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REDUCE & REUSE:
Spread The Word About Living Simple

Throughout the year and especially every summer we hear and read news stories about the "energy crisis".  Power companies strain to keep up with energy consumption from air conditioners and other appliances.  People face rolling blackout threats.  Gasoline prices go up and down like a roller coaster.  The public complains nonstop about their energy bills and how much it takes to fill up their car, yet they keep on consuming at an astronomical rate!  Do people buy a more efficient car or drive less?  No.  Do people turn the air conditioner up a few degrees or off entirely?  No.  Do they wear less clothing or none at all rather than use A/C?  They'd rather die!  Do they drive nude with the windows down rather than wearing hot clothes in a hotter car and using up more gasoline by running the A/C?  No way, and if they tried it they risk arrest in case somebody sees something offensive rather than seeing common sense.  To prove this overuse, just go into any public business.  It's actually chilly in there because they have the A/C set to such a low temperature.  Case in point:  I went into my bank on a day in the 90's.  The tellers were wearing sweaters and told me it was because the air conditioning was making them too cold (the temp was set by the management).  They were shivering on a 90+° day.  Where's the logic in that?

There have been dozens of articles in the newspaper this year alone [2001] talking about the heat wave, energy use, heat stroke, and death by heat.  Every time they give tips for beating the heat, they always include "wear light clothing."  Never once have I read the suggestion of going nude.  On the hottest days power companies issue public statements requesting that people turn off the A/C.  Never once have they suggested going nude.  There have been multiple stories of people being found dead in their home (usually apartment) due to the excessive heat.  Never once have I read about them being found nude (as I said above, people would rather die than go nude).  The closest thing I've seen is somebody being found in their bathtub [that's an interesting side note; why do so few people think of cooling off in the bathtub?]  You can guarantee that if a person was found nude, dead of heat stroke, that there would be mention of it in the newspaper because the word "naked" has so much use in sensationalism, they'll include it even if the nudity is totally irrelevant to the rest of the story.  The American public has such a strong phobia against nudity and such rampant body shame, they would rather die of the heat than get naked.

Living without clothes and other simple living steps have more benefits than just reducing the electric bill.  Below is a post taken from Netnude, written by Jill Musselman.  She discusses the benefits and reasons of living without excess clothing and makes some excellent points.  Please read it, and then think about your own home and lifestyle:  what can you do to reduce consumption of energy and materials?  Many things take no effort at all, and the benefits of nudism go far beyond energy savings.

SOME NOTES AND PERSONAL COMMENTS

1. An observation I once read and that I have found to be true is that when you're a little chilly, it is much more comfortable to wrap up in a blanket than to put on more or heavier clothing. Nude sleeping feels so natural and comfortable, I can't get to sleep if I have to wear something. In the winter I use an electric blanket, which is more comfortable than wearing bed clothes, and uses less energy than running a heater or turning up the furnace.

2. The bathing suit industry makes over $900,000,000 of revenues ever year in the US alone.  [TNS 205 Arguments in Support of Naturism; argument #2]

3. Let's add up all the costs, consumables, time, and energy that would potentially be saved: time, gasoline, pollution, and car wear saved from trips to clothing stores:  time and money saved from not shopping for clothes in stores (clothing used less will last longer); time, energy, pollution and resources saved from reduced textile factory production (both natural and synthetics); fertile lands used for growing cotton could be used for food production, resulting in sales and exports; less energy used and money spent because air conditioners could be turned down or off; less gasoline and money spent because of reduced A/C use in cars; savings in time, energy, resources, money, pollution, and water consumption because of reduced clothes washer usage and detergents entering the sewage treatment systems, plus reduced waste of packaging from clothing and detergents going to landfills and the energy/pollution/time of production of that packaging; if nudity became more accepted, reduced A/C use by public buildings and businesses would save them money and in turn reduce costs to the consumers. [Some might say that reduced water usage may be negligible because of common nudist practices of cleanliness and showering using water. Well, think of this: a clothed person and a nude person are doing dirty, sweaty yard work on a hot day. The nude person takes a shower afterwards. The clothed person takes a shower as well as laundering the dirty clothes. Some might also say that nudity wouldn't work in the winter. We always keep our thermostat set to 70° in the winter, and I've found it to be every bit as comfortable when nude as when clothed.] I don't have numbers to present, but I'm sure that somebody with access to various statistics could make some pretty staggering estimates of how much of each would be saved.

