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.

Family Day: We are all One Family

Today is Family Day in Alberta, and in a few other Canadian provinces too. It is a good day to remember the scope of Family, and that we are all part of the same One.

Crunchy Chicken has started an organization that doesn't just recognize this connection, but helps us to extend our good will and compassion to others in a concrete and practical way. Goods 4 Girls is an organization that provides reusable menstrual pads for girls in Africa. People can donate money to the organization, or sew the reusable pads themselves to donate.

Often girls in African countries are prevented from going to school, because they do not have adequate supplies to deal with their menstruation while they are there. Often, girls will stop going to school altogether after they reach puberty. The Goods 4 Girls site has a lot of eye-opening information about how menstruation can be a barrier, practically and culturally, to so many things that we in the western world just take for granted.

Even with the use of my Diva Cup and Luna Pads, there are days I'd like to wimp out and stay home from work. But imagine if you were prevented from going to work or school, just because you didn't have any reliable menstrual supplies at all, and had to use rags, or newspaper or animal skins to absorb your menstrual flow.

Some makers of disposable feminine hygiene products are getting kudos for donating their products to girls in these countries. But don't kid yourselves - this isn't because they want to be generous. It's because they want to expand their market and make money off those who can least afford it. It's part of the spread of the culture of waste and disposability that has helped to get the world into the over-consumptive mess we're in now. Plus, disposable menstrual products also contribute to the underlying societal message that menstrual blood is 'dirty' and is 'garbage.' It's not. Its part of the natural cycle that brings us ALL into being. Into the One Family.

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 6:

The valley spirit, undying
Is called the Mystic Female

The gateway of the Mystic Female
Is called the root of Heaven and Earth

It flows continuously, barely perceptible
When utilized, it is never exhausted

Reducing Waste

I have been reading so many environmental/'green' blogs lately that I have really been feeling guilty about the amount of waste/garbage I personally generate. I have made a couple steps in the right direction though. For instance, this month was the first month that I used my Diva Cup throughout my entire cycle. It took a bit of getting used to, but I think it is going to work out fine! I'll only have to use tampons now and then and I will be creating a lot less 'feminine hygeine' waste in the long run. I may be able to give up tampons altogether, when I get better at using the Diva Cup.

I've also been trying to use a lot less toilet paper and fewer paper towels. I don't like the idea that trees are being cut down, mashed up and bleached so I can use them to wipe my butt and blow my nose.

No time to write more now, I'll have to blog again another day.