Lunapads

I want to tell you how much I love your products. I recently learned that alternative menstrual products were being made and sold and available on the internet. I did a lot of research and I decided Lunapads was the best option; your designs and range of products seemed to be the most versatile and efficient of all the companies I looked at. So, I took the leap and ordered a maxi pad and liner and a pack of liners in that beautiful blue.

Not only was my order beautiful to look at but comfortable to wear. Three hours glazing pots in the studio comfortable and without a worry was a blessing! I even forgot I was having my period, which is amazing to say about a pad. I’ve always been highly displeased and uncomfortable with disposable pads and pantyliners and for the past six years I’ve avoided using them whenever possible (i.e. at home), so now I have something comfortable to wear outside the house and I am beyond pleased. And the fact that they are virtually odourless is amazing. It’s also a wonderful added bonus that I am no longer contributing to landfills and pollution through the manufacture of disposables.

I’ve recently received my second order, which arrived in just five business days! I love my Lunablanket, it’s pretty and wonderfully soft, will be a great change from sleeping on an old towel. I’ve washed it all and tucked it away in a large mesh laundry bag I already had and it’s waiting in my nightstand drawer. It’s sort of my period kit and a far more pleasing and comforting one than having a package of disposable pads in my drawer.

I can’t say your products changed things night and day about my period, since I was already onto the road to being comfortable and accepting it, but your products have certainly helped, with those lively colors and comfortable fabrics how could they not?

Thank you for all your hard work keeping this company going and for you devotion and care to your fellow women.

Christina R.

“What? That’s crazy! How can he take his whole family out to eat, charge it and then complain about not having money?  We cut costs by eating at home.  Elizabeth even uses cloth  pads so she doesn’t have to spend money!  She washes them! Yeah, she sticks them in the washing machine so she doesn’t have to buy any! That’s how serious we are about getting out of debt!” my husband pointed to the washing machine exasperated and tried to catch his breath.

His mom was visiting us for lunch and had just finished telling us about how my brother-in-law and his family of four went out to eat at a fancy restaurant the night before.  However, every time he called home, he complained about being in a financial pinch.

I blushed a little and said, “Yeah, remember, I use Lunapads.  Actually I just ordered a new set.  They’re very comfy and last a long time.  And, last week I calculated that over the last two years I’ve saved anywhere from $200 to $400 or more.“  I smiled happily knowing that my contribution was very much recognized and appreciated.

You see, in early 2006 my husband had a crazy notion, he wanted us to become debt free.  He had been listening to a radio show and was convinced that we could accomplish that goal and have a better life because of it.  I was doubtful but looked into it and realized that it was possible with some planning and effort.

We spent our income on paper, on purpose, and created a budget.  We listed all of our debts, smallest to largest, to see what we would pay off first, second and so on.  At first things seemed daunting.  Medical bills, credit cards, gas cards, car loans, personal loans, furniture loans, student loans, and store cards all needed to paid in full.  Working together we focused and saved enough money to open our first ever savings account for emergencies, and within two months pay off the first debt in full.

After that there was no stopping us.  We sold the house we just couldn’t afford along with a new car we had purchased less than a year earlier.  In addition to our regular full-time jobs we took on a part-time newspaper delivery job for eight months and later started dog sitting at the condos where we now live.   We cut costs by planning out our meals, packing lunches for work, reducing our car trips to save on gas, changed our phone service and car insurance provider, and lived without cable tv for a year.

When I ordered Lunapads in the fall of 2006 I intended to use them as a back-up to my menstrual cup.  And, of course, once and for all stop buying disposable pads and liners in an effort to save money and have a happier, healthier period.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but having Lunapads encouraged me to be a saver and really changed my attitude about having a period and being a woman.  I became self-sufficient and felt empowered.   I felt protected while walking dogs in the rain, and comfortable while delivering newspapers in the middle of the night.  I was doing something good for the environment and saving some money every month.  It’s a surprising effect of using and washing your own reusable menstrual pads.

Today we continue to work to reach our goal to become debt free.  We are proud owners of two paid-for cars, have no medical bills or lines of credit, and have only student loans left to tackle.  We estimate that we will be 100% debt free by December of 2009.
Elizabeth S.

While Madeleine was working hard on the eastern side of Canada drumming up sales, I was in a completely different zone on the west coast, enjoying the place I call paradise ~ Hollyhock on Cortes Island. Each year, over a hundred socially minded business leaders running for profit and not-for-profit ventures gather here for an event called the Social Venture Institute. This interactive five day forum provides a stimulating venue for entrepreneurs like me to learn, be inspired, mentor, and enjoy the spoils the west coast has to offer… beautiful beaches, a peaceful setting, amazing fresh food from the garden and ocean and more!

