What? You don’t relish the thought of spending the summer hunkered over the washing machine? Reducing the amount of laundry you do will not only save time and energy—it will also save the planet. If you have a 40 gallon top-loading machine and wash a load a day, you’re using over 14,000 gallons of water to wash your clothes every year! Tumble drying all those clothes could release as much as 1,825 pounds of carbon into the atmosphere in a year’s time.

So how can you cut down on laundry? Here are three ideas:

1. Don’t be so obsessive about cleanliness. Re-wear clothes and re-use towels until they’re actually dirty. It’s okay to change sheets no more than once a year. (Just kidding on that last one.)
2. Wash full loads. A load is full when it’s filled to the top with clothes without stuffing them in.
3. Don’t sort clothes. If you have trouble making full loads all in one color/fabric type, try combining them. (Make sure to wash in cold water so your whites don’t turn pink.) So get out those dryer racks or set up a clothesline. Hanging even one load a week will make a difference.

Want to take those energy savings even further? With the sun shining and temperatures soaring, there’s really no reason to use the dryer. Sure, it can be somewhat of a hassle to work hanging your wet clothes on the line into your schedule, but think about the advantages:

• You’ll save about $.50 a load when you let the sun and air do the work instead of your dryer. If you wash a load every day (about average for a family of four), you’ll save $182.00 a year.

• Every load you toss in the dryer emits one to five pounds of carbon into the atmosphere. Hanging dry, on the other hand, doesn’t harm the planet a bit.

• In super-hot weather, clothes will dry faster on the line than in the dryer.

This summer you can enjoy the fresh air while your towels soak up the sunshine. Kick back with a cool drink, relax—and resolve to do less laundry. It’s for the planet, you know.

Contributed by Joy Hatch, Simply Green

We’ve highlighted our top ten ways to go green on a budget with a baby in tow:

10. Count on quality. Pass on that cheaply-made gizmo that will wind up in a landfill after five minutes of use.

9. Go natural. Glass vs. plastic? Cotton vs. polyester? Natural materials are often (though not always!) easier on the earth than man-made ones. Glass bottles, for example, last longer than plastic ones and are easy to recycle once they’re no longer serviceable. They also don’t leach harmful chemicals into your baby’s food.

8. Consider longevity. How long is baby going to love that play mat? Is it worth buying something that gets used just a few months?

7. Think local. Shipping bamboo nursery furniture all over the world releases pounds of carbon into the atmosphere. Look into goods made right in your hometown from locally-sourced materials.

6. Don’t be greenwashed! Just because something has an “eco-friendly” label stamped on it doesn’t mean it’s better for your baby—or the planet. Look for a USDA organic label on clothing, blankets and baby food products.

5. Think gender neutral. Don’t go nuts with the pink princess or the “Lil’ Champ” theme nursery—and your next child will make better use of the hand-me-downs.

4. Repurpose! Can a dresser or shelf from somewhere else in the house work for baby’s nursery? Do you need a special changing pad, or can you use a folded towel or fleecy blanket instead?

3. Buy used. Thrift shops, consignment stores, eBay, and Craigslist are all great sources for clothes, furniture, swings—even cloth diapers! Try hitting Bambini or My Little Children to pick up gently used items at a huge savings. You’ll save the energy used to create new items and ship them across the country.

2. Pass it on. Even if you do buy some things new, you can still keep them for a second child and pass them on to friends and family when your babies grow into little kids.

1. Live without it. Our number one tip for gearing up green with a baby? Think outside the box stores. You don’t need everything on their registry lists to be a good parent with a happy and healthy baby. The most important tool you’ll need to entertain and soothe your baby is you!

We hope you enjoy all the gifts of Spring , including those chubby cherubs swaddled in cloth diapers. Welcoming baby to a greener world has never been easier—or more cost effective!

For more great Eco-Friendly tips, check out our new book: The Eco-nomical Baby Guide: Down-to-Earth Ways for Parents to Save Money and the Planet. Available in stores and on-line.

Become a walkaholic. Whether you opt to power stride or stroll to the grocery store, walking is a simple carbon neutral way to burn calories.  It can easily be incorporated into your daily schedule if you make it part of a work commute or shopping.  If you feel limited by weather or darkness, invest in some rain gear and find a buddy to walk with in well lit neighborhoods.

Pedal the pounds away. Biking can sometimes be faster than driving and in a city like Eugene. With a bike basket and a trailer for transporting your kids you’ll be able to do errands while burning off the holiday treats. Bike path maps are available at several spots around the city including local bike shops and the library.

Enjoy the comforts of home. Yoga? Kickboxing? Pilates?  Why not choose a favorite type of exercise DVD from the library and jumpstart your workout from the coziness of your own living room?  You’ll save money on gym memberships and also conserve gas  by bypassing daily trips to the gym.

Pass on the Plastic. Forget bottled water—which can contain BPA, phthalates, or other toxins from leaching plastic—and go for a reusable container made from stainless steel or glass.  If you’re on a budget, simply buy a glass bottle of juice and then wash it out and use it for water.

Nosh on natural foods. So many low-calorie products are artificial, expensive, and highly packaged.  Why not embrace high fiber, vitamin-packed seasonal fruits and veggies?  Consider a community supported agriculture subscription to a local farm to get weekly deliveries of healthy local delights.  For a list of local CSA’s go to http://www.lanefood.org/csa-programs.php.

Still paying off those holiday credit card bills?  Losing weight doesn’t have to cost a lot of money in gym memberships, special weight loss foods, and fancy home gym equipment. Sticking to the basics really does the trick—and it’s a lot easier on the environment. Eat less, eat better, and move more (even in the rain!) and you’ll find a bit more wiggle room in your waistline.

By Rebecca Kelley