Diva Cup Review

My sister and I are two totally different types of people and we live crazy-different lifestyles.   However,  we both like to be green and we do talk about all kinds of personal things, like feminine products.  So when I told her that Lunapads.com had approached me about reviewing their eco positive period products, she told me that she'd heard tons of great things about Diva Cups and totally wanted to try one.  While she doesn't currently blog,  she was writing blogs on the Internet before the term "blog" was coined, so I suggested she do a guest post review for my blog.

After you read her Diva Cup review,  you can go to Lunapads Review & Giveaway to enter to win a $50 gift card to Lunapads.com and try something for yourself!

I am a 32 year old feminist lesbian with a healthy body image and strong body-positive politics. I'm used to using applicator-free OB tampons and have never had any difficulty with them. I'm not the least bit squeamish. Having said all of that, the learning curve for insertion, removal and emptying the Diva Cup is steep and even I, who confidently know my way around the female anatomy and particularly my specific female anatomy, had trouble at first. I did not expect to be challenged by its use!

 

After my first attempt at insertion/removal went awry, I went searching online. I found a friendly and helpful thread on one of my regular haunts, ask.metafilter, with enthusiastic users of the Diva Cup encouraging the new user, giving tips, and saying that it took a few cycles to really get it down.   

I was not pleased or encouraged by this news. A few cycles?! There are very few experiences that have me unhappily filthy with blood that I'm willing to keep trying at for several months. I'm just not going to have that kind of patience.   

But I didn't have to. Applying the tips I learned online, by the end of my cycle I was doing so without getting blood all over my hands and floor.   

I was curious to read the complaints women have about their periods: that tampons are expensive, irritating and inconvenient, or that they have periods at all; I don't share these complaints. I don't have any beef with god or nature over having a period, and I never found tampons difficult or troubling. On a few occasions that I have needed one and not had one, asking a single nearby woman is usually all it takes to score one. I also don't have a particularly difficult period. I have never needed any absorbancy beyond "regular" tampons, and I don't become terribly uncomfortable before or during my period. So I'm a pretty easy case.   

A note about sex during menses. One tip I read online was that if you're the sex-during-your-period type, you might want to use a tampon beforehand because the absorbancy cleans you up in a way that the cup won't. Just sayin'   

So far I've used the diva cup for two full cycles and I neither love nor hate it. The most convenient factor about it is that you can insert it and not deal with it again for 12 hours. I was glad to use it in the course of cross-country air-travel, as worrying that a tampon is maxed out or changing one mid-flight is never a pleasure. I play full-contact sports and the diva cup functioned admirably.    

So should you get yourself a Diva Cup? Sure, why not! Especially if you have some beef with tampons. Be aware that there's both a learning curve to the whole folding, insertion, twisting, forming a seal process and that the sensation of wearing it takes some getting used to. I recommend talking with a friend who is an experienced user, or seeking out tips/further instructions online to really maximize your Diva Cup experience and help cut down the steep learning curve.

- Rebekah

So if you're ready to join the LunaRevolution,  you can buy one on-line at Lunapads.com or you can enter our giveaway to win a $50 gift card to Lunapads.com and choose the product that is right for you!

Happy Greening!

Alicia & Rebekah

Going for Solar - The First Year

Happy New Year!

View from under our Solar PV Awning

In our first full year with our solar awning, we generated 5,816 kWh of solar energy, which is 16% more than we expected.  I'm not sure if that is a normal fluctuation in the amount of sunny days we had this year or a trend towards higher production from the bi-facial panels.  I certainly hope it is the later.  Our total electricity usage for 2011 was 6,958 kWh, so we produced over 83% of our own clean energy.  If we can get our usage even lower, maybe we can produce (in net) all of our electricity with our solar PV awning.

I bet you are wondering how much we saved this year in electricity.  At 15.5 cents/kWh (our current residential electricity rate) the 5,816 kWh saved us $900 on our annual electric bill.  This year we only paid $234 compared to $1,100 last year for electricity.

Our total consumption of electricity was up 4% from last year:

• 6,689 kWh (2010)
• 6,958 kWh (2011)

In addition to those savings, we also earned five Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs), which sold for over $500 each for a total additional tax free income of $2,500.  The SREC market in Massachusetts continues to be strong unlike the New Jersey SREC market, which crashed last year.

Another less tangible value we realized this year was the increased value of our home.  We recently refinanced our home and the added value of $12,000 for our 4.7 kW solar PV system made the difference between being in the 80% LTV (loan to value) range and the 90% LTV.  Therefore we qualified for a lower interest rate.  The $12,000 value the appraiser assigned is less than I think it should be valued by the two methods I've found in my research of $20 dollars value per dollar of annual energy savings or about 50% of the installed cost.  By the 20:1 method, with the $900 savings mentioned above, that would work out to $18,000 value add.  Half our installation cost would be more than that.  Unfortunately, there is not enough data in the market and the appraisers do not have standards by which to evaluate solar installations, so our solar awning was valued lower. I actually had to argue for an increase in the appraised value as it was originally only valued at $2,000.  As more and more people add solar to their homes, I hope there appraised value area will become more standardized.

