Lunapads Blog

Before we ring in some news about what’s new for 2010, we wanted to reflect upon 2009, and how it brought Lunapads some great new people, products and inspiration.  Here are a some of the highlights:

Pads4Girls expands:  During 2009, we expanded our Pads4Girls program by eagerly partnering with new groups that reached out to communities in Cuba, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia.  Thanks to customer support and the work of courageous individuals and NGOs, hundreds of girls and women are now able to stay at work or school while menstruating, and deal with their periods safely and with minimal environmental impact.

Recognizing there are practical solutions closer to home, we created our  “Make your own cloth menstrual pads” video series that has been viewed by thousands. These videos are regularly used by women in Africa (and here in North America) to make their own cloth pads. And in December 2009, Lunapads partnered with Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE) by donating 20% of holiday sales for 2 of our top-selling gift items to their program, which makes biodegradable disposable pads from agricultural waste in Rwanda.

Fabulous folks and adventures abroad: One of the perks of our work is choosing to take some strategic business trips and while doing so, connecting with some truly amazing people.  During 2009, we had the good fortune to meet some real treasures and leaders in our community: In March 2009, we attended the always mindboggling Expo West Natural Products Trade Show in Anaheim CA and reconnected with our friends Francine and Carinne Chamers, founders of the DivaCup and also met Sarah Kraft, founder of the online Mindful Mama community.

While walking the trade show, we spotted Mothering Magazine Founder, Editor and Publisher Peggy O’Mara and couldn’t miss the opportunity to stop and tell her how much we adored her.  This conversation led to the plans for a personal visit from Peggy right here at Lunapads the following month.  Leveraging off of Peggy’s rock star status as a natural parenting pioneer and leader, we brought together a group of friends and colleagues to hear Peggy speak at a warm and inspiring tea party benefiting Pads4Girls.

In September 2009, I took a first-time trip to the ABC kids expo in Las Vegas, where I also had an insightful visit to Zappos.com’s headquarters.  Meanwhile Suzanne had yet another transcendent experience at the Social Venture Institute (SVI) at Hollyhock, BC.  In November 2009, we both attended the Green America Business Conference and Green Festival in San Francisco.  While we were there, we had the great fortune to meet up with  SHE founder Elizabeth Scharpf and one of our business heroes, Reusablebags.com founder Vincent Cobb.

New products and fabrics: We expanded the Lunapads collection with several new products and fabrics: the P-style, Wysi-wipes, Cloth Wipes (which elicited one of our most discussed blog posts of the year) and our first-ever custom 100% organic cotton print, Magenta Mandala.

Lunapanties, our very own period underwear, made a long awaited comeback in November 2009, with the introduction of our new Hipster style and magenta colored organic cotton.

Staff changes: We bid a tearful and fond farewell to Sandra, one of our longest-term employees, as she moved on to continue her work as a bicycle safety educator. While it is hard to replicate Sandra’s incredible personal flair for customer service, Sara, the newest addition to the Lunapads team, is doing a fantastic job!

Media and accolades: In the summer of 2009, we learned that Lunapads and the DivaCup were featured in an entertaining and informative book by Canadian journalist Vanessa Farquharson called “Sleeping Naked is Green“.  At the end of 2009 Lunapads was profiled in our of our local papers, featuring a funny photo of Suzanne and I having a “tug-of-war” with a clothesline of Lunapads and Lunapanties.

By far the biggest highlight of the year was being voted into the top 10 of Green America’s People Choice Awards and so you can imagine our reaction when we found out that we had placed in the top 3 and received the newly-minted Shining Light award.

While Suzanne and I celebrated our award San Francisco, we never lost sight of the unsung heroes in the exercise: staffers Lisa and Morgan (whose idea it was in the first place), Facebook and Twitter (follow us! @Lunapads, @Luna_Diva (me) and @Luna_gal (Suzanne)) for providing the forums to drum up votes, and last but far from least, YOU, our awesome customers, for taking the time to cast your votes - it couldn’t have happened with you.

On that note, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for a great 2009, and wish you all the best for 2010 from the Lunagals!

When I was much younger (and more foolish!), I used to think that business was a soulless activity that occupied itself exclusively with money, to the exclusion of all other forms of profit.  In many ways, Lunapads’ growth as a business is representative of my own journey in understanding that not only can be business be about way more than financial profit, but that business, like practically anything else, ultimately comes down to being about relationships.