There was no shortage of opportunities to be inspired by fellow entrepreneurs and guest speakers who have created or are leading mission driven businesses and enterprises… too many to name here! A sampling of awesome women entreprenuers who I was honoured to share the long road trip to Cortes Island included: Bridgitte Alomes from Naturalpod, Sylvie de Sousa from Naturebag, Emira Mears and Lauren Bacon, authors of The Boss of You (and our webmistresses at Raised Eyebrow Web Studio), and Nikiah Seeds from Mama Goddess Birth Shop. My thanks to you lovely ladies for sharing your amazing energy and wisdom with me during our trip.

One of the profiled speakers who I want to tell you more about is Adrienne Marie Brown, a young dynamic woman who, in a very short time, has become a much sought after speaker for her views on media, communications and her chosen field: activism. Adrienne is the Executive Director of The Ruckus Society, a not for profit organization that provides environmental, human rights, and social justice organizers with the tools, training, and support needed to achieve their goals. Adrienne opened her speech with a beautiful song she wrote and had the entire audience enraptured with her captivating life story and her compelling message: take action for what you believe in. (View the Ruckus home page for video clips or “shout outs” of her speaking.) When I later chatted with Adrienne to share my own personal story of “lactivism”, I learned she was a huge DivaCup fan and recommends the cup to all her friends. Here she is holding a DivaCup, an organic cotton Lunapads Pantyliner, and a copy of our new Teen Booklet. (To her left is another beautiful woman named Kat Vellos, a youth worker from the Power of Hope.)

I was moved by the powerful energy that Adrienne held and quite surprised at how small a budget she has to work with at Ruckus, given their mandate. I encourage those who are moved by the work of The Ruckus Society to join Lunapads in supporting them with a donation here. “Your donation will go directly to the front lines in the nonviolent struggle against the hostile corporate takeover of our planet. We’re training people in the creative use of nonviolent tactics and strategies, and we need your help! We invest in leaders who know how to think on their feet and create actions that cannot be ignored. After all this time, actions still speak louder than words, and Ruckus is amplifying a movement for change. We are inviting you to join us on the front lines of environmental protection and social justice. We need your voice and we need your support.”

Every time I leave Hollyhock, I come home refreshed, inspired and ready to take on the world. Thank you to all my colleagues who inspired me and shared their stories and wisdom.

In my last post I introduced an inspiring and helpful customer who spent the weekend working with me in Toronto. I’m thinking that “inspiring and helpful customers” could actually become its own category since there seem to be more than a few of them coming out of the woodwork these days (and this isn’t even counting those of you who do the single most helpful thing of all by telling your friends about Lunapads and the DivaCup!)

Today I’d like to introduce you to Chloé Jo Berman, PR and media guru and “general” of the Girlie Girl Army, your guide to “green glamazon living”. If this description provokes your curiosity, here’s my take: Glamazons are women who adore, in no particular order, some or all of the following: environmental justice, gourmet vegan food, cutting-edge fashion, animals, cruelty-free makeup and bodycare products, designer sample sales and uber-cool parties to benefit the above-named causes, to name just a few. Chloé Jo, a Liverpool-born New Yorker, epitomizes an irresistible, in-your-face blend of all that is fabulous with stuff that actually matters, and we are proud to count her as a friend and avid supporter of our products. Check out her recent interview with yours truly here.

After she interviewed me, I thought that it would be interesting to turn the tables, so here’s my interview of her!

How did you first hear about Lunapads and what was your initial reaction?
I think I looked up Lunapads after reading about them in inga muscio’s book “Cunt”. My initial reaction was the stereotypical, squeamish girl… “EW!!!” Then I got my toolbelt and butch ‘tude on… and told my Girlie self to shut the f* up. I tried them really for my bod and for the environment and it was love at first bleed. I’ve always been involved in some social justice movement, and I truly believe using Lunapads allows me to live in line with my beliefs.
What are your favourite things about them now?
Well, first off, supporting a woman-owned indepenedent rad business is on the top of the list! But mainly because it just feels RIGHT to wear Lunapads. My body is happier, I never get any icky infections of irritation like so many of my tampon-totin’ gf’s do, and I like (this may be TMI!) to know when I’m bleeding and see the blood, to be reminded that I’m supposed to bleed cuz I’m a girl. And it’s cool and beautiful. And cuz I bleed, I can one day have a baby. So it’s all a blessing really.

Your future plans?

World domination, of course! I will continue my work with my beloved Farm Sanctuary, an incredible organization dedicated to rescuing, advocating for, and educating about the plight of farm animals, and soon to be seen nationwide on a very exciting network (we are still in the final stages of deal negotiation so I can’t mention the network) a show called “HOT GREEN GIRL” which is a call to arms for badass divas and head turning cougars, who just happen to save the planet from hacky sack and doom at the same time.

