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!

• 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!

Did you knows you could use solar power without spending a dime?  It is as easy as hanging your clothes outside to dry after washing.  And air drying your clothes is easier than you think!

Letting your clothing hang dry is actually doubly beneficial: not only do you avoid the energy use of the dryer, but your clothes will last longer.  Dryers are responsible for many of the reasons we replace our clothing, like pilling, lost elasticity, and of course shrinkage.  You can save money in electricity, repair costs, and/or quarters.  Additionally, I think clothes smell better when they are let out hung out to dry.

There is more than one way to dry clothes.  If you have a clothing line or can easily hang one up in your yard, go for it!  If not, a drying rack is a great tool and can come pretty cheap.  You can also hang them on a clothing rod or a few items in your closet if you make sure there is enough space for it to dry.  When I lived in a house with a very small backyard (about 4 feet wide) I would hang my clothes with hangers on the chain link fence.  Check out Air Drying Without A Clothes Line for more tips and tricks and Laundry Drying Dilemas? Pull a Solution Out of Thin Air!

And people say solar power is expensive!

Do you air dry your clothes or do you want to?  What are your experiences?

• Toni Weschler, author of Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement and Reproductive Health, answers a few questions about menstruation on Scarleteen in Talking Menstruation with Toni.
• Lani Beloso, an artist with menorrhagia paints canvases with her own menstrual blood (see photo).  Read more about how she sees her work as catharsis and art in this article on Jezebel.
• The Huffington writes about reusables in How to Green Your Period!  Negative comments ensue.  Be sure to change that by posting about how much you love GladRags or your menstrual cup!
• The Diva Cup, Race, and Blood by Nuñez Daughter brings up some thought-provoking ideas about race, feminism, and alternative menstrual products.

Giveaways:

Win a 3-pack of the Color Cotton GladRags from the Rent Tent Movie!  Also check out their site; we can’t wait to see this film!

Now that it’s finally summer in most parts of the country, fresh produce is in abundant supply.  If you’re not able to grow your own, why not check out the farmer’s markets in your area.  Farmer’s markets are an easy, fun way to stock up on local fruits and veggies while supporting small farms in your area.  An added bonus is that many farmer’s markets focus on organically and sustainably grown crops, and the price is generally comparable — or better than — prices at the grocery store.  And many markets have vendors selling more than just produce; you may even be able to find locally made cider, honey, and cheese!

For your Green Goal this week, visit the Local Harvest website to find a farmer’s market in your area.  Bonus points for buying an item you’ve never tried before!

Did you know that the United Nations has stated that the meat industry is one of the biggest contributors to carbon dioxide emissions?  Or that consuming just one pound of meat is equivalent to driving an SUV 40 miles?  Or that you’ll save more water by not eating that one pound of meat than you will by not showering for an entire year?

No matter how you look at it, skipping the meat in your meals is better for the environment — and your health!  Even if you aren’t ready or able to go completely veg, limiting meat consumption to just a few servings per week can make a huge impact.  Your Green Goal this week is to try replacing bacon at breakfast with veggie sausage, the turkey on your sandwich with hummus and avocado, and serving a bean or quinoa-based dish as the main course at dinner.

Of course, even with the plethora of fake-meat products on the market, it’s always better to substitute whole foods like grains, beans, or veggies for meat.  You can even make your own “burgers” from black beans!

Alex and I had a blast at the Seattle Green Festival this past weekend!  We were crazy busy, but it was so much fun to meet everyone — from women who’ve been using GladRags for years, to those who’d never even heard of us before.

One young woman spotted our booth and ran up to tell me that she had only heard of the Green Festival because her sister in Minneapolis had told her that GladRags would be there.  Another told us, “I hope this isn’t too much information, but I’m using a GladRag right now!”  Funnily enough, about five other women told us the same thing over the course of the weekend!

The other exhibitors were just as friendly as the festival attendees.  Our fellow Portlanders Honest Tea kept us supplied with delicious beverages (have you tried their kombucha??) and Sandrine swapped two bags from her June 15 collection in exchange for a set of GladRags.  Organic Essence let us try their brand-new lip balm (in awesome biodegradable packaging!) and we shared some pantyliners with our booth neighbor to take home to his teenage daughter.

Overall, Seattle was a great experience and one I hope we can repeat at the next Green Festival!  More importantly, it reminded me that living a sustainable life shouldn’t be a solitary pursuit.  On that note, your Green Goal this week is to get involved with your neighbors, friends, and community to talk about what you’re doing to save the planet.  Make connections, get inspired, and support each other in the pursuit of sustainable living!

Take a break from your (hopefully not too) manic Monday with this week’s Menstrual Monday: a line-up of interesting news articles, blogs, art, and more, straight from the GladRags Twitter feed.

• Pick up a copy of the latest Mothering Magazine for their awesome article on cloth diapers; a lot of the concepts in “The Diaper Dilemma” apply to cloth pads, too.

• Lunette Selenes are in!  You’ll have to excuse us shouting this from the rooftops, because these cups are just so darn pretty.  I think I actually clapped my hands with glee when the package arrived at the office.

• Read “Saving the World by Not Using Tampons” to learn more about the founder of Green Drinks Singapore and why her first experience recycling was not so fun.

• “Eight Myths about Washable Pads Dispelled” makes me love the folks at Scarleteen even more than I already did.  Such an amazing resource for young people!

• Kali from The MakeUp Drawer Blog recently heard about cloth pads for the first time and shares her thoughts.  She says she’s not a convert (yet) but wants to hear your experience in the comments — so make sure you let her know how much you love reusables!

• Go Green Street has five super easy tips to help ease menstrual cramps — naturally.

• What does it mean to stop menstruating?  The Great Whatsit reflects on the finale of her 29 years of menstruation.

• Here at GladRags HQ we’ve been preparing for this year’s Green Festival in Seattle.  We’re hoping lots of GladRags fans will stop by our booth to say hi! Volunteers for the festival get free passes, so there’s no excuse to miss this incredible event!

• Read the heartbreaking story of the 29 girls who were kicked out of their school for menstruating in Nepal School Expels Girls for ‘Being Accursed’
• RH Reality Check brings us another great article!  Read Tampon Safety and Our Monthly Affair with Toxins to learn more about the chemicals used in tampon production and their harmful effects.
• Have you seen the Huffington Post’s article about alternative menstrual products?  You can read the interestingly titled Make Her Vagina Green here.  Being mentioned on such a big news outlet is awesome, but I wish should would have at least tried our products before writing about them.  What do you think about it?
• Amy Ziz in Austin writes about her experiences and first impressions of the Moon Cup in this article.
• Creative Madness Mama has a great article on using GladRags.  She provides lots of tips on using and buying GladRags in GladRags- Menstrual Monday.
• The title of this funny and informative article says it all: Menstrual Cups: Why They Are Awesome and You Should Get One.