Quick Summary of our solar by the numbers:

• 5,816 kWh - Total Energy Produced by Solar PV Awning
• 7,300 lbs of CO2 avoided
• $770 - Savings for Electricity
• $2,500 - Solar Renewable Energy Credit Revenue
• $12,000 - Increased Home Value

Total Extra Money in our Pockets from Solar in 2011 = $3,200

Here is the charts of our 2011 electricity production and consumption from SunBug Solar.  There are some discrepancies in the totals showing because the data collection had some holes.  The numbers above are correct and taken from actual reads electricity meters.

SunWatch Year View for 2011 of our Solar PV Awning
click image for larger version

Happy Greening!
Jon

Have you considered going for solar?  What is stopping you? Leave a comment below.

Going for Solar Series

Check out the other steps in GLC's Going for Solar Series including photos throughout the construction and the first year of usage.

LunaPads Review & Giveaway

Welcome to the Green Resolutions Giveaway Hop, hosted by Happy Mothering, Mama Chocolate and Purposeful Homemaking! In addition to my green giveaway, there are 40 additional blogs featuring eco-friendly prize packages. After you're done entering my giveaway, please visit the other blogs, which you'll find listed below the Rafflecopter form. Good luck!

Bikini Lunapanties

Here's a Green New Year's Resolution that may be something you've never considered before - try reusable feminine products.   Recently, I talked to Lunapads.com about having my sister and I do matching reviews of two of their feminine products, Diva Cups and Lunapanties.   My sister had been wanting to try a Diva Cup, and I love my "mama pads" and was intrigued by Lunapanties.  Each of us was appalled by the idea of the other option, which started us right off with the idea that different products are designed for different women and situations. 

Read Rebekah's review of the Diva Cup now!

First of all, let me be clear that these are reusable feminine products.  Unless you're the kind of guy that discusses tampons and pantyliners, you're unlikely to be interested in this topic - just skip right to the entry form and enter to win some for your favorite female!

"Mama pads" is a generic term for reusable feminine pads and pantyliners.  Instead of purchasing and disposing of pads and/or tampons, you wash and reuse mama pads therefore avoiding adding to landfills.  Also, many disposable feminine products are made from petroleum.  Several cloth diaper manufactures make mama pads and if you are already washing cloth diapers you should definitely give them a try.

Mama pads of any brand are MUCH more comfortable than their disposable counterparts.  Don't do it for the environmental benefits, do it because they are more comfortable for YOU!

If you have a child in cloth, just toss your mamapads, Lunapads or Lunapanties right in with the cloth diapers.  Washing them is really that simple.  If you're lucky enough to not currently have a child in diapers, Lunapads.com has a video showing how they recommend you wash them.

Lunapads.com sent me a pair of Lunapanties to review.  I had not heard of this style of mama pads before.  Lunapanties is a panty with extra layers where you need them most to absorb your flow or leakage.  If you have medium or heavy flow you can add liner inserts to increase the absorbency.  You can also swap out liner inserts for a fresh feeling all day.

Lunapanties

What I really love about the Lunapanties is that they have soft straps built in to hold the inserts in place.  The one complaint I have had about reusable pads in general, is that they tend to slide around.  The straps in the Lunapanties hold the inserts perfectly in place all day long.  I also really like that the cut and style of the panties means that the pads don't bunch up and get all personal, like some pads (disposable or reusable).  Instead the inserts/pads lay flat in place all day.

Lunapanties come in several cuts: bikini, hipster and briefs and in three colors: black, magenta and natural.  The cotton is 100% organic which is yet another plus on the environmentally friendly meter.  The one thing I would like to see added to the line is more colors! 

You can go to Lunapads.com and order some yourself, or you can enter to win a $50 Gift Card to Lunapads.com!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

End of the Line For Christmas Trees

As the holiday season wraps up it's time to dispose of Christmas Trees.  If you're one of the 30 million households that got a cut live Christmas Tree, you're probably thinking about disposing of it now.  Where I live we have curbside pickup of Christmas Trees as part of our Waste Management contract.  The trees will be chipped and composted as part of their yard waste program.  In doing a little research about our local program, I found that that thousands of communities around the country have similar programs.

Christmas Tree Recycling - Photo by Studio City Neighborhood Council

I spoke to our local Waste Management contact and he said that if you have a service like ours, where the trees are going to be chipped and/or composted, the most important thing to do is to put the tree out completely bare, with nothing covering it.

