Back to laundry. The settings on the machine were for hot water and a full load. I wonder what was in the machine before me. The detergent I see in the laundry room are name brand ones that are not concentrated. There is also a multitude of liquid fabric softeners and dryer sheet packages lined up too. It just screams chemicals chemicals chemicals. (I use an "environmentally friendly", concentrated brand that has no phosphates or harsh chemicals in it. I don't use the dryer when possible and when I do I take my chances with static cling.) I never used to be this way. I needed an education first and to be honest I could probably do more in terms of lowering my laundry footprint. I have started and I guess that is what counts. I have heard there are these little floating plastic things you can put into your machine in leiu of soap and they work to get your clothes just as clean. Although I suppose you'd need some kind of detergent if you are trying to get some kind of organic-oily stains out. Time and education will provide an answer to that mystery.
We have been learning about ways and tools on how to approach behavioral change (and most specifically changes to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly.) I am reading a book Fostering Sustainable Behavior by Doug McKenzie-Mohr and William Smith and its premise is about how to go about making change. I am finding this book useful as an insight into why I haven't stuck through with plans I made and ideas I have had. For example; instead of speculating on how laundry "balls" work why haven't I purchased some and figured it out yet? I am also starting to see why people do what they do and I am judging them less harshly. (btw...I'll be the first to admit that I am a very judgemental person. I usually just keep my thoughts to myself. I can expect that is why I am a bit of a loner and can't deal with teenagers and bimbos... But don't get me wrong. Just because I think some people are idiots doesn't mean I don't like some of them. *grin* ) OK. What's my point? Right. Using the tools the book provides perhaps I can educate my landlady on the perils of her laundry room and get her to be more eco-friendly.
That will be a challenge. I will definitely have to approach it in a benefit/cost way. Money talks. She didn't put up plastic on the windows until she got her energy bill even though I had been telling her that a draft was prevalent for a few months. My next challenge: getting her to see the savings associated with using cold water instead of hot or warm, demonstrating that concentrated formulas really do work as well as regular formula detergents and lastly, hanging to dry is a gooood (and doable) thing (even in the winter.)
My list also includes:
- low flow shower/sink heads
- composting
- getting my roommate to fill the sink to wash dishes (and to use soap and not just her fingers and exorbitant amounts of water)
- training my landlady's cats to use the toilet and not cat litter
- convincing my landlady that it is OK to leave her toilet lid up so that her cats can use the toilet
- getting my roommate to hang her clothes to dry
- finding out my roommate's last name (that is more for my own social capital gain.)
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