The Kamloops Chapter of the BC Sustainable Energy Association (BCSEA) is pleased to announce that The Solar Laundry Project: Free Range Laundry has now officially wrapped up. The contest gave away 110 new clotheslines to lucky winners in Kamloops. “This was our second year doing this project, and we were able to significantly increase the number of clotheslines we gave away, so we’re really happy with how it turned out,” says Gisela Rucket, project coordinator.

In addition to major sponsors BC Hydro and RONA, the support of new sponsors helped to grow the campaign. MD Creations Ltd. donated 40 ground screws, which were bundled with the umbrella clotheslines. This device makes installation a breeze by completely eliminating the need to dig holes and pour cement. Urban Systems, Shaw Communications, and inKamloops.ca also joined the team this year.

The City of Kamloops was another big booster, since they are keen to clear up the myth that the City has bylaws prohibiting clotheslines. “It keeps coming up: people think they aren’t allowed to put up a clothesline since they live in Sahali, or Juniper, or Aberdeen….In fact, all those areas can have clotheslines unless there is a strata or a developer still active in the area,” says Ruckert. “The original developer’s covenants expired years ago, but people keep passing on misinformation as new people move into the neighbourhood. Some realtors even get it wrong, telling people that existing clotheslines are somehow “grandfathered,” which is simply untrue.” Household energy reduction targets are included in the City’s Sustainable Kamloops Plan, and clotheslines can go a long way toward meeting those goals, since dryers typically account for 7% of residential use.

The Solar Laundry Project may be over for this year, but the Kamloops BCSEA hopes that the message will continue to spread: changing our habits to use clean, renewable energy is the best way to tread more lightly on our planet, and that’s good for all of us.