[Greenbuilding] ENERGY STAR Clothes Dryers Program Launch

[Matt Dirksen]

Thanks Alan, 

I didn't know that's how they do their surveys!?

I might add that in the specific part of Maryland I live in (across the street from Greenbelt National Park) the deer population in our area has been observed at around 100 deer per square mile. I understand this to be around ten times greater than normal.

Here is a link to the current alert at the park: http://www.nps.gov/gree/planyourvisit/tick-information.htm

Deer like to come up and rub against all the trees in the back yard, which significantly raises the "risk". When we did more line drying a couple years ago, we'd end up tossing certain loads into the dryer afterward, simply due to obvious tick exposure (who knows how they got there up since ticks don't exactly climb trees.) This past spring, we've pulled around 20-30 ticks off the kids alone, most of which are deer ticks.  My 7 year old just got off of antibiotics  due to a tick bite. Fortunately, I think we got it in time.

We line dry less and use a dryer more due to several reasons beyond convenience. What I do wish for is for a little screen on top of the dryer to remind me of just how many kwh's I just consumed to dry a load. Infact, it might be a nice thing to have something like that on all the big energy consumers in one's home.

Hope this helps.

Matt



Matt Dirksen
Case Design/Remodeling, Inc.

On Jul 28, 2012, at 11:01 AM, Alan Abrams <alan at abramsdesignbuild.com> wrote:

> <Can you clarify for me how Lyme Disease and line drying are connected?>
> 
> ticks have an affinity for fabric.  my brother, a parasitologist, used to work on tick surveys:  an area is staked out, and the ground is methodically dragged with piece of a bedsheet of a specified size and weave.  The ticks cling to the fabric, which is unfurled, allowing the surveyor to classify and tally the catch.  
> 
> so it's easy to imagine one of these critters hitching a ride on the edge of a sheet or garment that brushes the lawn, as it is retrieved from the laundry basket as it is hung.
> 
> (yikes!--is this an argument for ironing as a method of de-ticking line hung laundry?)
> 
> -a
> 
> Alan Abrams
> Abrams Design Build LLC
> design for purposeful living
> 
> 6411 Orchard Avenue Suite 102
> Takoma Park, MD 20912
> office  301-270-NET- ZERO (301-270-6380)  
> fax      301-270-1466      
> cell     202-437-8583
> alan at abramsdesignbuild.com
> www.abramsdesignbuild.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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