy. In fact, that was one of the first things they teach at my design school. The key for any designer is to design to take advantage of that laziness. Make it easier for people to recycle and harder to throw things away, for example.