All of you have calculated your emissions and you have surely discovered the unexpectedly high impact of some of your behaviors (eating meat, flying to a sunny destination, etc.) on your total footprints.
Are there any behaviors that you are really willing to change or to improve for the sake of the environment? What challenges do you encounter or think you will encounter while trying to change these things? What help, support, and insights from others would make your life easier with these new behaviors?
Let's discuss these issues and make our pledges here!
Now It's Time for Action >
Washing Your Clothes in Cold Water!
Did you know that according to the US Department of energy, as much as 90% of the energy used to wash clothes in a conventional machine is used for heating the water? The heat used to create hot water can lead to five times as many greenhouse gas emissions than when clothes are washed in cold water. If we wash our clothes in cold water however, our clothes will not only be preserved for longer, but be just as clean as if they were washed in hot water! You also save a lot of money doing this. For an individual, washing an average of three loads every week, the total savings will be about twenty seven dollars a year. For a family of four, the savings are closer to eighty or one hundred dollars, depending on how much laundry is washed. All of that adds up really fast. Also, I'm not saying to do this with all of your loads, but I know we often let our delicates hang to dry, so why not let more of our clothes hang to dry? The colors won't fade, and the size won't shrink or get all weird. I sometimes also get these odd oil stains on my clothes as a result of the dryer sheet th at was put in the dryer. All that would be avoided if we hung more of our clothes to dry. I'm not talking about the old days how you had to hang the clothes outside on a line, you can drape them over a chair, or lay them on a table or couch. Saving money, preserving your clothes, and helping the environment are all great effects of simply washing your clothes in cold water. TIP- If you do decide to do this, make sure to purchase a detergent made especially for cold water loads.
For more information about the above topic and to read a little more about this, go to
http://www.brighthub.com/environment/gr … 60963.aspx I'm sorry I meant to put it in my paragraph above!
Hi, I love your post because of how simple and yet true it is. I think people get caught up in the idea of some grand plan they need to enact to prevent climate change. Most people don't even realize that often the best thing they can do is also the easiest and simple things that can have real benefit in the long run if everyone does them. I already wash my clothes with cold water but I am currently trying to figure out a method of air drying my laundry too.
I have always washed my clothes in cold water, but only because my mom told me if it was hot water, the clothes would shrink. I never thought about the way that the hot water from the washer would effect the environment. I didn't think about the way the hot water took so much energy, heating the water and taking the water from the household water supply. Most people don't think about the way their small everyday actions have an effect on the world, like keeping the water running while brushing your teeth, or saving the cold water that comes out while you wait for it to heat up for washing the dishes.
Hi Julia! My name is Paulina!
I didn't know that washing the cloths in cold water helo us saving money and the most important to help lower our carbon footprint. I will start doing it on my home and thank you for giving an idea of something we can make to save the world.