Going nude the new 'green'

Right: Large guy at clothing-optional beach. How would you like to be the person who gave this guy his Brazilian wax job?

June 30, 2009
Written by Broderick Perkins
examiner.com



Going nude, called naturism, has long been associated with a back-to-nature lifestyle.

It's not surprising then that bopping around the buff is being promoted as a "green" lifestyle.

Nakedness cuts waste and pollution in numerous ways according to writer Kathy Blanchard on The Naturist Society's Web site.

"Living more hours naked each day results in a dramatic drop in my laundry, which in turn reduces my water and energy use (along with my related bills)," she writes. "It also reduces the amount of soap I release," not washing clothes, she said.

Nudity doesn't mean you bathe less, you "textilists" (aterm naturists use to describe clothes-wearers).

Recognizing clothes are typically optimal in most places, she also suggests buying eco-friendly clothes made from Earth-friendlier materials like hemp or organic cotton.

Blanchard says there are other ways to shed clothes and reduce reduce your carbon footprint, and your own footprint (shoes, see, make a larger footprint).

• Hosting neighborhood clothing-optional parties. I think you could get arrested for that on the prairie. Neighborhood travel will have little negative impact on the environment, and you'll make nude friends and sustain neighborhood relationships.

• Gardening in your birthday suit. Watch out for thorns and thistles, but nudist clubs may be open to members adopting small plots of land for small-scale gardening. Members can keep the food they produce. "And how cool would it be for a club to become known locally as the group that gardens naked and gives the produce to the local food bank?" Just be sure to wash those veggies before eating.

• Traveling light. Nude hiking in the Swiss Alps is really cool. Backpack or paddle naked into the wild and you'll use virtually no fuel, your diet will be minimal with low ecological impact, and you'll return healthier -- without that stinky suitcase full of soiled clothes.

• Sleeping without clothes. This is easy. Go to bed and get up earlier to save electricity and use day light - and, again, have fewer clothes to wash.

You get the idea.
Take it off, take it all off and save the planet.
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A close friend moved out to the boonies here on the prairie. Secluded , but with one other house fairly close. He moved in and met his next door neighbors--a couple, very sociable and nice. The only quirk is that the husband likes to build things in his back yard in the buff--big things like sheds and decks. There is a privacy fence and my friend loudly announces his presence when he's approaching. Never seen him for myself, but I can visualize a naked guy with a tool belt and work boots. Guess you never know...