Unprofessional Parenting

Here’s an interesting news tidbit. Coming from the Times UK - a government report on reusable diapers found that considering the laundering requirements of reusable diapers (”nappies” in UK speak) they actually create a larger carbon footprint than their disposable counterparts.

Yes, unless the nappies are line dried only and reused through several children, the process of laundering them leads to a dramatic increase of their impact on the environment.  In a fascinating addition to the findings, the government apparently decided to “not publicize” the results of the study in the hopes to avoid drawing negative attention to the reusable industry.

Reusable diapers are most certainly a lifestyle choice (one that requires way more dedication than I would ever even try to have) and I have a hard time believing that anyone devoted enough to use them would be deterred by this one study. The article also didn’t define the exact parameters of the study so who knows the whole story but I have to wonder if using those diapers to dry my car has the same environmental impact?