Rights, rights, rights! To life, to die, to privacy...What right is the green movement fighting to restore? Hint: it has to do with the balance between saving energy and keeping the neighborhood spiffy-looking.

zbeckabee

The Right to Dry? Millions of citizens are denied the right to dry clothes outside because laundry flapping in the breeze is considered unattractive by many homeowner associations. They have concerns involving moist jeans bringing property values down. Clothes dryers comprise nearly 6 percent of the electricity used by U.S. households and can cost around $1,530 in energy bills over the machine's lifetime. Check out Project Laundry List's detailed calculator to find out how much you can save by greening your laundry routine. HOAs are NOT thrilled. http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/2009/02/right-to-dry-movement.html http://sierraclub.typepad.com/mrgreen/2009/04/the-righttodry-movement.html May 27 09, 10:26 AM

queproblema

Exactly, Zb! The clothesline "flap" is serious to those who "hang out" with the Sierra Club and like-minded people. I find the issue so amusing I can't think straight: just whose rights are being trammeled and whose are being upheld when homeowners can't vote to keep their neighborhood looking the way they want it? Where I live we vote on stuff like recreational--not medicinal--use of marijuana, shooting wolves from airplanes, and putting lipstick on pigs. Oops--it's going to rain! Gotta run bring in my laundry! May 27 09, 6:19 PM

queproblema

Sorry, I forgot to mention legislation. "Florida is the only state to guarantee a right to dry, although Utah and Hawaii have passed solar rights legislation. In 1999, Vermont became the first state to introduce a right to dry bill, although it did not become law. As of January 15, 2008, Vermont and New Hampshire were the only states in New England considering right to dry bills in their 2008 legislative sessions. "Florida (FSA § 163. 04) expressly states that no governing body may adopt ordinances that prohibit the installation of clotheslines. Further, “no deed restrictions, covenants, or similar binding agreements running with the land shall prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting” clotheslines." http://www.cga.ct.gov/2008/rpt/2008-R-0042.htm "SECTION 2. Part 1 of article 33.3 of title 38, Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION to read: "38-33.3-106.7. Unreasonable restrictions on energy efficiency measures - definitions. (1) (a) Notwithstanding any provision in the declaration, bylaws, or rules and regulations of the association to the contrary, an association shall not effectively prohibit the installation or use of an energy efficiency measure... (V) A retractable clothesline." http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/olls/sl2008a/sl_175.htm This shows some common sense: "In New Hampshire, an attempt to overturn clothesline bans was defeated this month by a coalition of businessmen and representatives of community associations, who said they felt such measures unduly restricted homeowners’ contracts. “'We spend a lot of money on architecture and design — we tell builders what windows they may use — so this is a long list of protections that evolved to protect homeowners, to keep things looking nice for everyone,' said Nik Mracic, vice president of Metrus Development in Ontario, noting that his developments typically allowed umbrella-type clotheslines, while forbidding those strung across the yard." http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/world/americas/17clothesline.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&sq=clothesline&st=nyt&scp=3 May 27 09, 6:39 PM