Going nude the new 'green'

June 30, 5:03 PMOffbeat News ExaminerBroderick Perkins

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Cold? Think "global warming." Hike nude.

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" (a
term 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. 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.