We love to the spread the word about women doing wonderful healing work that is all about self care and connecting to your body during your moon time.  And, as it turns out, one of our customers in Toronto is doing just that.  Yoga Goddess Zahra Haji is holding “The moon goddess yoga series – I’m not psycho. I’m cyclical. Period”.  at Red Tent Sisters, in Toronto, Ontario.  A fitting location, as Red Tent Sisters is a lovely store/clinic dedicated to serving the reproductive and sexual health needs of women across the life-cycle.

The objective of the course is to learn how your cycle can actually be an asset in your life rather than a liability!  The moon goddess series is also a great way to prepare your mind, body and spirit for any female reproductive milestone: whether pregnancy or menopause.  Gain freedom from cyclical distress such as pms, menstrual discomfort, mood swings and infertility by optimizing the energy of your cycle throughout the month.  This 8-week series begins Tuesday September 23rd from 8pm – 9:30pm and runs to November 11th.  They need at least 4 more registrations to run the course, so please spread the word!  To register, contact Zahra at iam@yogagoddess.ca or call 416-901-4032.

Promotion: Save $20 when you register with a friend.  Regular price: $199.  Includes how to chart your cycle with the moon dial, weekly email support, class discussions and a take home yoga & meditation practice. Click here to see the course outline.  Namaste!

One of the most important forums for contemporary feminist analysis is without a doubt Bitch magazine. While their credo, feminist response to popular culture may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I think that most of us can agree on the critical importance of independent publishing, and Bitch also stands at the top of this regrettably diminishing pile. All of which is to say that Bitch matters, they need help to continue to publish the magazine, and that we urge you to consider offering them your support. They are welcoming donations of any amount ($10 would not be considered too little), so please click here if you would like to help in this way.

As part of our effort to fundraise on their behalf we will be donating 100% of the proceeds from Happier periods, naturally! The Lunapads guide to natural cycles for girls and teens from now until October 15th, the magazine’s deadline for payment for the printing of the upcoming issue. So while you yourself may not need any new Lunapads at the moment, please consider purchasing Happier periods, naturally! for the young women in your life. Your purchase of this product (only $1.99 for .pdf download, or $5.99 for a print copy, with FREE shipping) will also help Bitch to get its groove back on.

On a personal note, as a Women’s Studies grad and multi-decade proud feminist, I have always found Bitch to be an inspiring (that would also include funny!) and informative read that consistently holds space for the diverse views and debates that are possible within feminism. As a business owner, I strongly sympathize with their situation. Some industries are harder than others, and magazine publishing is a notoriously challenging grind. Andi, Lisa, Debbie, Amy and the team of passionate gal/folks at Bitch, as well as their eloquent and brainy contributors are there for reasons that go well beyond the bottom line, and as women we are far the better for it. They deserve our support - please consider donating directly or purchasing a booklet for a future feminist today!

I’m going to reprise two themes that have been common this summer at Lunapads: being out and about, and mixing business and pleasure. This past weekend Suzanne and I were at opposite ends of the country attending very different events. I’ll leave her to tell her tale in another post: as for me, I was in Toronto as an exhibitor at the Canadian Health Food Association trade show. For those of you who may think of Lunapads as an exclusively online venture, in Canada at least, Lunapads are in fact available at a couple of hundred health food stores – check the list here. I was attending the show to help bring Lunapads to more stores, in addition to meeting valued suppliers and inspiring colleagues.

What was so great about it? In a word: the people. It’s always a great pleasure to visit with the DivaCup ladies themselves, Mom and daughter duo Francine and Carinne Chambers, pictured above. To all you DivaCup fanatics out there: you have these gals to thank for your menstrual freedom. There are few products that have made such a profound difference in so many women’s lives, and I can tell you that it has not always been an easy road for them to make it happen (let’s just say that there’s some paperwork involved!) It will not come as a huge surprise to learn that the DivaCup won the gold award at the show for best product for women – way to go, you two!Further to the inspiring women entrepreneurs theme, one of my personal all-time favorites would have to be Jodi Weiss, founder of PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics. If ever there was a mission driven business, this is it: Jodi makes ultra-pure lipstick, nail polish and lip gloss (upwards of 75% organic ingredients and counting), then donates a massive chunk of the after-tax profits to a variety of social profit enterprises that serve women, their families, and world peace. Please consider PeaceKeeper the next time you’re trolling for some new self-adornments or gifts for makeup-loving girlfriends – everything rocks about her and her products.

