When I agreed to give up an energy consuming "something" for Lent, I developed a bad attitude. I thought of all of the wonderful things that me and my husband do to save energy - like recycling, living in 1,300 square feet, NOT having a dish washer or a microwave, owning only energy efficient appliances, and NOT using a clothes dryer, paper towels, or napkins… “WE ARE JUST PERFECT,” I thought.As I sat in my living room staring at perfection and contemplating what I could POSSIBLY sacrifice, I began to see some things that were not so perfect. I consulted the list that we get from Cool Congregations, and one item sprung to the top. I WASH ALL OF OUR LAUNDRY IN HOT WATER. Why?
(1) Because my Mother did.
(2) If you do not wash clothes in hot water you will die of a strange disease.
(3) The laundry won't get clean.
(4) Just because.
I read the back of to my 7th Generation Laundry detergent and guess what? It is designed for cold water washing. So, I turned the dial to cold and washed away. I would like to report what happened:
(1) If my Mother were still alive, God rest her soul, she would not care.
(2) Ed and I are disease free.
(3) My clothes are as clean as ever.
(4) I have just done something to further save our wonderful planet.
When I researched the topic, I discovered the following: 85% to 90% of the energy consumed while washing a load of laundry comes from heating the water. Because of this, washing clothes in cold water can eliminate 1,600 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from the average household per year. For most homes, this no-cost solution will amount to a savings of between $52 and $145 each year.
I must admit, I feel humbled by my new awareness of other things that we can do to save energy. While we may be further along than a lot of Americans, we have more to do. We are all so conditioned by the way we were raised and our social influences. I am not sure sometimes that we are even aware of our energy consuming habits. Some of them, like wishing our clothes in hot water, are just plain silly.
Finally, I feel guilty. I gave something up for Lent, but it ended up not being a sacrifice at all. I will start working on the other things that may pinch my non-perfect lifestyle. We were all given such a beautiful earth, it is time we become the good stewards it needs and restore it to the balance and beauty in which it was designed.
Have a great Easter.
About the Author: Linda Farkas is part of Iowa IPL's Board Directors.
Next week Erika Uthe will be discussing her efforts to compost during Lent.
