Greenies Fight for Right to Dry

Clotheslines are eco-friendly, but opponents say they kill property values
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 29, 2007 11:05 AM CST
Greenies Fight for Right to Dry
clotheslines   (KRT Photos)

Greenies say they’re being hung out to dry—instead of their clothes. A movement to cut back on eco-unfriendly clothes dryers, by hanging garments on lines, is being met with resistance from communities and homeowners associations that consider the clotheslines unsightly and damaging to property values. So the right-to-dryers are taking their case to state legislatures, Time reports.

While 10 states ban homeowners associations from restricting solar panels, only 3 protect clotheslines. Now an advocacy group called Project Laundry List is fighting for clotheslines and calling property-value concerns a “prissy sentiment.” The group’s founder says it's impossible to "legislate taste" anyway. Plus, he adds, "The clothesline is beautiful—gorgeous, sentimental and nostalgic for many." (More environmentalism stories.)

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