Summer is here, and so is our summer fun guide!  We’ll help you meet your menstrual needs for the most comfortable, eco-friendly summer ever!

The first thing I want to do when summer comes is go camping!  There is nothing like cooking over a fire, roasting marshmallows, and sleeping under the stars.  When I still used disposables, I went on a week long camping trip that started the first day of my period.  I didn’t know what to do!  If only I had known about the convenient Moon Cup: along with the Menstrual Cup  Bag, the Moon Cup provides a compact (for easy packing) solution that enables you to “leave no trace” while enjoying nature!

With record-breaking temperatures being reported in many cities this summer, Jade & Pearl Sea Sponge Tampons are perfect for when there is nothing you want more than to take a dip in a cool, refreshing lake. With no tampon string, you can wear any swimsuit you want without worry!  Easy to insert and remove, these comfortable tampon alternatives will win over even the most committed pad user.

 Just because it’s summer, it doesn’t mean that you should put your yoga practice on hold!  Yoga enthusiasts love the Keeper Cup for allowing a free range of motion and keeping your body free from the chemicals and toxins found in many disposable.  Exercise worry-free with this natural gum rubber cup that holds up to an ounce of flow — keeping you safe from leaks longer than any tampon!

Sometimes you just need to take a break, reflect, and enjoy a good book.  GladRags soft Night Pads and Day Pads are perfect for kicking back on a night devoted to taking care of yourself!  Brew a cup of Monthly Comfort Tea, soak in the tub with GladRags Bath Salts, or unwind with an Herbal Comfort Pac.  All three are specially formulated to soothe menstrual cramps, and are just the thing to help your body and mind relax!

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!

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for!  The winners of our Name our New Bag Contest are… (drumroll please) ….

“Petal Perfect” (green) - Margaret

“Sonic Bloom” (black) - Rita Davis

Congratulations to Margaret and Rita, who’ll each receive a Queen Bee Carry Bag as their prize!  Thanks to everyone who participated, and don’t forget that Queen Bee Carry Bags are still on sale for a little bit longer, so grab one now!

Have you seen our adorable new Carry Bags?  Made exclusively for GladRags by Queen Bee Creations, these hip zippered pouches won’t be available anywhere else.  But we can’t decide what to call each style — each design is just too cute for a boring name!

We’ll be giving away two bags (one of the black design and one of the green) to the commenters who suggest our favorite names for each.  Feel free to enter more than one name for each design; come up with the best names and you could win them both!

To enter the contest, leave a comment by 5/9 on this post with your name ideas.  Please indicate which design (green/black) corresponds to which name.  And include your email address when you comment so we can get in touch if you win!

 When birthdays and holidays roll around, it’s all too easy to splurge on all kinds of expensive, brand-new goodies for our friends and family.  Somehow, in all the excitement we can forget to shop consciously.

And the silly thing is, we do all this because we want our friends and family members to know how much we love them!  But there are plenty of other ways to show we care that are better for the earth — and our budgets.

Your Green Goal this week?  Give consciously, not extravagantly, with these easy tips:

• Try making something meaningful!  If you don’t consider yourself an artist or crafter, don’t despair.  Framed photographs and mix CDs can make great personalized presents.  When I was little, my mom would leave me poems on holidays — I remember them far better than any gift I ever received!

• Give activities!  Does your friend really need more stuff?  Most people I know feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of “stuff” in their lives.  Instead of the latest gadget, why not give tickets to a concert, make a delicious dinner, or head out for a hike together?  Memories last far longer and take up way less space than “stuff” will!

• Think about it!  Before you buy, ask: is this something my friend will enjoy for a long time?  If you can see it getting broken or given away in the near future, choose something else!

• Shop vintage!  Some people equate thrift stores with junk, but there are so many inexpensive treasures to be found — and part of the fun is the search.  Plus, you won’t be contributing to increased production and shipment of new products.

