People more concerned about doing their washing quickly than the environment.

[Starryskiesinthesky]

AIBU to think it is totally depressing that people arent willing to make even small changes to try and stop the environmental crisis that is here. For example, not wanting to use an eco programme on machines because it takes longer, not prepared to dry clothes outside rather than use a dryer, driving everywhere rather than walking. If people who could, made small changes, it would all add up and we might be able to halt some of the damage we are doing to the environment and childrens futures.

@AgathaX

Is that you Meghan?

Nope. Is that you using @AgathaX as an alias, Piers? We see you.

@FateHasRedesignedMost

clean trousers, tie (TIE???) and jumper every day completely unecessary and overkill. Good grief. But then I expect you only ever wear your jeans once and then stick them in the wash

I don’t wear jeans but I do wash leggings/jeggings if I’ve had them on all day. A quick cycle on 30. But then I have enough pairs to save them up for a full wash once a week!

I wouldn’t say it’s overkill to put a 6 year old in clean school clothes each day. His trousers are usually muddy after school. Year 1 children tend to splash paint, get food/sauce on themselves at lunchtime (shirts, ties, jumpers etc). In addition to break times he normally has a good hour running and climbing in the adventure playground on the way home, so he’s often sweaty from exercise and grubby from falling over/going down slides, climbing nets etc. A set of fresh clothes each day seems common sense to me, just like having a wash or a bath/shower.

If I’ve been wearing the same clothes out all day, running around, sitting on grass, mixing with other people and pets, my clothes go into the laundry basket when I get home. I have loungewear for home (the whole family change into ‘indoor’ clothes when we get in, it’s as second nature to me as it is to take my shoes off).

I agree with you. I, too, wash my trousers or leggings if I have worn them all day. I feel that they need freshening. I wash sheets/pants/towels at 60 degrees as l read years ago that it protects against allergies and infections. As my children have grown up and left home, there is generally only our bed to change, which l do weekly. Handkerchiefs go in the machine with sheets and pillowcases. Towels, dishcloths and pants go in together possibly twice a week. Everything else is washed at 40 degrees. I don’t need to wash every day and like to hang it out to dry as much as possible but as it was pouring with rain today it had to go in the tumble drier. I like to put towels in the drier as it makes them softer.

I have been reusing and recycling for many years since long before it was mainstream. A lot of our furniture is second hand and many of my clothes are from charity shops or eBay. My “new” car is nine years old and I was taking my own bags to supermarkets long before most people did.

I think that the real problem with doing Eco washes is that officially that you shouldn't leave the washing machine unattended (IE go out or go to sleep). Very few people spend enough time in the house to do a week's worth of washing on eco.

I leave the washing machine unattended alot

The dog is already on eco as its an animal. The only way to stop that dog from farting is to kill it. The only way to stop using a car is to walk, cycle, bus, train, horse, piggyback ride, donkey, pony, fly, swim, boat, or just stand still.

Yes exactly there are indeed many alternatives to using a car

Maybe denim could come back into fashion again as you don’t need to wash it. Denim trousers and shirt and jacket, leaves just underwear and blouses to wash. Quite eco friendly

The most good anyone can do for the environment is not have so many kids. There is no reason to have more than two or three these days. If there was less breeding we could all share what the Earth supplies a lot more fairly.

The idea that the future of our planet Ellie’s in the hands of us and our every day actions is a phallacy, industry and business hold the real cards. Your preaching isn’t that helpful. Plus how the hell do you know what washing machine program most people are using?! You don’t.

@FlyingFlamingo

I do as much as I can - I use a refill shop and milkman to avoid plastic bottles, I walk whenever I can, we are looking into an electric car, I recycle…but I also work, and in order to have washing outside by 8:30 an eco cycle would have to be on by about 5. It’s just not a realistic option.

I stick the machine on in the evening

The majority of people do, do environmental things to help the planet. It would be alot easier to do more if the supermarkets did more too.

I do what I can regarding recycling, using my own reusable cup at coffee bars, watching and thinking about what to do with waste, not making it etc and so on

I don't know anyone who doesn't do something for the environment

Many washing machines can be set on timer for the morning, with a lower temperature, and less water usage. Even if we can’t manage all these things, we could try to do some. This post is not lecturing, it’s looking to your children and grandchildren’s survival (yes, it’s that serious).
I know the less well-off you are, sometimes the harder it is to implement, but every little thing you do makes a difference. I’m aiming to reestablish a little pond and plant fruit and nut trees. I donate to Greenpeace and local environmental groups when I can afford.
Even just choosing to get your food without plastic wrapping and foregoing that plastic-encased smoothie/Yakuit, or whatever. I will thank and clap you if you can do the little things, they add up. Look up the Starfish story.
We can all make a difference.

