Hippies, in case you hadn't noticed, are making have made a comeback! In addition to the hairy armpits, kumbaya-laden, drug-induced stupor of the 60s heyday, these tree-huggers are channeling the anger and necessary tenacity to try and protect the air, earth, and water because frankly, it's looking pretty bleak. While this neo earth-love is perhaps more of a selfish, "holy sh*t, my children's children are going to be living in a wasteland," rather than, "it is my civil duty to take responsibility for my destructive behavior" ... whatever the motivation is, it's well needed. Some of our attempts at countering our global havoc are undeniably fruitful such as solar power and vegetable oil fuel, but let's check out some other eco-friendly efforts worth mentioning. (Or laughing at.)
Bitches Say Please and Thank You with Mr. Ellie Pooh!
So. My mother was big on thank-you notes. And like so many daughters do, I internalized many of my mother's habits, one of which is this pseudo- arachic nicety. I send out a few thank-yous here and there but mostly just fret about not having written them. This results in my having a lot of very pretty, very dusty stationary in my life. Anyway, for a cool $20 bucks you can purchase a set of three notebooks made from recycled elephant dung!
That seems like a small price to pay for saving trees and forcing your correspondents to hold ex-feces in their hands.
Behold the Glory of Sustainable Style:
Eco-clothing. I know I know, it sounds frumpy, lumpy, and dumpy. But, surprisingly, Way It Should Be—founded by Haitian native Hassan Pierre—is pretty damn stylish (says the girl in a yellow-flowered head-band), organic, and completely sustainable. Oh, and did we mention that by not using cotton saves a staggering amount of water? Next time your playing Trivial Pursuit you can w-o-w your friends and secure a pie piece when they ask you how much water it takes to grow one pound of cotton. Over 900 gallons. Pierre's dresses are pretty glam; we can't wait to traipse into a wedding or into the arms of a red-hot date; when everyone (inevitably) begins showering you in compliments, you can bask in the glow of lookin' good and savin' Smokie and all his pals all at the same time.
Bleed, Wash, Repeat
Finally, we have my personal favorite. And it's a doozy. While the numbers are all over the map for obvious reasons (as everyone starts menstruating and menopause-ing at different ages and everyone's flow wildly varies) it's been estimated that women create about 62,415 pounds of period-related waste in her lifetime. Shockingly, this represents a mere .5% of our entire "personal hygiene waste," but it's the staggering amount of water used to grow the lady-product cotton that's so troubling and ecologically tra la la.
Luckily, there is a (maybe) ridiculous and (arguably) disgusting solution. Washable menstrual padsLunaPads to be exact. Simply toss the sassy soiled fabric into your laundry load and wait for the resurrection. We also have a few pals who are devoted to the DivaCup (a reusable menstrual cup hailing from the same eco positive period company) that you simply scrub out like a little pot in the sink twice daily during your cycle. I can't decide whether it's awesome and I've been drinking the corporate Kool-aid or these solutions are a little too crunchy, visceral and involved for the average woman.
