Urban Blog

This summer, the BLUEdot Register did a Carbon Footprint Comparison Study with us, comparing a conventional dryer vs. a clothesline. Obviously the results were going to be great, but if you want to know how great, keep reading.

Original photo is CC 3.0 by Michael Gäbler

First, let’s talk about BLUEdot Register. BLUEdot aims to protect our Earth from climate change in three ways:

Educating people on how to reduce their own carbon footprints

The BLUEdot site is an abundant source of information on what sorts of energy improvements are happening worldwide. Their blog, Practically Green, is full of everyday tips on living a carbon-conscious lifestyle.

Selling carbon offsets

A carbon offset is an investment in an environmentally sound project. These are often renewable energy farms or environmental restoration projects.

Evaluating the carbon footprints of businesses and products, and helping concerned citizens decide where to shop

When BLUEdot looks at a business’ carbon footprint, it compares their products to more conventional options. In our case, it was a clothesline vs. a dryer.

Want to know how a clothesline compares to a dryer?

We chose one of our best dryers, the Stewi First Lady Rotary Clothesline, to compare to both an electric dryer and a combined electric and natural gas dryer.

Counting all carbon a dryer creates in its lifespan includes mining materials, building the parts, getting it to the customer, all the shipping between those steps… and finally, the carbon cost of each household use. The average American family dries a load of laundry every day, while the average mechanical dryer lasts less than 13 years.

The Stewi First Lady is going to last longer than 13 years, but we had to stop somewhere.

The result? The First Lady creates 99% less carbon over the 13-year lifespan of a conventional dryer. And then it lasts longer.

What we couldn’t factor in are the carbon savings from how much longer your line dried clothes last.

Why we chose the Stewi First Lady

It dries huge loads.

We didn’t want to cheat by comparing a puny clothesline without the capacity of an electric dryer. The Stewi First Lady has over 200 feet of drying line.

It’s Swiss made.

Same idea: we wanted to compare a dryer that is at least as well-made as its counterparts, and from sturdy materials. A durable build may not increase the lifelong carbon cost though, considering the dryer lasts longer.

It fits a concrete-free ground socket.

You can get a removable Stewi Soil Ground Socket if you need a non-permanent spot for your clothesline. Of course, if you want to cement your ground socket, the one that is included with the Stewi First Lady is a fine choice.

To read more about the Carbon Footprint Comparison Study, visit bluedotregister.org.