While our recent trip to the Green Festival in San Francisco was planned primarily around attending to receive our Shining Light Award from Green America (thanks again to all our fans and customers who voted for us!), we extended our trip to attend the Green Business Conference.  The conference was a valuable reminder of the importance of establishing and building relationships.

At the conference, the first woman we heard speak was Margot Frasier, founder of Birkenstock USA .  After having met her several years ago, I was thrilled to see her still going strong.  Margo, along with another powerful woman entrepreneur Lisa Lorimer, she has just written Dealing With the Tough Stuff: Practical Wisdom for Running a Values-Driven Business.  Reminder to any friends who happen to read this: my birthday is coming up soon!

My choice of title for this blog post is a play on the name of a wonderful company: Life without Plastic, whose co-founder, Jay Sinha, we had the excellent fortune to meet at the Green Business Conference.  “Plastic-free” is an apt description for Jay on a metaphorical level as well - his authenticity and passion for a cleaner, healthier, more “plastic free” planet are indisputable and contagious.

Jay in turn led us to another anti-plastic superhero, blogger Beth Terry (aka Fake Plastic Fish).  Beth is one of those deceptively humble people who are in fact deeply powerful.  An accomplished activist, she single-handedly created the North American campaign to pressure Brita water filters to start taking back and recycling used filters.  Thank you, Beth, for being a living inspiration for how one person can make a massive difference. Here is a picture of Jay and Beth at the Green Festival.

I was also deeply impressed with Joshua Onysko, founder of Pangea Organics, who gave a rollicking presentation about his entrepreneurial journey: “7 lessons in 7 years.”  His all-organic line of skincare products is amazing, and his success as a leader in a crowded category is a credit to his chutzpah as much as his commitment to “eco-centric” skincare products.

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As many of you are already aware, Lunapads offers cost-priced Pads4Girls Kits that can be purchased by customers, which are then given to girls and birthing women in Africa.  The way it works is that we are approached by individuals or NGOs who work with girls and women in need (Imagine1Day Ethiopia and Shanti Uganda are two Vancouver-based examples) who we then add to the list of potential recipients for customer donations. Customers buy the kits, and we give them to the groups who then distribute them to the recipients - all good.

That said, like so many other things in life, Pads4Girls isn’t perfect.  First, the obvious problem that we can’t reach everyone who needs supplies.  Second, there are not always the necessary supporting resources available (education, water and stable living situations come to mind) in every community that make using cloth pads easy.  Finally, while Pads4Girls kits help thousands of girls and women, they are still being shipped half way around the world.  We are thrilled to tell you about a new initiative that takes this work several steps further, as well as how a little holiday gift-giving can help to support it.

Elizabeth Scharpf is as striking in person as her accomplishments and vision are on paper.  Tall, grounded, deeply compassionate and extremely smart were both my first and lasting impressions of her.  Elizabeth is the founder of Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE), a unique social profit that seeks to empower women and girls both physically and financially.

While working on economic policy (think World Bank and Clinton Foundation level) Elizabeth came to understand the impact that girls missing school and women missing work due to unmanaged menses was having.  She then asked herself what was going to make a bigger difference: the report that she was writing “that nobody was going to read anyway” (her words), or finding a way to help girls stay in school and women get back to work? Thus SHE was born.

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As some of you may know, in my prior life before Lunapads, I worked in the field of Finance and Accounting, and got a small taste of what shareholder value and corporate profits meant in the mainstream world of finance.  It was my dissatisfaction with the type of work I was doing that prompted me to leave for ‘greener’ pastures, which, coincidentally, coincided with meeting Madeleine!

Over a decade ago, there was a small collection of organizations who promoted the idea of ethical investing and created ethical funds which consisted of companies that had been screened for their ethical business practices.  What emerged was a niche Ethical/Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) category in the financial sector.  However, many of these funds did not attract the interest of mainstream investors because they didn’t perform adequately (because it’s all about maximizing financial returns in their world).

Fortunately, there seems to be a change in the tide of what investors are looking for, which isn’t all that surprising given the financial meltdown in the past year. (How many millions of people have been affected by the financial market collapse and wondered, where, besides our mattresses, should we be putting some of our hard earned dollars?) During these tumultuous times,  it appears that more and more investors are looking for investments that will not only provide a fair return, but do the right thing for people and the planet. (more…)

Suzanne and I are just back from a whirlwind trip to San Francisco to attend the Green America Business Conference and Green Festival. It was an action-packed 5 days in which we connected with some extraordinary people and organizations, as well as taking in the energy of one of the world’s most beloved cities.

