Exonian Profiles
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Hanging Out With Alex Lee ’93 When he was a student at Exeter, Alex Lee ’93 probably never thought he’d go on to develop a deep and abiding interest in other people’s laundry. But as an activist determined to hold the line against nuclear and hydro-electric power, that’s exactly what has happened. While still at Middlebury, majoring in environmental studies with a focus in ethics, Alex launched The Clothesline Plan, a grassroots effort aimed at decreasing electricity consumption by suggesting people choose clothespins over Kenmores. Now that he has graduated, Alex is keeping the campaign alive with Project Laundry List. Alex’s interest in the environment goes back to Exeter days, when he helped to revitalize the Outing Club with Bryan Wentzell ’92 and founded the Native American Society with classmate Mandy Begay and, he says, “I spent a lot of time with Bud and Barbara James.” At Middlebury, Alex was a regional networking coordinator for Free The Planet!, the nation’s largest student environmental organization. Summers during college he has worked as a camp counselor and all last year at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, Vermont, teaching agriculture and natural stewardship. “We take kids on nature walks, do animal tracking, teach them how to milk cows, that sort of thing. This summer, I’ll be leading a canoe trip into northern Quebec, the area affected by Hydro-Quebec.” In 1997, Alex returned to Exeter to talk about his project at the Assembly on Earth Day. According to Project Laundry List literature, the energy used to run electric dryers accounts for six percent of residential energy consumption, and washing in hot water spends 85 cents of every laundry dollar. Recently Project Laundry List teamed up with a clothespin factory in Montpelier and is coordinating a design competition to build a home drying apparatus. When he’s not writing grants, Alex is working with citizens, landlords and legislators to ensure that hanging out laundry is legal in every community—many have specific ordinances against it. A “Freedom to Dry” bill will go before the Vermont state legislature in early 1999. The halls of justice seem an unlikely place for someone so at home in the great outdoors, but on returning from Quebec, Alex is headed to Vermont Law to study environmental law. “Who knows, I might even make a run into politics.” Vermont voters might want to start stocking up on clothespins. —Stephanie Casale |
