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Ingilbert, I'm so glad you won her over! What I find really funny is how some people (too many) act obstinant over conservation, claiming that the world is just dandy and all those kneejerk liberals are overreacting. The thing is, it SAVES YOU MONEY. Why wouldn't you want to save money?! Just so you can be "right"?

EXACTLY! That's what I ALWAYS stress when I'm trying to "win someone over." I say, you have no IDEA how much money I save on gas by air drying the laundry!

I have never not air-dried my laundry. Living in Europe, clothes dryers came on the market only about 10-15 yrs ago. It's really something new and most people can't be bothered. I figure I have enough clothes in my closet to wait a day or two for those items that need to dry now.
My mom used to wash/rinse out the little plastic baggies so that she could re-use them in the kitchen. She also flattened out alu foil and put it back in the drawer to use it again (only if it was still clean of course). I have taken over some of her habits, maybe not to that extreme, but every little bit helps, right?
I did not see the show you are referring to, but obviously those kids have it too good.

I love hanging washing on the line. I end up air drying quite a lot of stuff anyway, even when it's not possible to put clothes outside (like this weekend, when it was snowing!) Things like technical clothes and lycra can't go in the dryer, and underwear lasts longer hung to dry.

There's nothing better than putting on a shirt that's dried outside, and it smells of sunshine and grass. Having a washing line is one of the things that makes me really happy. How weird is that? I'm shocked that there are some areas of our city where washing lines are banned - "visual pollution" - sheer WTF-ery!!

I'm also a stickler for turning lights off (beaten into me by my mother as a teenager), the roommate and I recycle (a big box every week of tins, cardboard and paper) and I also re-use the plastic lunch bags where I can.

I'm the sort of person who cooks only because I have to eat, otherwise I wouldn't, and nearly all my meals are 10 minutes and done. Being single, what I cook for dinner goes double for lunch the next day, and I'll often cook extra and freeze it for when I'm pushed for time, or just can't be bothered after a hard day at work. People at work who are amazed that I feed myself for $100 a week, but it's easy if you're not buying fast food every day!

The waste in the modern family is unbelievable. With the cost of food these days, you'd think people would put in a bit more effort...

We have a loft in our house that really can't be used for anything (big surprise, as that's most of our house.) It really only functions as a play room or something. Anyway, it's in our room and so two years ago I convinced my husband to put up some clothesline and all winter we dry our clothes right in the loft. (We don't have a basement or I'd do it there, we just have a little utility room that you can barely move in.

I will try to save his heavy sweaters and jeans and do them all together and put them in the dryer, so I do run the dryer once a month or so. Being on the line gives them marks. I suppose I could get one of those sweater racks, but I never think of it when I'm shopping.

Recycling in a lot of countries in Europe is not an option - it's the law. If you get caught throwing recyclables into the regular trash, you can be heavily fined. I can't imagine not recycling.

That's true. I lived in Freiburg, Germany, where people were extremely environmentally conscious, and there were about seven different receptacles for recycling. I was forever trying to figure what went where, but my roommates were always quick to correct me - they didn't want the fines!

My BFF says I'm OCD about recycling. I pick things up on the side of the road when I'm walking to or from work, just so I can bring them home and put them in my recycle bin.

I do that, too!

Same here.

Our city has recycling bins that we just put out on trash day. It's very simple to recycle. No excuses! I do use the dryer for jeans, underwear and such, but I hang up all my nice work clothes and the hubby has his dry cleaned. Our dryer is gas and the monthly gas bill is very low. Usually around $20 or less.

My husband drives me absolutely crazy with the air conditioning and heating. Before putting something on or taking something off, he hits the switch. I don't like the image of the nagging wife, but I nag him about that.