PORTLAND, Ore. — Want to cut down on your greenhouse gas emissions and help out the climate?
You can do just that this week by letting it all hang out.
Hang out to dry of course.
This week marks the first annual "Hang Dry Your Clothes for Climate Week."
Solar Oregon organized the campaign.
But hang drying is a practice staff member and self-proclaimed hang dry nerd Joe Wachunas has been practicing for more than 20 years.
"I lived in Italy for a year and only 3 percent of Italian households have a dryer," he explained.
We caught up with Joe as he was hanging his latest batch of laundry out to dry on his back porch.
Joe has done the math. He saves about $350 a year by not using his clothes dryer.
But more than the money, it's the climate-altering pollution Joe wants to cut down.
"I timed myself on like 10 different laundry loads and it was just eight extra minutes than just using the dryer," he explained. "You're saving anywhere from three pounds of CO2 per load and for my family that does a lot of laundry, that's about a ton of CO2 a year. That's just a small thing I can do to save a ton of energy."
As part of the week-long campaign, Solar Oregon is encouraging Oregonians to hang dry their laundry and post pictures of it to social media with the hashtag #HangDry.
By doing so, participants will be entered into a raffle with all sorts of prizes.
The campaign will culminate in a celebration at Spin Laundry Lounge on Northeast Broadway this Saturday.
There will be food, drink, games and entertainment.
And anyone who hang dries at the event that day will get a free wash.