Our journey on the bikes have also been a journey towards a „greener“ lifestyle. It has influenced our eco-consciousness even more than we could have imagined. As we mentioned before, we have completely changed our „showering“ and shopping routine and habits. But more and more I realized how much I actually think about other alternatives related to various situations in my everyday life. This particular aspect of a life of a woman might not be something that gets discussed much (surely not enough in the countries I have lived in). Somewhere along the way on one of those long days on my saddle (as I do get a lot of time to think whilst cycling) I gave more consideration to how much waste I produce as a woman during my menstruation. I had thought about this previously, but have never given it so much thought as this time. So the next time I had an access to the Internet, my browser history entailed numerous searches about eco-friendly and re-usable sanitary pads for women. I came across various websites talking about re-usable and washable pads.
Immediately I thought to myself – Why was I not aware of this before!? Obviously all the information is out there, but seemingly it is lacking the necessary consumer awareness and advertisement. Some of the websites made an impression that these pads are more common and better-known in „third-world“ countries, furthermore when we cycled through Mexico, somehow I ended up discussing re-usable pads with one of our newly-found Mexican friends, Daniela, on the first day I met this girl. I realized (it might have been just a coincidence), that people are more aware of these great eco-friendly and money-saving alternatives in relatively „poorer“ countries in comparison to so called „developed“ countries.
The girl suggested me a shop in the town we were visiting at the time, where I could find good quality re-usable pads. I bought my first set of three pads in Mexico for only 400 MXN pesos (approx. 20 USD or 15 GBP). The initial cost of the re-usable pads may seem fairly high; however these pads will last for years to come if cared for appropriately. This will also keep a large amount of waste from the landfill and save me 2-5 GBP or 2.7-6.7 USD a month after the first three months from purchasing the re-usable pads, as I use between one and two packs of 10 pads each month. In a year it would add up to on average of 42 GBP or 56 USD, however these prices may vary depending in which country I live. These pads do not have any harmful substances or materials, they do not cause allergic reactions (as long as you use the appropriate soap to clean them with) and they are much more hygienic than filling up your bin (trash can) with bloody disposable pads! In addition these pads are so much more comfortable! Even with my „heavy flow“ night pads it feels like I am just wearing a thicker pair of underpants. There is no need to jeopardise your own well-being, wallet or nature during these “inconvenient days”.
So I decided I have to get the word out and encourage more women and girls I know to switch to re-usable pads. (I know what they are getting for their next birthdays..) Unfortunately, for this case, most of my friends and acquaintances are of male gender, but I have got plenty of cousins, and presumably my male friends have (or will have) partners, girlfriends and wives. I believe it is not only females that should be educated about this. It is important also to inform men to spread the word and set this „greener movement“ in motion.
I do realize I will be going against a powerful industry of disposable pads, but I will do my best I can to reduce their production of disposable pads and promote more nature and human beneficial hygienic care. Yes, most of the re-usable pads still have a plastic liner to prevent leakage, but as Eco Femme claims, one of their re-usable pads replaces 75 disposable pads during its lifespan. However, the re-usable pads can contain only one PUL layer, some of disposable pads can be made of up to 90% of plastic. Therefore, the benefits of these re-usable pads are undeniable.
Of course, there are other alternatives, like menstrual cups. I have tried a few different cups for more than once, but they do not seem to work for me. It might be due to my active lifestyle and most of the time being spent on a bicycle saddle. However, it is also worth a try as many women use the cups and it works just fine for them. Everyone is just different.
The next step I am taking to spread the word and make a difference:
The high school where I did my year 5 through to year 9, has an „Eco School“ status and a „Green Flag“ (more info: http://www.ecoschools.global/). I remember working on numerous projects during my time in school related to nature protection and waste management, to help the school to earn their Eco School Status and the Green Flag. The school was involved with various conservation and waste management projects at the time.
However, during health education, when we were taught about the menstruation, we were shown (and possibly given an example of) a disposable pad. We were not educated about re-usable pads. So I thought that this could be a great way how to get the word out. Schools! Girls should be taught about this during their health education. Washable pads should not be only „something women used to use back in days when disposable pads where not widely available“. Furthermore, especially for Eco schools, this could increase the meaning of their title for addressing such an important issue.
I believe that the girls should be made aware that the re-usable pads are still out there, they are totally normal to use and you can even get them with various interesting designs and patterns if you wish to cheer yourself up during these (sometimes and for some) daunting days of bleeding..
I am also seeking out ways how to support and help girls from low-income families to obtain their first sets of re-usable pads in my home country of Latvia, and how to spread the word. For a start I am getting in touch with my previous schools to find out if their health education involves mentioning of the re-usable pads. In my opinion, the re-usable pads and other alternatives, like cups, should be strongly promoted over the disposable pads during their health education and lifestyle changes in schools. Second, I will be trying to find some organizations that would be interested to co-operate and help girls from low-income families to obtain their first sets of re-usable pads in Latvia (for just now).
There are various brands out there providing re-usable pads. Currently I am trying out Charlie Banana pads. And immediately I found them much more better and efficient than disposable ones. They feel so comfortable, are absorbent and stay in place. I have chosen them in black (apart from the top of the pad which is white for all the pads of this brand) as they are more practical for my travelling lifestyle. However, during my research of various pads online, I came across the brand Eco Femme. Their products look as qualitative and efficient as the brand I am using right now. Additionally, I really like their program Pad for Pad, which „connects our customers and adolescent girls in India through the shared experience of menstruation, respect for our bodies, and love for the earth“ by providing not only menstrual health education and offering free cloth pads, but also by „opening up spaces for reflection on how menstruation is viewed in our communities and on related ritual practices that might impact girls and women“.
I really like the concept of these products. This is the way how we can make a difference in this world. This a chance for everyone, especially for those who think that they cannot change the world by themselves, including you men out there, to make a great difference by either changing your habits and lifestyle or by spreading the word. Remember the great saying of „be the change you want to see in the world“..
Girls, you might not be able to change everything for the better in your lifestyle, but you can definitely change your pad!