Things *All* Women Should Do To Stop Contributing To Pollution
Women have been giving the biggest responsibility on Earth- to run the cycle of life. We are the ‘chosen ones’ and it is our responsibility to not only run the cycle of life but also, nurture and give back to our mother.
But before guiding our family to the path of sustainability, it is essential that we check ourselves. A few activities common to most women cause a lot of pollution, without even us realising.
For us women to truly lead the life of sustainability and set the perfect example for people around us, here are a few things that we can be doing:
Ditch the sanitary pads-
Menstrual Hygiene Alliance of India (MHAI) has approximated that there are 336 million menstruating women in India, of which 36 per cent use disposable sanitary napkins — that totals to 121 million women.
Totalling approximately everything, India has 12.3 billion disposable sanitary napkins to take care of every year, majority of which are not biodegradable/compostable.
The only cities that are implementing solid waste interventions (to effectively segregate and identify menstrual waste) are Bengaluru and Pune.
That leaves us women needing to take the situation in our hands. Here are the eco-friendly alternatives to go for-
Menstrual Cups-
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These are simple cup-shaped feminine hygiene devices usually made from flexible medical grade silicone that is inserted into the vagina during menstruation. It is very comfortable and can be reused for as long as 5 years!
Reusable cloth pads-
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A great choice for women who are used to the idea of using sanitary pads, as the name suggests, reusable cloth pads are much better for your intimate area than normal sanitary pads that end up in the sanitary landfills.
Stop using deodorant-
Instead, invest in natural fragrant oils that not only nourish your skin but also are very effective at keeping bad odour at bay. Deodorants contain volatile organic compounds that are responsible for producing ground level ozone and hence a key element in formation of smog.
Not to forget the packaging that ends up in the landfills.
Ditch the beauty products with microbeads-
Microbeads are manufactured solid plastic particles of less than one millimeter that are a key component in some of the beauty products like scrubs, face washes and toothpastes. They cause a great amount of water and soil pollution and are a huge threat to marine life.
We will be touching deeply on this topic in another of our articles.
So women, let’s join our hands and save this earth!