Taking Environmentalism to a Whole New Level

Disclaimer: I am about to talk about menstruation, so if you feel yourself getting dizzy, grow up you can escape through this exit door.

My friend, Nancy Redd, who majored with Women Studies with me in college has an awesome book out called Body Drama: Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers that I hope to review here very soon. Nancy is such an inspiration, and is redefining the way we conceptualize feminism (a women studies’ major who went on to become Miss Virginia and place in the Top Ten at Miss America – that’s my girl!). Anyhow – Nancy’s blog is a must read for women (and men!) of all ages. Asian Elle Woods recently pointed out this interesting post on alternative menstrual cycle products from Nancy’s Blog.

As I say in Body Drama, the average woman will have nearly 500 periods in her lifetime and may use as many as 16,800 tampons! Landfills and sewage systems are overflowing with an estimated 20 billion pads and tampons in North America alone, but it’s not just the planet that’s taking a hit. Your wallet might also be suffering! While a $10 box of tampons every month might not seem like a lot at first, the amount of money you might have to spend on disposable menstrual products can easily add up. There’s also controversy surrounding the safety of certain ingredients found in mainstream menstrual products. Troubling ingredients include synthetic fibers, like rayon, and dioxin, which is a by-product of the bleaching process used to whiten tampons. Some studies show dioxin and synthetic fibers as potentially being harmful to our health.

Nancy, ever-brave, tried the top four products and offers some reviews here. Here I am thinking I’m an environmentalist because I take public transportation and recycle plastic bags. Way to go, Nancy!