Going green isn't just a personal decision. You're neighbors get a say, too.

After I wrote about a woman who unsuccessfully tried to install a wind turbine on her Baltimore rowhouse, partially because of her neighbors' complaints about the safety and looks of the thing, I got a lot of messages from people who said they, too, faced opposition from their neighbors for their environmental home projects.

They wanted everything from solar panels to clotheslines. One guy said his association wasn't the problem, but historic preservationists were. He wanted storm windows and environmental decking but it meant he was not elligible for tax breaks.

So, I wrote another story. I talked to a woman who wanted a rain barrel and some small solar lights on her walkway. But the homeowners association said no. The association is just trying to keep things looking nice. And the neighborhood did look nice.

But there's actually a Maryland law now that says HOAs must try and accommodate solar panels, and the sponsor Sue Hecht said she may introduce another bill next session to address other issues such as wind turbines if enough people seem to have trouble going green. A "right to dry" bill that would allow clotheslines has been shot down for the past two years, but Hecht said it is also likely to be reintroduced next session.

The Sun's editorial board has also chimed in on the matter -- in favor of clotheslines.

Do you think more laws are needed? More editorials? More something? Think we should just be able to reason with each other and strike some kind of balance?

Baltimore Sun photo of Katie Roberts showing the height and location of her proposed rain barrel/Amy Davis