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… a tumble dryer! Did you know this is one of the most energy-intensive appliances in your home? Nearly three-quarters of the carbon emissions related to a load of laundry come from drying rather than washing … so give the tumble dryer a rest!
Your challenge this week is to help your parent/carer hang out the washing – so you avoid using the tumble dryer. Strange but true: your clothes will eventually dry even in freezing temperatures, as long as the air is dry – you might even like this 30 second YouTube video of an ice scientist drying her clothes! https://youtu.be/zdMjpAY2IWs. Can you pick a day when the forecast is dry and see how long it takes to dry your clothes outside? If it’s raining, can you hang them on a rack inside? One of the tricks to drying clothes inside is to make space between the items – socially distanced socks?! Can you make a poster to stick on your tumble dryer door to discourage other members of your family from using it (check with your parent/carer first)? It could say something like 'Keep out – no clothes allowed – help us tackle climate change’. Don’t forget to HIT THE RED BUTTON when you’ve hung out the washing and avoided your tumble dryer! Send us photos of your tumble dryer poster and we can share them with the nationwide team of Young Climate Warriors.
The first tumble dryer was invented back in 1799 (then it was a metal drum with holes in it, and cranked over an open fire)! Glance up from this screen – how many things can you see in your home that were ‘invented’, designed, created by someone? What would you like to invent? Humans, like you, are excellent problem solvers. Have you heard of The Earthshot Prize?Prince William, supported by David Attenborough (amongst others) has offered £1million to 50 winning inventors/creators/designers/entrepreneurs (over this decade), incentivizing them to come up with solutions to help repair our planet. Maybe when you grow up you’ll be involved in helping solve the environmental problems of our world too – would you like to?
Have you seen ‘The Earthshot Prize – Repairing our Planet’ documentary series?(Commonsense media rating age 9yrs+ so please check with your parent/carer first). It is based on the 5 Earthshot themes – 1.Protect and restore nature, 2.Fix our climate, 3.Clean our air, 4.Revive our oceans, 5.Build a waste-free world. Here are two very short clips from the series. ‘A less wild world is a less stable world’(Attenborough). ‘Ghana didn’t have to import sun or wind’. This excellent series highlights the need for solutions alongside showcasing some of the potential winners, and their amazing inventions – older children in particular might find the vision and optimism inspiring. (Watch this year’s awards ceremony on BBC 1 @8pm, Sunday 17thOctober)
Don’t forget to HIT THE RED BUTTON when you have helped combat climate change by hanging out your washing to dry, giving your tumble-dryer a rest!
