September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and it’s an important month to recognize as 22,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year. That’s a shockingly high number of women who will be affect by ovarian cancer and unfortunately many women have no idea about the risk factors, support options, or issues surrounding this topic.
Because of this, Seventh Generation has teamed up with the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) to dedicate one day as “Let’s Talk… Period” Day which aims to place more focus on this important issue and to educate women about ovarian cancer. Another goal of this …read more

Way back in 2007 I complied a list of foods for a post – Best Foods to Buy Organic. Lately there’s been some controversy in the news about organics and also some lively debates in the blogosphere about whether or not eco-products are worth the cost. Later I’m going to post my thoughts on some of these current debates (hint – I do think most eco-products are worth the cost), but before that I figured I’d update the organic food list.

Over the years organic versus conventional rules have changed over and over. Hence the new list. However, over the years …read more

There are plenty of good reasons to go organic for the planet; fewer pesticides used to grow food means less gunk in our air, soil, and water, organic food can help to promote a greener overall lifestyle and value system, and many organic meats require far less non-renewable resources than mass-factory raised animals.
BUT – is organic food actually a healthier choice for you and your family, or is organic food only beneficial to the planet’s well being? Actually, many organic foods ARE better for your health than their conventional counterparts. Why…

The fresher the food the better it usually is nutrient-wise. …read more

Well, the Moonpads Reusable Menstrual Pads Giveaway was extremely cool – we had a ton of entries and all of you had such amazing things to say. This has to be the most impressive group of contest comments I’ve ever seen. So a huge thanks to everyone who participated.
The bad news – there can only be two winners. Bummer. However, If you’re not a winner, I urge you to check out Moonpads anyhow – they’re a great deal in the long run, and Annie Rose (creator of Moonpads) even has seconds offered up at times.

Now, just as a recap here’s …read more

Before I give away the winners of the Moonpads Reusable Menstrual Pads Giveaway let’s look at a few pros of reusable pads.

They don’t carry the cons of conventional products.
In your life you’ll go through just how many pads and tampons. Tossing all those in the trash is such a huge shock to the planet. in your life.
Reusable pads save you time. No running to the store at the last minute – or even each month.
Need a $ shock about non-reusable pads: Disposable Pad or Tampon Cost Pad Calculator. You’ll save BIG bucks going with reusable pads.

Good reusable pads last …read more

So far during my little adventure into greener female products we’ve only looked at disposables products;

Basic cons of conventional products
Natracare Tampons & Pads Review
Green Product Review: Seventh Generation Chlorine-Free Ultra-thin Pads with Wings

Really though, you don’t even have to go there. You can use reusable pads and cups. I discussed this before in an extreme green post here, but not in-depth.
Here are some non-disposable options:

Glad Rags
The Keeper
Luna Pads
The Diva Cup
Make-It-Yourself Menstrual Pads
Pleasure Puss Menstrual Pads – Singles (what’s with the name?) seriously?

Sckoon Organic Cotton Cloth Reusable Menstrual / Postpartum Pads

You can also find plenty of other reusable options …read more

So far for my special week or so feature on green feminine care products we looked at a basic cons of conventional products and a review of Natracare Tampons & Pads.
First a speech:
Now the last review brought up some concerns because I said, “A tampon is a tampon” – likely some of you disagree, one person said so, but I bet there’s more of you. Here’s the deal – I’m just one girl with one type of cycle and one set of experiences so all I can say is what I know.
If you have a different experience …read more

This week, we’re going to take an in-depth look at greener tampon and sanitary napkin options. We’ve looked at this before when Tree Hugging Family went extreme green – but more in passing. Luckily, for you, I’ve used many of the greener feminine products out there, so I’ll post some reviews. At the end of this week, I’ll compile a handy round-up post of everything we’re going to cover this week.

Today we’re going to kick things off with the eco negatives of conventional female products.
Landfill issues: Of course even just one woman creates enough tampon and maxi-pad waste over her …read more

This week we’re talking about some places you can shop for men’s organic cotton clothing, so now seems like the perfect time to talk about why anyone should buy organic clothing.
Conventionally Grown Cotton:

-Accounts for a quarter of the pesticides used worldwide.
-Pollutes our groundwater, leaving a mess for future generations.
-Also, preparing conventional cotton (after farming ends) means applying even more chemicals.
Organic Cotton:
-Sets a good example for conventional cotton growers. Farmers who haven’t gone organic with their cotton production need some motivation to change their farming practices. And nothing motivates more than demand.
-Does not require as much irrigation as conventionally grown cotton.
-Never …read more

This week, instead of doing a green room audit, we’re looking at green renovations for your yard.

Today let’s look at your actual lawn. Following are some tips I picked up from a local Oregon green resource newsletter and my collection of organic gardening books.
While not all the tips are specific to my region, a good tip is to check with your local natural gardening specialists for your city or state. Some regions will have very specific issues related to organic yard care and gardening. For instance, in New Mexico we were focused on water conservation, but in Humboldt the tips …read more