Next up on my excellent people list is Anna Belayev (pictured above at our display), a Toronto-based Lunapads customer who offered to help at pretty much the exact moment that we decided to attend the show. Not only did she do us a spectacularly good turn on a business level, it was a great pleasure on a personal level to get to spend a couple of days working with her. Thank you, Anna!!

Other people I was only too happy to run into included our Luna(tic) chocolate bar suppliers, Tiz and Camille from Zazubean, Alain, Rachel and the team at Druide organic bodycare products (we sell their soap), Brian from Curelle haircare products (I have been using his shampoo and conditioner for years), Kathi from our packaging designers Fluid Communications, and “best new person” Carolin from Navitas Naturals, the most appealing awesome-for-you, unprocessed snacks that I have come across in ages (parent alert – your kids will love this stuff!)

It was hard work being on my feet all day, but being in such good company made it fun and energizing. Good luck everyone, and hope to see you next year!

It probably won’t come as a huge surprise to learn that at Lunapads, business is seldom just business.  A recent example of this took place a couple of weeks ago, when Suzanne and I attended the wedding of Thomas, son of Wendy Lin, our longtime production partner (in photo below: Suzanne, me, Wendy, Thomas and his sister Doris).  We have been working with Wendy and her family for almost a decade, and were proud to share Thomas and Angela’s special day.

We are similarly proud to count our numerous suppliers, web and graphic designers, printers and even competitors as friends.  It’s a far cry from the “cutthroat world of business” that is driven exclusively by price, and one that seems to work for everyone involved.  Some of these relationships go back over 10 years (see image below, circa 2000: Doris, Wendy, former production manager Judy Ho, me and Suzanne), and we have learned that one of our primary governing principles in business is to work with people who we like and respect.

The same goes for staff, some of whom have been with us for upwards of 5 years.  There is in fact a chain of Lunapads staffers that stretches back to 2001, when a clever and passionate young gal called Sabrina called us up after having met me when I was a guest speaker at her Sustainable Community Development class at Simon Fraser University. To employ a biblical metaphor, Sabrina begat Susanna, who begat Krisztina, who begat Sharmeen, who begat Marie-Genevieve, who begat Lisa, our present-day IT “department”.

As it happens we were paid a visit by Sabrina not long ago, who came to say farewell before heading off to the wilds of Northern Quebec, where she will be a youth leadership coordinator in the First Nations community of Shefferville.  Good luck Sabrina, and hope that you have warm socks!

So thanks to all of our “business friends”, staff and customers included – we couldn’t do it without you.  And much joy to Thomas and Angela.

There’s no shortage of election mania occurring on this continent, and Canada has now hopped on the bandwagon with a federal election set for October 14th.  I personally don’t find the Canadian political scene to be nearly as interesting as what’s unfolding in the US, but hey, at least it’s still due democratic process, right?  Not so fast: Elizabeth May, the leader of the federal Green party of Canada, is not being invited to participate in televised leaders’ debates.  The Greens are the party of choice for approximately 10% of Canadian voters, and are the only federal party headed by a woman.  Got a problem with female leaders who have an agenda of taking better care of the planet being excluded from public debate?  Thought you might.  Learn more here, and be sure to sign the petition.

We are excited to give an update on one of two campaigns going on to provide Lunapads to girls in Uganda. Natalie Angell, co-founder and director of the Shanti-Uganda Foundation (based right here in Vancouver, BC) approached us earlier this summer telling us about her work and her trip to Uganda. While we have become well aware of the plight girls in Africa face when menstruating and missing school, we were particularly moved to learn about the challenges women face during birth and were only happy to help Natalie in this area as well.She wrote to us yesterday with this message:To the women at Lunapads, I just wanted to email and thank you for your support in sending us to Uganda with a supply of pads for the girls we support there. I have just updated our blog with some photos of the girls with their new pads and some of the experiences they face each month.

We’re so excited to connect with you and include a lunapad in the new birth kits that Nikiah is putting together to be sold! This is a fabulous project and one that the women and midwives will benefit from! In addition to the birth kits, Shanti Uganda improves the physical, emotional and spiritual health of communities impacted by war, poverty and HIV/AIDS in Uganda . Through the use of yoga, expressive arts therapy and traditional healing, we teach children ways to heal from the inside out. Our programs restore traditional birthing practices in rural communities through education and birth assistance and relieve poverty by supporting income generating initiatives for women with HIV and AIDS. Thanks again for your support and the incredible work that you do for women around the world!

Be well,
Natalie AngellIn part 2, we’ll provide an update about the work Carrie-Jane Williams is doing in Uganda and her delivery of over 50 Lunapads “U-Go-Girl” kits. You can follow her blog here.