• Green Upgrader sings some praises in Reusable Menstrual Products Help Reduce Waste, Save Money.

• A study finds that the presence of older brothers delays menstruation in girls.  Learn more about why they think that is and how it relates to sexual activity here.

• I’ve always wondered What Causes Digestive Issues During Menstrual Periods.  And now I know!
• Ashley at Domestic Chaos reviews cloth pads and the Instead and rates them according to effectiveness and comfort.
• A new study finds a link between stress and worse PMS symptoms.
• Life on Health brings us many reasons to start using menstrual cups in Wondering How To Forget About Menstrual Pains & Discomfort Of Constant Tampon Or Pad Changing? Menstrual Cups!
• Check out this laughable recent ad for douching How to Ask for a Raise: First, Wash Your Vagina.  If only we could all feel comfortable with our own bodies silly shaming ads like this would not be a problem!
• Reasons to use a menstrual cup, let blogger Delta S count the ways.

About GladRags:

• Thanks to everyone who donated to our campaign for an orphanage in Nepal!  Learn more about the orphanage and our donation campaign here.
• You can see the TigerMama crew sporting their new GladRags pins in the picture to the right! Want one of your own? Sign up to be a GladRags Guerrilla!

It’s hot here today in Portland, and all I want to do is stretch out in a shady park and read a good book.  Below you’ll find a selection of books that are both great summer reads and excellent inspiration for eco-friendly lifestyle changes.  Pick one up from your local library, or purchase a used copy from independent bookstore Powells.com.

• No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process

• Sleeping Naked Is Green: How an Eco-Cynic Unplugged Her Fridge, Sold Her Car, and Found Love in 366 Days

• Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability

• Make Your Place: Affordable, Sustainable Nesting Skills

• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (P.S.)

• Farmer Jane: Women Changing the Way We Eat

• The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City

• The Farm to Table Cookbook: The Art of Eating Locally

• Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture

Leave your own suggestions for green summer reading in the comments!

Izzy, a volunteer for the Nepal Women and Children Service Society, recently contacted us about donating GladRags to orphaned girls.  Here’s her description of life for the Nepalese children she works with, and why cloth pads are greatly needed:

The Nepal Women and Children Service Society (NWCSS) is a local co-operative aiming to rescue and support deprived women and children. Established in 2002, the group opened an orphanage in the Jorpati district of Kathmandu. Although the NWCSS are working hard to fund it, this orphanage is in dire need of external donations to offer the children a quality of life beyond the basic necessities.

For the last two years, I have volunteered at the orphanage. The living conditions of the children are incomprehensible to any measurement we might make, but this is not what defines them. Each day, I am greeted by cheeky smiles and requests for chewing gum. They are kids. Despite their desolate environment, they have retained the curiosity and joy we hope for in children. My goal in working with the NWCSS is to maintain that attitude and optimistic view of life.

More than half of the 25 children are girls, many of whom are coming into adolescence. Eight of the fourteen girls are in need of menstrual products. On my last visit, I learned that the eldest girl had been given an old towel to use as a sanitary napkin. As you can imagine, this single towel is hardly a sufficient, hygienic or comfortable means for dealing with menstruation. Another volunteer purchased a small supply of disposable pads for the girls but this is not a long term solution. Aside from the cost of disposable pads being high, there is also no hygienic way of disposing of the pads. The waste from the orphanage is collected in garbage cans and dumped 20 feet from the rear of the home. The heap attracts the expected stray animals and rodents, and is regularly set on fire, the fumes engulfing the orphanage.

You can learn more about the orphanage at this volunteer-run website and easily donate pads through the GladRags website.  Visit our donation page to learn how — you can even sew your own! Thank you for doing your part to ensure that girls everywhere have access to safe, clean, and comfortable menstrual supplies!

• Just in case you’d forgotten why you love your GladRags (or need a link to pass on to a friend!), Green Upgrader has a great post called “Reusable Menstrual Products Help You Reduce Waste, Save Money.”

• MSNBC shared a brief but intriguing article about the effect of having brothers on a woman’s reproductive development.

• Ever wonder why your digestive system seems to get a little wonky around your peroid?  Dr. Sugar explains it all for you in this Q & A post.

• Ashley reviews cloth pads and the Instead cup, and rates them according to comfort and effectiveness.  Find out which method she likes best at Domestic Chaos!

