We understand why communities bar nuclear waste dumps, outlaw smoking in public places, and police litter bugs. We can even get behind neighborhood strictures on some noise pollution. But does the innocent clothesline truly require similarly strict treatment? It seems out of place, and yet "tens of thousands" of homeowners' groups across the U.S. have made it a fugitive act to string and use a clothesline. Since 1999, Project Laundry List has fought local embargos on open-air wash-drying. The group offers guides to products such as environmentally friendly detergents and umbrella-style clotheslines. It promotes writing and installations honoring the ages-old tradition of letting your clean white sheets flap in the wind. And it has taken action in campaigns such as "Right to Dry." Not only do clotheslines promote good stewardship of the Earth, they produce sweet-smelling, crinkly-dried apparel. Be a lover, not a hater. Hang a clothesline.
