The Project
Our awareness of the important role that energy plays in the current and future
world inspired our desire to educate people about the importance of using renewable
resources whenever possible. The result is this project that involves the construction
of clotheslines to minimize the use of clothes dryers during the fair weather
months and includes tracking the amount of energy conserved. We are encouraging
sound energy conservation practices now to improve the world for future generations.
The Plan
We gathered the rest of the Change the World Kids together, and talked about
what sort of conservation of energy initiative we could develop for people in
the Upper Valley. It needed to involve something that was important to everyone,
such as food, clothing, or shelter. We had a brainstorm that we could help people
save energy and was thinking about clothing that gave us the inspiration! Everyone
likes clean clothes and clean clothes need to dry. Dryers require considerable
amounts of energy over the course of a summer, but Mother Nature offers a free
alternative from the power of sun and wind. So we went to the business of putting
clotheslines up for free!
We designed two types of clotheslines and planned to vary the clotheslines to fit different sites. The free-standing clothesline would have four lines between two sturdy posts. The building supported clotheslines would string between two buildings, trees, or a building 3and a tree, etc. The clotheslines would be accompanied by a simple format journal in which people would keep a record of clothesline usage. Each time they used the clothesline instead of the clothes dryer, they would make a note of it in a journal. At the end of the season, we would collect the journals, and total each owner's total saving of energy hours as well as prepare an energy savings total for the entire project.
Global Resource Options in Strafford, Vermont and Stephen Thomas
Inc. gave grants to enable us to purchase materials. La Valleys Building Supply
supported the effort by offering the required materials at cost.
Back to the Mission Statement Page
I Want a Clothesline!
Thank you for your commitment to save energy! We need to know some information,
so we can create a clothesline for you. Please call 457-2622 for information
or send this form to us as soon as possible (by email at changetheworldkids@yahoo.com
or regular mail: Change the World Kids, 1046 Atwood Lane, Woodstock, VT 05091),
and we'll give you a call to schedule a date for installation.
Name:
Address:
Phone:
Email:
Directions to your house:
Best day of the week or time for us to put up the clothesline:
Description of clothesline site:
1.If you want a free standing line, how far apart shall we plan for the posts
to be:
2.If you want a line attached to a building, will it need a post at one end
or will it be attached to another building or tree):
3.How will you mark where you want the posts or the line to go?
We'll give you a journal to keep a record of each time you use the clothesline rather than the dryer.
Thank you! We'll call you soon.