I'm pushing my flat management company to allow drying clothes outside
The lease is ridiculous and like it was written in the 1800s including I can't do anything immoral or bang a rug outside or have any washing in view, even say a shirt hung up in a window

So if you imagine a row of 6 back gardens, 5 of them are 3 storey houses and the last one is a 2 storey apartment block which has 1 private garden
The 5 houses all have washing festooned about the place but the apartment can't hang washing in their own garden. I put mine on an airer and lift it into my neighbours garden because if it's in my own then one of the other apartments reports me and I get a shitty letter

Oh and they built the apartment with no room for a tumble dryer. Excellent thinking(!)

I used to live near an estate in which, like NotMyCat's, residents were not allowed to hang washing out. I have no idea why washing is supposed to be so unaesthetic. There was another thread a few months ago in which someone confessed to having a strict order for hanging out their washing, starting with socks and ending with duvet covers. That sounds like a work of art compared with my higgledy piggledy habits! Perhaps the former would be acceptable to these developers who impose restrictions on hanging washing out?

In the meantime, builders in UK are allowed to get away with much lower standards of eco friendliness than countries like Germany or Scandinavia. That's just one of the examples where individuals do the best they can but are constrained by the actions of a particular sector or industry.

"Until there is systematic change at a much higher level there's very little impact of the measure you state."

This.

I do what I can that does not cause me too have to spend too much or to do too much extra work. I have a disability so that means what I do is pretty minimal tbh.

When there is significant change at governmental level and in industry, I'll put myself out. Until then I am not going to break my back as the tiny drop in the ocean (compared to what the likes of China and industry are doing) of me not using my tumble dryer for instance, isn't going to have any impact.

The government like to tell you to do this stuff so that you feel like you are doing something and it detracts from the fact hey are actually doing very little.

If you want to actually do something useful, you want to be putting pressure on the politicians.

I'm not going to read all 17 pages of responses because I wasn't planning on contributing and i apologise if someone had already said this, but I'm wondering what all these "eco" programmes are (my washing machine doesn't have one) and if they take 2hrs or more to run are they not using more electricity than a standard cycle, thus not actually being any better for the environment?

I already do as much as I can and I'm disabled.
I keep 4 bins in my kitchen and separate all my rubbish between the compost bin, glass, tins and plastics bin, paper and card bin and finally anything else that I can't recycle.
I drive a hybrid car (can't have a plug-in electric car because I have to park too far away) and only use it twice a week anyway.
I only have lights on in the room I'm in, use several water saving devices and try to re-use, upcycle or rehome stuff so as to avoid throwing it away.
My house isn't suitable for solar panels but I'm looking into downsizing (because my sons are adults and have their own homes now) and I'll be looking for somewhere that can have them and an electric car charging point for my next car.
Oh, as I live alone I do one mixed load (with colourcatcher) in the washing machine every fortnight, the lowest temperature on offer is 40⁰C. I have to use the tumble dryer because I can't hang stuff on a line, but in comparison to other households, my 2 loads per month is much better for the environment than most!

The stuff you have listed is literally totally pointless and will have no effect whatsoever unless governments and big corporations start making changes.

'Totally pointless' in what way? Harmonypuss's carbon footprint must be as small as it can be for someone living in an industrialised country who needs a car because of a disability. She can feel she is doing as much as she can - that's not pointless.

Most importantly, governments and big corporations make changes because of the combined pressures of many individuals. The changes aren't good enough yet but eventually they will be forced to because the effects of climate change are just too profound for them to ignore.

I don't think it helps that the eco cycles are so long it's counter intuitive and feels like you'll use more electricity so doesn't make sense it's going to be better!!

@DemocracyofHypocrisy

In England, we get roughly 4 days a year to dry clothes outside. That doesn’t leave much time for the eco settings, I’m afraid.

The stupidity of your statement completely cancels out what you were actually trying to say. 😂

I have another thought. Most of us have two indoor toilets (or more) and the amount of water used in flushing is quite high. Apparently the best eco toilet is the old fashioned earth closet which has the added advantage of being able to use the contents as manure for growing vegetables. However, only the strongest eco zealots are going to go to those lengths. Certainly not me. Modern conveniences make life better and easier and there is nothing wrong in that when used sensibly. Most of us do the best we can with busy lives.

but I'm wondering what all these "eco" programmes are (my washing machine doesn't have one) and if they take 2hrs or more to run are they not using more electricity than a standard cycle, thus not actually being any better for the environment?
I checked my machine for an eco program and it 2 hours 20 at 40 degrees. As I already use a 1 hour 14 program at 40 degrees, I’m wondering what the point is.

I have another thought. Most of us have two indoor toilets (or more) and the amount of water used in flushing is quite high.

Surely, you don’t use the toilet more just because you have 2 of them!