• Skip the wrapping paper!  With reusable options like cloth gift bags, why choose to add more waste to the world with single-use wrapping paper?  And to help you with your Green Goal this week, we’re sharing a coupon for 20% off our reusable Gift Bags in Floral and Pizzaz  — so there’s no excuse for wrapping with paper!  Just enter coupon code MAMAMIA (valid through 5/9) when at checkout to get your discount!

What’s your favorite green gift idea?  Let us know in the comments!

While we stand by our statement that GladRags are economical and money-saving, we know some people like to keep their purchasing and consuming as local as they can.  One way to reduce your environmental footprint to make your own menstrual pads.  Treehugger has a great article that includes links to sewing patterns for menstrual pads along with suggestions on how to be an effective menstrual activist.  Making your own pads can be especially eco-friendly if you use old towels or other discarded fabric - in fact, the prototype for GladRags was made with one of my old towels. And it worked great - I used it for years.

But of course we think you should spend your crafty skills on some making fun clothes and hats and just buy your GladRags from us!

GladRags Guerrilla Natalie G. recently sent us this awesome email about what she’s doing to spread the word about reusable products:

I have already submitted a rave review talking about how GladRags changed my entire perspective on my period when I bought a starter kit a year ago. I would now like to tell people how stepping outside your comfort zone can really pay off. I bought my friend a set of 3 mismatched pads and a carry bag when they were on sale a while back (keep up the awesome sales that come so frequently!). I was nervous because we’d only talked a couple times about reusable menstrual products, but the apprehension was totally unfounded. She loved them so much she’s told any woman that will listen and has become a member of the GladRags Guerrillas like myself. She already has another friend converted to GladRags and is planning on posting signs/information in the bathroom at her work (I’m doing the same at school). Long story short, step outside your comfort zone and tell a friend because the impact can become exponential in such a short time!

-Natalie G.

Thanks, Natalie!  Keep up the great work!  Would you like to learn more about how to help other women make the best choice for the environment and their bodies?  Join the GladRags Guerillas Team and get a free info set with the tools you need to help spread the word!

Ready to take a page from Natalie’s book and convert your friends?  Now is the perfect time to give the gift of GladRags!  With a variety of GladRags pad and cup kits on sale and new reusable Gift Bags at a special introductory price, what are you waiting for?

Happy menstrual monday!  Here’s the weekly scoop on the latest reviews and information on menstruation:

• Rebecca of My Green Australia gives us a run-down of menstrual alternatives and why you should try them in The Green Cycle: How to make that time of month better for you and the environment

• Erin, an acupuncturist from New York, shares the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine on the menstrual cycle on her blog.

• Did you know? Courtney Cox Arquette was the first to say “period” in a television ad! Get a few more fun trivia tidbits at Viva la Feminista’s review of the “coffee table worthy” book Flow.

• GladRags is in Women Tribune’s 2009 Holiday Gift Guide!  Check out Holly’s fab review of the Color Cotton Bucket Kit here.

Hey GladRags Users,

We are having a kickass sale on all Color Day 3-packs, Color Pantyliner 3-packs and Color Nightpad 3-packs. Also all Moon Cup Kits and Keeper Cup Kits.

To take advantage of this sale,  just be our Facebook friend and you'll see the coupon code. Or you can follow us on twitter.com/GladRags and get the coupon there.  And tell your friends to follow and friend us  too, so they can start saving the world every 28 days.

Deals like this just don't come along very often. It ends Saturday night so jump on it now.

It's a total advertising ploy by Madsen (post a link and enter to win) for this cargo bike, but I got suckered in because I think it would be so great to have this to haul stuff. I got groceries yesterday on my bike and could barely stuff everything in my 20-year-old paniers. The weather has been stunning in Portland the past week, and bikers have been out in droves. I'm loving it and vowing that I will stop being a fair-weather commuter and get serious this fall when rains come back.