But first, a drumroll…. for those of you who may not have heard the news, we are thrilled to tell you that yesterday Lunapads received the “Shining Light” award at the Green America People’s Choice business awards!  Before I explain what this is all about, I want to thank all of you who voted for us, tweeted and/or blogged about it, or have provided us with any form of support ever.  It was a very big moment for us, and it’s thanks to the enthusiasm of our customers and fans that we were able to celebrate ourselves and in turn the accomplishments of green/progressive/mission-based businesses in general. Thank you!

Without getting into the details, while we didn’t come first in the voting (Care2.com took the top spot - more on them in a later post in case you’re not already a member), our showing was so strong that the fabulous folks at Green America wanted to acknowledge us regardless. “We were really impressed with Lunapads’ showing in our People’s Choice contest.  Up against some larger, broader businesses with vast Internet reach, Lunapads mobilized their customers - a truly passionate following who had nothing but high praise for Lunapads - to pull them within striking distance of the top spot.  For a smaller, niche business to do that, while shining a light on the fact that there’s a green option for literally every product we use, we decided to present Lunapads with our Shining Light Award,” said Andrew Korfhage, Green America’s online editor and coordinator of the People’s Choice Award.

I for one love the idea that there is really an unlimited number of “winners” in the progressive business world, and to just hold up the number one spot leaves out what may well in fact be a majority of the picture - smaller businesses that collectively are making a huge impact. Speaking of which, Suzanne has been crunching some numbers lately, and has come up with the inspiring calculation that thanks to our customers having made the switch to reusable menstrual products, 1 million disposable pads and tampons are now being diverted from landfills every month. Way to go, everyone!

Because of their repeat finish in the voting race, A Lifetime Leadership award also went to Reuseit.com/Reusablebags.com (video interview with founder Vincent Cobb coming soon!) who were recipients of the 2006 People’s Choice Green Business of the Year award.  Many thanks to Alisa, Denise, Andrew, Shireen (who gave a very moving and thoughtful introduction to Lunapads) Misha, Desiree and the entire Green America team.  The conference and festival were awesome events that we will encourage others to attend. See you next year, we hope!

I recently attended the ABC Kids trade show in Las Vegas and had a fantastic time. I know that Vegas isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (and to be honest, I wasn’t sure it was going to be mine), but I made so many great discoveries and connected with so many fabulous people that the craziness didn’t bother me a bit and I am already looking forward to going back next year.

In case you’re planning a Vegas adventure, a few tips for you: the Springs Preserve is (literally) an oasis of sanity. Encompassing hiking trails, a botanical garden, historical site, desert education center and wonderful restaurant, it was a great way to start our trip and remind us of the desert’s history and ecology.  While we were there we had the good fortune to attend a yoga class, which led us to an eclectic yoga studio (it doubles as an art gallery) near our hotel where we were able to attend more classes. The studio is housed in a fascinating rabbit warren of art studios and galleries, next door to an awesome vintage and vintage-style clothing store. Thanks Corey and Shelley for the workouts!

As for the show, I am always impressed by the tenacity and ingenuity of entrepreneurs, and there was no shortage of them to spend time with there. There was a strong Vancouver contingent, and I loved having the opportunity to spend time with former fashionista days colleague turned Mompreneur Wendy from Pumpease (a hands-free pumping support she invented), Diane from Moboleez (an ingenious baby hat/nursing privacy accessory), and Sandy from LeDuck distributors.  Other esteemed colleagues I connected with included Rachel, Jeff, Jenn and Amy from Bumgenius cloth diapers, Kim from GDiapers, Sarah from the online natural parenting resource Mindful Mama, and superstar Mom bloggers Sommer from Green and Clean Mom and Jennifer from the Smart Mama.  Thanks for the cupcakes, Mommy needs a cocktail (home of the best Twitter line of the show: “Abusing hashtags since 1996”)!

Hard to believe you can pack even more into a mere 4 days, but I also found time for a highly “wow” tour of Zappos.com (see photo (click to enlarge): let’s just say that I’m no longer worried about having a messy desk!) a gorgeous Cirque du Soleil show, and quality girlfriend time with one of my all-time BFFs - woo hoo!

