tisdag 20 mars 2012
"Not even the most hardcore environmentalist", Hans Rosling Says
The other day I watched this video from a speech given by swedish statistician Hans Rosling. I've had a debate about the content of this video with teachers in school, so I actually had to watch it.
Hans Rosling claims that the washmachine made people's lives so much easier so that they could make time to read for their children, for example. From what I've learned it works the other way. The amount of time spent on washing laundry is as much 2012 as it was 1930 when washing machines were not very common. Today, we simply wash more, and more often than we did before. In the end, laundry still takes its fair share of time in our lives. In Science this is called The Rebound Effect about which you might read here (Swedish) & here (English).
Fun fact was when he gave a lecture to his environmental-students, who all claimed to be very aware etc. Some of them said they never used cars - but none of them, not even one of the most hardcore environmentalists, said they didn't use a washing machine.
So, Here I am, Hans Rosling.
I'm a hardcore environmentalist. I wash my laundry by hand. And the amount of time I use is about the same as if I'd use a washing machine.
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>The amount of time spent on washing laundry is as much 2012 as it was 1930 when washing machines were not very common.
SvaraRaderaPlease show us the data that would substantiate the above claim, just like Hans Rosling does.
It might be true that you spend as much time washing regardless of the method you use, but I kind of doubt that to be true in the general case.
SvaraRaderaMyself, living in a one person household with access to a two machine communal laundry room, I spend about six hours every seventh week washing, drying & folding clothes. Usually I have time to have dinner & read a few chapters from some book in parallel. I've chosen once every seventh week, because that is the maximum length my laundry room has capacity to handle during one bookable time slot.
How many weeks of laundry can you handwash during one evening? I see the point in lowering or eliminating emissions, but please be honest about that it has costs. Nothing from the first link about the rebound effect suggests that it is applicable to washing habits. I would think it is safe to assume most people switch underwear once a day even if doing it more often became completely free.
Never the less, I'm impressed to read there are people who dare & care to challenge the norms. Good on ya!
Efter vad jag har hört så går det åt mer energi till att diska för hand än i diskmaskin. Motsvarande gäller antagligen för tvättmaskin. När det gäller kläder så tvättar vi säkert oftare nuförtiden, det har jag också hört förut, men disk borde väl inte vara så stor skillnad.
SvaraRaderaJag minns förresten en incident från när jag jobbade på äldreboende och skulle diska några grejer för hand och frågade efter proppen när jag skulle tappa upp vattnet. "Proppen?! Här är det ingen som sparar på vattnet." /Amanda