Man in the Mirror

So I was reading the Wall Street Journal the other day and came across a very telling article about America. The article focused on a woman who for conservation reasons began to hang her clothes on clotheslines instead of drying them in a clothes dryer like most people in America. For environmental reasons this makes perfect sense. Apparently, clothes dryer account for 6% of the electric consumption by US households, third behind refrigerators and lighting. For an appliance that is for total convenience, this is quite high. You can justify refrigerators and lighting as more of a necessity than clothes dryers.

The woman's actions set off a firestorm of controversy with her neighbors and her community association. For reasons such as property value and the image that the neighborhood wants to portray this was very much frowned upon by her neighbors. She has received numerous letters from the community association threatening lawsuits since the bylaws of the association prohibits clothes hanging apparatuses appearing in clear view. It has gotten so far that the woman is considering moving from the area.

You can read the article here:

http://www.realestatejournal.com/homegarden/20070919-chaker.html

Here in China, drying clothes on clotheslines is the norm. Very few people use clothes dryers.

America finds it very convenient to blame countries like China for the global pollution problem. There is no doubt it is a big problem here in China. Especially with large industries using cheaper but environmentally harmful methods to conduct business. However, it is because of the gluttonous consumption by the first world countries especially America that gives the incentive to the businesses in China to do these things; after all much of the manufacturing are for products being exported to the first world. I think the blame are on both sides.

Ordinary citizens in China consumes far less that their counterparts in America. Just the differences in the way clothes are dried will tell you a lot. Most people here uses bicycles and mass transit as their main mode of transportation while the Americans drive. You will see differences such as these in all facets of everyday life. But make no mistake about it, as the China's economy rises, you will no doubt start to see some of the same wasteful consumption that the Americans are indulging themselves with. The American lifestyle is the benchmark for emerging countries. Therefore instead of blaming, perhaps Americans should set an example for the rest of the world of how to live responsibly. They can start by giving up their clothes dryers.