4. You may have read my thoughts on bra use and the information containted in my "Bras & Breast Health" page. There is very little actual need for bras. Most breasts, especially when they have developed without support from a bra, are self supporting. Even when jogging, causing a lot of bounce, the breast is able to support itself with no permanent damage to tissues. Only the very largest breasts would need support because the skin and tissues can only support so much weight. As far as young girls, there is no need for bras or "trainers". I mean, what's the point of putting a training bra on a girl who has a chest as flat as a boy? All that will do is impose needless body shame at a young age. Reduced bra use will save money, resources, energy of production, and pollution from its packaging and the production of that packging (with the laundry reduction also saving money, resources, energy, pollution, and packaging all on its own).

5. Regarding sleeping nude when it's cold weather, see note #1. Regarding earthquakes, fires, or any other occurrence that would require a sudden evacuation of your home, at a time like that nudity should be the least of your worries. If somebody is so offended by nudity that they expect a person to waste time finding something to wear rather than getting out of a crumbling/burning/dangerous building, or expect them to go back in to get something to wear, those people need to take a serious look at their priorities in life. Put your safety first, above anything like senseless upsets and laws. If it happens to be in the winter, it will be up to you to judge if you have time to get on some cold protection; if you can't, neighbors and rescue services can help. Regarding the kids, it would be a great benefit to them as well as you to get them used to nudity and comfortable with the human body. The younger they are to start, the less transition it will take for them to get used to it. Remain nude if they need you for something and treat the nudity as nothing out of the ordinary. If they want to crawl into bed, let them. There is nothing sexual or perverted about it, and the more you treat it as perfectly normal, the more they will too. However, if they've been raised for many years to think nudity is wrong or shocking, then suddenly you begin exposing them to nudity, they will of course be shocked and uncomfortable with it and it will be hard to get them to accept it. Start early and educate them all you can! Regarding sun exposure, just like when clothed, moderation is the key. Wear sunscreen, don't stay out in it too long, and if you're getting pink, get in the shade! Think a bikini or pair of shorts will protect you from sunburn? Think again! Scientific research has shown that exposure of skin to sunlight helps the body produce or use certain vitamins such as vitamin D. It also provides such physiological benefits as mood elevation and fatigue reduction. One study shown on "Scientific American Frontiers" showed how light applied to the back of the knees elevated bodily chemicals that allows it to go longer without sleep, and get more restful sleep (it has to do with the body's sleep/wake cycles). Good advice on planting trees and shrubbery, too.

6. Write letters to your newspaper's editor, opinions page, columnists, and even the national columnists such as Ann Landers [Ester Lederer; now passed, link removed], Dear Abby (now written by Pauline Phillips and daughter Jeanne Phillips), and Marilyn vos Savant (Parade Magazine writer, she is credited with having the world's highest IQ).  Include name, city, and state; anonymous letters will likely be rejected. Discuss the benefits of nudism for reduction, simple living, and as a lifestyle as a whole.. Keep it concise yet informative, and always highly respectful. I've never seen anybody have a pro-nudism letter published in my paper's Letters to the Editor. I'm not sure if I should be surprised, because it very well could be that the editor doesn't want to get in bad favor with local religious groups for printing such a letter. If you happen to get one published in the paper, expect to see negative replies printed from people who object to any suggestion of nudity. If you send it to one of those national columnists, don't expect a personal reply just because of the large volume of mail they receive. Considering the past histories of Ann Landers and Dear Abby regarding the subject of nudism, don't expect a lot of support from them (there may be a change of attitude about it since Abigail van Buren was replaced by Pauline Phillips and Jeanne Phillips, but only time will tell). Marilyn vos Savant is a very intelligent, logical, sensible person and would be more likely to show support to logical, sensible statements about nudism and its benefits. Outside of periodicals, whenever you see an opportunity to educate somebody about the naturist lifestyle, don't hesitate to say a few things about it. Get the word out about this great way of living!