Please remove everything from your tree, as tinsel, lights, decorations and plastic bags are not compostable.  Do not put your tree in a plastic bag; it is Waste Management's policy to not pick up trees in plastic bags.

If your community asks that you not put your tree in a bag,  please follow their directions!

Plastic bag removed before
tree was picked up

"But Alicia, I have a plastic bag already positioned under my tree so I can pull it up and over and carry it out of the house without getting pine needles everywhere, it's brilliant!"  I know, it is a great way to keep from getting needles all over.   When my mom went to put her's under the tree this year as we were setting it up, we discussed a great option: use the bag to carry the tree outside, then take scissors and cut the side of the bag and roll the tree out of it!

"Alicia, I didn't see this post until after the pickup and they didn't take my tree-in-a-bag, now what?"   If you put your tree out too late, or in a bag, you don't have a lot of options.  You can NOT put it in your regular trash, dump it on your neighbors lawn or burn it.   You may cut it into short pieces and put it in a can to put out for the next yard waste pickup in the spring.

"Don't burn it?  I always burn my tree!  It smells great!"   It so happens that burning wood puts soot into the air that is noxious to breathe.   You know how you sit around a campfire and you dislike it when the smoke gets in your face?  Well that's a self-preservation instinct.   Smoke is bad for your lungs and releases a lot of carbon into the atmosphere.  Burning unseasoned wood (like a fresh cut Christmas Tree) in a fireplace is particularly bad for your chimney and can lead to chimney fires.  Burning yard waste is also illegal in Medford.

"I don't know what my town is doing! What are my options?"   Check out Earth911 and search on "Christmas Tree" and your zipcode in their search box.  They'll let you know what your local options are!

Fun Facts:

Photo from National
Christmas Tree Association

• There are close to 350 million Real Christmas Trees currently growing on Christmas Tree farms in the U.S. alone, all planted by farmers.
• North American Real Christmas Trees are grown in all 50 states and Canada. 
• There are more than 4,000 local Christmas Tree recycling programs throughout the United States.
• For every Real Christmas Tree harvested, 1 to 3 seedlings are planted the following spring.
• There are close to 15,000 farms growing Christmas Trees in the U.S., and over 100,000 people are employed full or part-time in the industry.
• It can take as many as 15 years to grow a tree of typical height (6 - 7 feet) or as little as 4 years, but the average growing time is 7 years. 

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) and your local Christmas Tree professional.

For more information on some creative things being done with used Christmas Trees, see the National Christmas Tree Association listing of creative recycling programs.

Happy Greening!
Alicia

How to Recycle Plastic Bags, Dry Cleaning Bags, Shrink Wrap

I try to use cloth bags regularly.  I really do, and I'm getting better at it, especially thanks to some of the tricks I shared in Getting Started - Use Reusable Shopping Bags.   However, we all still end up with some plastic bags.  Hopefully you're like me and end up with a small enough bunch that you find you have uses for just about all of them.   However, try as we might, we still end up with a variety of things made from materials similar to plastic bags  - wrappers on paper towels, packing material in boxes, bags that held parts of kids toys, I'm sure that try as you might, some of these end up in your home.

I was very excited recently read a post by Random Charlotte about a way to recycle these materials!  She links to the website Plastic Bag Recycling  that collects information about many places that take plastic bags and links to them.  At first I thought it was one universal program, but I realized that each place has its own recycling program. 

Typically you can put the following CLEAN  and DRY bags into their receptcals:

• Grocery bags
• Retail bags (hard plastic and string handles removed)
• Paper towel and toilet paper plastic wrap
• Plastic newspaper bags
• Plastic dry cleaning bags
• All clean, clear bags labeled with a #2 or #4

They have one big warning about what to NEVER include. The following are considered contaminants and could jeopardize recycling programs.

Do NOT include the following.

• NO food or cling wrap
• NO prepackaged food bags including frozen food bags (e.g., pre-washed salad bags)
• NO film that has been painted or has excessive glue
• NO other bags or films
• NO bio-based or compostable plastic bags

I started looking up some of the big retailers in my area that are listed on their site for what their programs are.

Stop & Shop

We accept #02 and #04 plastic shopping bags, dry cleaning bags and newspaper bags. We send them, plus all of our shrink wrap from stores, to our plastics recycling company AERT (Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies Inc.). The plastic becomes composite decking (ChoiceDek at Lowe's). We have collected millions of pounds of bags for recycling.

This is great, and indicates that you can also put in wrappers from around packages of toiletpaper & paper towels as well. 

Other grocery stores in our area that have plastic bag recycling containers include: Shaw's, Whole Foods, Foodmaster and Market Basket.  You might be surprised to find these recycling containers at other kinds of stores as well, including: Staples, Lowes and JC Penny. 

We all know that it's better to reuse bags and there are many uses for them, but if you can't reuse them, make an effort to recycle them!
Happy Greening!
Alicia