They say that there are no coincidences, but we still find it pretty incredible that Suzanne and I have ended up “starring” in 2 different recently released video projects at almost exactly the same time.

Suzanne is the subject of this video by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC, and the plot is basically that you can be a razor-sharp, bean-counting CA (or CPA in the United States) and still do all kinds of progressive, groovy things like be a key Board member of a local environmental not-for-profit organization and make it all happen here at Lunapads.  Thanks to knowing Suzanne, I have come to think of CAs as the Jedi Knights of business: trained experts in this powerful aspect of the Force that can be used for either good or evil purposes.  Watch the video to learn how you too can apply your obsession with balanced books towards saving Earth!

As for me, while it’s been far too long since I actually showed up live and in-person, I make a guest appearance in this video about the Social Venture Institute (SVI) at Hollyhock.  To be fair, I have attended it half a dozen times in the past (and bravely presented Lunapads case studies twice - aak!) and plan to again in 2010, so it’s not like I’m making it up.  In case any of you progressive entrepreneurial types out there need any further encouragement to attend, do yourselves a favor and just go.  Suzanne went last year and will be attending again this year, along with a slew of other notables in the green/progressive business scene here on the west coast. 

The stylish video, created by photographer Jaime Kowal, also co-stars David Van Seters of SPUD! organic delivery, Lauren Bacon of Raised Eyebrow web studio (one of our longest-term collaborators) and Michael Ziff of Hip Baby - enjoy!

As regular readers of this blog are already aware, Reusablebags.com is one of our most-admired businesses.  So it will come as no great surprise to learn that when I received a telephone call from their VP of Operations letting me know that Lunapads had been chosen as new products on their site, I was so happy that I pretty much rolled around on the floor.  Plus, he actually called - who does that anymore?  The new business chivalry, I love it.

While I was excited at the prospect of having recruited a possibly-substantial new customer,  the deeper feeling that I was having was one of validation.  We live in an odd little world here at Lunapads, and at times feel misunderstood with respect to why we do what we do (Redbook, anyone?)  So getting the order from one of our business idols was about far more than just the value of the order - it was really about feeling seen, understood, and respected by someone who gets it.  For anyone new to Reusablebags.com, it was the 2007 People’s Choice Award winner from Green America (formerly Co-op America), is cited in Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, and was recently featured on the Oprah show.

Want to help us to make this a beautiful, long-term relationship?  Do you need any new super-skookum shopping bags or water bottles?  (Suzanne and I are lusting after the hemp napkins, sandwich bags, and more of our favorite shopping bags)  Here is a discount promo code for 15% off Lunapads (case sensitive!): Luna15.  Go crazy from now until midnight CST on May 28, 2009. As an added incentive they are offering $7 flat rate shipping for US domestic orders - I may have to do a little shopping myself!

Whether you need anything or not, please take a minute to write a review of Lunapads while you’re there

Our friends at Babeland (formerly Toys in Babeland) are celebrating Earth Day with style and fun at their Brooklyn location.  It’s free, it will be a blast, and the first 50 participants will receive a gift bag including goodies from Lunapads and Babeland - what’s not to love?  There will be product demos including green sex toys and lubes, plus an informative presentation about Lunapads and the DivaCup by Jayne Freeman, aka Mamarama (be sure to check out her blog & amazing videos).

The deets:
Eco-Sexy Earth Day
Wednesday, April 22 at 7pm
462 Bergen Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217 map
Phone: 718.638.3820

Have fun, and happy Earth Day!

 Calling all Vancouver entrepreneurs!  CRAVE Shop Symposium is coming to Vancouver next week and it looks like it will have much to offer.  It’s a day-long event dedicated to inspiration and education, featuring local luminaries including our pal and Lunapads.com web diva Lauren Bacon of Raised Eyebrow Web Studio (and co-author with her business partner Emira Mears of the Boss of You), Laurel Douglas, CEO of the Women’s Enterprise Society of BC (I lead a peer mentoring group under their auspices), local social media maven Alexandra Samuel of Social Signal Marketing and DIY social media and SEO educator Steve Jagger of Reachd.com (Steve was here at Lunapads for some in-house training a few weeks ago and he and biz partner Rodney Bartlett were extremely helpful.)Here are the deets:

When: Monday March 30, 2009

Time: 8am-5:30pm

Where: Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver BC

Tickets: $85 USD per guest $70 USD each for two or more

To register, click here.  See you there!