• We recently learned about the Sierra Club’s Beyond Oil House Parties from a GladRags user who hosted one at her home in Minnesota and contacted us for materials and coupons to share with her guests.  Stacy wrote, “This event is fun learning opportunity to inspire simple and eco-friendly lifestyle changes that will make a difference for our Earth.”  And of course, using GladRags is one of those easy changes that can help reduce our dependence on oil!  Check out Stacy’s pictures from her party (below) and let us know if you host an event of your own.

I’ve been a little under the weather and missed last week’s Green Goal post.  This week, I thought what better topic for the Green Goal than eco-friendly first aid?  It’s surprisingly easy to take care of minor issues without having to head to the nearest pharmacy.  And, when you do it yourself, you’re avoiding packaging and manufacturing waste and petroleum-based products.

Of course, if you have any medical concerns, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or may become pregnant, you should always ask your doctor!

Your Green Goal this week is to start stocking your medicine cabinet by following some of the tips below.  As always, please share your ideas and feedback in the comments!

•  Break off part of an aloe vera plant and what’s inside?  Aloe vera gel!  Use it to soothe irritated or sunburned skin naturally.

• To treat a stuffed up nose, crush up a few dried eucalyptus leaves in a bowl and fill the bowl with boiling water.  Cover your face and the bowl with a towel and breathe in the steam through your nose to help clear out congestion.

• Chewing on fresh mint leaves is said to ease indigestion.

• Rub lavender oil on insect bites and stings to reduce inflammation, or on your temples to help calm headaches.

• A common folk remedy for gas is to drink a strong tea made with basil leaves.

And of course, just taking time to rest, eat properly, and drink plenty of water can help you feel healthier!

• Guardian author, Hannah Betts, is inspired by British soap opera to discuss culture’s “weirdness about women’s private parts” in Mail got its knickers in a twist over Emmerdale’s ‘jam rags.’
• Psychology Today explores The Last Taboo: Menstruation and Body Literacy in a highly interesting article.
• Blogger Nevyn discusses her experience with reusable menstrual products coming from a place of embarrassment about her period.  Her article, Secret Women’s Business – Green Menstruation, includes lots of good times on using menstrual cups.
• Can menstrual cramps change the brain?  According to a preliminary study featured on ABC news they can!
• And last, but not least– 5 Reasons to Use a Menstrual Cup

Just to shake things up we are going to bring to a back-to-school rave review from one of our happy customers on sharing the joys of reusables with her daughter.

6 years later and I still couldn’t be happier using cloth pads. In fact, my daughter couldn’t be happier. Well–maybe—I just got her a beautiful Green Lunette cup for her 18th Bday!!! She has been using cloth from day 1 of her period—and I would hate to see her leave home and feel the need to switch to disposables or –gasp—tampons because of laundry issues etc. So I am giving her the gift of a lovely green cup to help her along with her ‘green’ and reusable future Gladrags were my very first purchase for myself and my daughter–and I am happy to order again! -K.B.

Summer nights are what barbeques are made for!  But you don’t have to set aside sustainability to have a barbeque that’s fun and delicious.  Check out the tips below for easy, eco-friendly ideas!

• Go veg!  Grill veggie burgers and dogs, or try a marinated portobello mushroom in place of a patty.  Need a refresher on why reducing meat in your diet is better for the planet?  Click over to our Where’s the Beef? Green Goal!

• Grill with propane rather than standard charcoal briquettes to reduce your carbon emissions.

• Use washable dishes rather than disposable plastic plates.  If you have to use single-use dishes, make sure you can compost them after!

• Pick up a growler (a refillable jug for beer) rather than a six-pack.  You’ll be reducing your impact and probably drinking tastier beer, too!  Keep an eye out for vegan and organic beers.

• Use organic vegetables in your kabobs and organic onions, tomatoes, and lettuce on your burgers.  Pick ‘em up fresh from your local farmer’s market for an even greener meal!

• Evangelizing about the Menstrual Cup from “Let Me See,” a Christian Feminist blog.  Learn why she loves menstrual cups!
  
• Elephant Journal has a great piece informing and advising you on how to Get Back on the Rag (see photo).
• Don’t forget!  Shop GladRags.com for free shipping on all domestic orders until next Friday (8/6/10).
• Also ending next Friday is your chance to win the Uterine Health Companion book!  Read our review and enter the contest here.