A few days ago, Bavardess had a very interesting blog entry about "beaver" as synonym for the vagina (something I had never heard before, though I can claim non-native-speakeriness as excuse) and how this word use probably developed from a medieval play on words. She links to a little video showing a girl having a girl day out with a beaver, all as advertisement for a new brand of tampons.
Which finally makes me write this little bit concerning tampons (or other disposable sanitary products) and green living. Tampons have been a sort of revolution and have become a normal part of modern female life in our part of the world. They are sold in all kinds of different sizes, from different manufacturers, each one claiming to be the one and only brand. But they all have one thing in common with each other (and with the disposable pads as well): They mean a huge waste of energy and material. All the water and energy needed for production, the raw materials - plastic, cellulose, paper - for making and packaging them - the tampon or disposable tab is used and then discarded, and into the landfill they go. Not so good for our planet, actually.
So maybe it is time for the next revolution, yes? Some re-usable, environment-friendly product that can be worn like a tampon, safe, healthy, and durable? If that sounds like a good idea to you, you might want to buy yourself a menstruation cup. They are called something like Mooncup or Divacup, and they are a silicone cup that is inserted much like a tampon, catching the blood securely. You can read much, much more about them on this livejournal devoted to the menstrual cups, and on lots of other places on the Internet - as always, the search engine of choice is your friend.
If you are a tampon-user, go try one. They are really wonderful and absolutely worth the money - in fact, not buying any disposable products anymore will save you more than a cup cost very soon. Or maybe it's even a gift idea for the holiday that's almost upon us?
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2 comments:
I'm hardly in a position to comment, but I will say that I know three women who've switched to a mooncup and found it makes things a lot easier for them, though towels etc. still work better for some things. One of them was quite revolted by the idea at first but determined to try it anyway and found that it was nothing like as unpleasant as the alternatives. But I don't think I would choose it as a gift for someone however well I knew them...
I have been a Divacup user for 3.5 years and I will never go back. I have saved so much money (not to mention laundry from leaking tampons). It was only US $35 and it paid for itself within 3 months, not to mention the convenience in not having to carry a box of tampons around or worrying about how to dispose of them. I've even noticed that my cramps are less severe. I highly recommend the cups as a perfect alternative!
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