Sunny Day on the East Coast

I took advantage of this sunny day on the East Coast to work on some footage that could  potentially be included with the experiences from the upcoming May 21st On The Line Casa Blance Library Site (Riverside, CA).

La Sierra Library Site - Riverside, CA

US East and West Coast - States' Legislation for Right to Dry

       The Public Raffle proposal offers a universal participation element without including monetary exchange. Instead the raffle offers the opportunity to acknowledge the California statewide legislation for “Right to Dry” that is intended for individuals to aid in energy conservation.

            The California statewide legislation intrigued me, so I investigated laws from my home state, Delaware. I have never been under a residency ordinance that prohibits hanging laundry outside. I have grown-up with the tradition of hanging laundry out to dry and have observed my suburban neighbors in the everyday practice.

            I have done some local research on my neighborhood restrictions that are dated from 1954. These restrictions are recorded with the State of Delaware Deed Records. Restriction number ten is specifically about drying laundry. Below the image shows the wording of the detailed instructions for drying laundry in the backyard. 

            Neither of my adjacent neighbors nor myself uses the portable revolving type of laundry dryers that is specifically mentioned in the description. My clothesline is tied to a tree in the backyard and is attached by an eyehook to the back porch area of my home. My one neighbor has a similar set-up for their clothesline. My other neighbor has old metal T posts that are permanently set-up in the ground to construct laundry lines. Those metal poles were there from my previous neighbor who lived there for many years. The couple that purchased the home recently repainted the rusty poles a bright lime green color and does use the laundry lines. In my neighborhood there have not been any restriction with various forms of laundry lines.

            A 2012 Sightline Institute article argues that outside laundry drying relies on solar energy. While laws in Delaware (Title 29 Chapter 80) allow for roof mounted solar energy systems there are no specific laws for clotheslines. The article refers to the State of Oregon law that voids restrictions on “solar radiation as a source for heating, cooling or electrical energy.” Solar rights in specific US states can include clotheslines as a low-tech version of solar power by the act of hang-drying, which relies on the sun’s radiation to evaporate water in wet laundry.  

             Southern California does have a different climate than the Mid-Atlantic region, especially with the changing of the seasons. 

  On a clear fall day, I rely less on solar drying and more on wind power for my laundry and energy conservation. In the fall season the sun’s heat is less intense in the northern part of the East Coast. Last fall, I was working through very preliminary ideas for the 2016 On The Line submission with video and capturing my wind blown laundry. The included video clip appropriately represents how the change of seasons does affect the everyday practice of drying laundry. 
 

           

 

REFERENCES

California Becomes a “Right to Dry” State! (2015) [Internet], Berkeley, Nolo Law for All. Available from: http://blog.nolo.com/blog/2015/10/16/california-becomes-a-right-to-dry-state/

[Accessed December 8, 2015].

TITLE 29 Chapter 80 [Internet]. Delaware, State of Delaware The Official Website of the First State. Available from: http://delcode.delaware.gov/title29/c080/sc02/ [Accessed March 18, 2016].

Howland, J. (2012) Clothesline Bans Void in 19 States. [Internet]. Seattle, Sightline Institute. Available from: http://www.sightline.org/2012/02/21/clothesline-bans-void-in-19-states/ [Accessed December 8, 2015].  

Lyons, J. (2015) Brown signs bill reversing bans on clotheslines. [Internet]. San Francisco, SFGATE. Available from: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Brown-signs-bill-reversing-bans-on-clotheslines-6560304.php [Accessed December 8, 2015].

"En los tendederos"

As a child my family and I payed some visits to relatives who lived in Riverside. Being that Los Angeles (where I am from) is about an hour away from Riverside, I did not visit too often. Although my mother is very accustomed to the city life, I recall her saying things like "Riverside is very calm" and "There are many ranches here, it reminds me of Mexico". When we visited my uncle Hector, I remember thinking that Riverside was a smaller version of Los Angeles. In fact, many areas in Riverside have pasteurization of fruits and vegetables (especially citrus), farm animals, and ranches.

According to the census of 2014 approximately 48% of people living in Riverside identify as Hispanic or Latino. It is a possibility that, like my mother, many people love Riverside for its green lands, space for farming, and maybe even the resemblance that Riverside has to the places they once lived in. 

When I was admitted into the University of California, Riverside, I got a better feel for, not only the demographics, but also the impact that community involvement has on Riverside county. The most recent example of such impact is the "On the Line" art exhibition project. I found out about this project through Professor Susan Ossman during an Anthropology Club meeting. I was curious about it, so I told Professor Ossman I was willing to help. One of my main responsibilities during our first "On the Line" exhibition was to manage the raffle introduced to us by Carrie Ida Edinger. I was asked to make a poster that announced the raffle and I took the opportunity to show the environmental benefit of hanging clothing on clotheslines. I drew a long clothesline and hung a couple of pieces of
clothing on it. The sun on the poster was used as a way for people to see that the sun is a powerful source of natural energy that could help us dry our clothes faster and preserve colors better. 

I also wrote the words "Laundry Raffle" in English and Spanish. Based on what I know about the high population of "Hispanics" in Riverside I knew it would be beneficial to use Spanish to help incorporate more people into the raffle. As I was walking around to ask people to join the raffle I held conversations with those who only spoke Spanish and it made me realize that making a bilingual raffle sign is something that allowed "Hispanic" people to know that a raffle was happening in this event. It is a way of being inclusive of other people and let them know that we want them to take part of the event too. 

Being part of this project was one of the best decisions I have made during my time in college. With "On the Line" I heard people of many backgrounds take the basic concept of hanging clothing on clotheslines and turn it into something very poetic and significant to them. It deepened my personal understanding of the importance of paying mind to the seemingly minor details of everyday life.