Comments on: Extreme Green Part 2

By: Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change : Blisstree - Family, Health, Home and Lifestyles

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:06:37 +0000

[...] to all write on the same topic on the same day, October 15, 2007. The topic that first year was the environment and it was a huge fun event. In 2008 the topic was poverty and even more bloggers came out to [...]

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:38:14 +0000

@Carolyn, thanks for your input (love “girl bits” that’s a good one). I was pretty happy when Glad Rags went organic – so have some of the other reusable – the last thing you need down there are chemicals. Thanks for noting that any woman can use reusable and do, the more women sending “extreme” tactics praise, the better.

By: carolyn

carolyn — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:23:58 +0000

I switched to Glad Rags about a year ago. No one would ever guess that a middle age, PTA, Girl Scout leader mom would be so ‘extreme’. I had been considering it for a couple of years. But it was a prolapsed uterus and not being able to use tampons anymore that made me switch. And I wish I had done it sooner!! I feel so much better knowing what I am putting next to my girl bits.

It’s true that marketing has us believing it is normal to use disposable products. But they have only been in existing for much less than a century.

By: Diana

Diana — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 18:19:48 +0000

Jennifer, what an interesting point about the hypocricy of many environmentalists when it comes to GladRags and other reusable menstrual products. Many people think that only ‘hippies’ use GladRags, but many would be suprised that the idea of reusable pads is often unthinkable for even the super crunchy out there. It takes an interesting combination of characteristics to draw a woman to reusables – there is a good amount of, like you said, selling disposables over reusables out there and that is difficult ’status quo’ to overcome.

Thank you for contributing to the counter-education going on about reusables. There is so much education to do, that every conversation with a girlfriend, sister, co-worker is important to make women aware that they have options beyond disposable tampons and pads!

Thanks for your GladRags praise. We love how long they last too! We have a cute new pantyliner that you might like It’s just the thing for those light days…

http://www.gladrags.com/gladrags-cotton-reusable-menstrual-pads-gladrags-cotton-reusable-menstrual-pads-c-21_59.html

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 05:52:39 +0000

Diana, I agree that reusable pads aren’t extreme. It’s way more normal IMO to use reusable. Yet if I did a poll here I’d wager that the vote would go to extreme. I thought reusable pads were actually less extreme and then I moved to Humboldt where there’s always someone preaching about the environment yet most people I knew there didn’t use reusable — or would tell me straight up how weird this tactic is.

It’s been like that everywhere I’ve lived. I think that consumer issues have sold disposable for so long that it is the new normal. Here I try to talk about steps I actually think someone might take to become more ‘green’ instead of ideas that most people I know think are odd. But you are completely right — it’s not extreme in a broad sense which is one reason why I wanted to feature reusable pads on Blog Action Day.

I love your product BTW. You and Luna are my faves. I’ve had one box of yours for maybe six-seven years now and they’re still in perfect shape!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 05:43:10 +0000

Funny Crabby; I think that there’s practical that people think they can take on and stuff they haven’t tried so they maybe think it’s too hard and also it takes some thinking now-a-days to be green because all these modern conveniences make it easy to be well, not sustainable. We don’t have to be anymore so we don’t. I agree that there is a higher level both at the government level and the professional (i.e. as in the manufacturing level). As soon as we realized the things we do hurt the planet there should have been changes — yet there still aren’t. It’s depressing.

By: Diana

Diana — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:13:05 +0000

GladRags may seem ‘extreme’ but it’s really what’s been going on for generations. Jenny Rose Ryan just posted a great GladRags Gab blog entry about how her grandmother and her sisters used to share a Rag Bag of cloth they would use as menstrual pads.

I believe that people should take the steps towards being more sustainable that they feel they are able to take. I was able to use GladRags (they’re so comfy!) and I’m happy to know that more and more people are seeing ‘extreme’ lifestyle choices as realistic steps towards sustainability. Cloth pads and menstrual cups are gaining more and more popularity again!

http://www.gladrags.com/blog/2007/10/16/the-rag-bag/#comments

By: Crabby Mcslacker

Crabby Mcslacker — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 22:23:11 +0000

Okay, in case there was ever any doubt–I’m not Extremely green.

Just trying to do what I can. While I admire those who are willing to make huge personal sacrifices, I also feel like so much of this stuff needs to be dealt with at higher levels–sane government policies on so many things could do so many bazillion times more than we can as earnest individuals. Which doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, of course–but there are limits to what’s practical for most people to take on.

Great post!