Friday 6 June 2008

A tribute to Crunchy Chicken

There is a movement afoot to recognize and honor quintessential green blogger, Crunchy Chicken. Crunchy is a blogger like no other. She and her blog epitomize the concept of integrity: she doesn't just talk about doing things differently, she does them! And she gets other people to do them too, through her witty, clever, forthright and sometimes jaw-droppingly funny blog postings and challenges. She leads by example, and perseveres towards her goal of living more sustainably, even when her family is faced with heavy duty challenges in life, in the form of her husband's blood cancer. I was glad to see that she was able to give herself a break from blogging when she needed it, and equally glad that she's back to posting again.

Crunchy got me started down the road of putting my newly-emerging ideals into action with her first Diva Cup Challenge. I was the lucky winner of that first Diva Cup, back when fewer than a hundred people would sign up for her giveaways. Before last year, I had never seriously considered using anything other than the usual disposable menstrual products, but these days I bypass that aisle in the grocery store almost completely. I've saved at least $100 in "feminine hygiene products" over the past year because of Crunchy's generosity and the Diva Cup (and later, Luna Pads). And what better way to re-direct these savings than to Crunchy's Goods 4 Girls Foundation! Seeing those videos of the girls in Kenya receiving those pads, knowing they could now go to school every week of the month without feeling anxious or embarrassed - it was a profound realization of global interconnection and sisterhood, and I know I wasn't alone in that.

Thanks Crunchy, for all you do, and for all the inspiration you continue to provide to all of us working towards living a life of joyful moderation, in interconnection with our local and global communities. Namaste.

4 comments:

ruchi said...

Theresa, what a nice post. I never thought about all the money Crunchy has caused me to save by encouraging me to get a diva cup. That's pretty sweet!

Theresa said...

Thanks arduous :) I would surely like to just hug the stuffin' out of that Crunchy woman!

Green Bean said...

So thoughtful, Theresa. I love the idea of re-directing the money we save from a lighter lifestyle toward a common good. Truly, I spend so much less money these days and I need to be spreading that around, not just hoarding it under my mattress. And I love the reminder that we are all in this together, we are all connected.

Theresa said...

When I did the math, a 7-8 dollar box of tampons per month, plus a box of pantyliners every couple of months, it came out right around 100 bucks. I've tended to use the money I've saved to pay down my own debt, but when I did this calculation, it just seemed to complete the circle somehow to use what I'd saved in buying disposable menstrual products to help other girls get good quality reusable menstrual products! Not to mention getting the diva cup for free in the first place!

I do have to get better with planned giving though. I give very little in proportion to what I am privileged to have, and that has to change.