Reducing waste often saves money too — and Lunapads have been a go-to solution for many women who want to keep their periods waste free — and low cost too. Instead of buying a new pack of disposable pads every month, eco-friendly women can opt for a reusable alternative from Lunapads, makers of washable cloth menstrual pads.

I’m a fan of The Keeper, but often use disposable organic cotton pantyliners too for extra protection. So when I got a Lunapads Organic Mini Pantyliner in my shwag bag while leaving a green party at BlogHer ’10, I decided to give reusable pads a try. My verdict: Lunapads are great to use — but not so great to clean.

Let me start with the great to use part. The cute pink pantyliner, made out of organic cotton, is super soft and gentle on your skin. I fastened it around my underwear with the simple metal snap on the pad’s wings — and the pantyliner stayed put without shifting or turning. In terms of performance as a pad, Lunapads work excellently.

The problem is, reusable pads require washing — which I discovered I really, really didn’t enjoy doing. Assuming you use Lunapads throughout a period — instead of just trying one pantyliner for a day of it as I did — you’ll need to employ a soaking pot to hold your dirty pads in water — which you’d need to change every day — until you’re ready to wash all the pads.

Letting bloody pads soak for a whole week in itself sounds kind of gross to me, but then comes the washing of the pads. According to Lunapads, the used pads can be machine washed — but the idea of letting dirty pads swirl around with my other clothes really grosses me out, while running a separate load just for dirty pads seems wasteful, especially in water-thirsty Southern California. Plus, neither option’s viable for apartment dwellers like me who don’t have their own washing machines — and don’t care to have neighbors in the apartment complex or strangers at the laundromat see their dirty pads.

That meant I needed to wash the pads by hand. Now, I don’t enjoy handwashing items in general and tend to avoid that task as long as possible — but obviously procrastination isn’t a good idea when it comes to dirty pads that have already been soaking for a week. Luckily, soaking made the pantyliner wash clean with relative ease. Unluckily, I wasn’t quite sure how I should dry the thing post-wash. Yes, they can be thrown in a dryer, but again, as an apartment dweller without a personal dryer, that wasn’t a viable option. Since the pantyliner is fairly thick, letting it dry slowly indoors seemed like a great way of inviting mold — which left drying it on my sunny balcony where my neighbors could gaze at its bright pink wings flap in the beach breeze.

So Lunapads aren’t for me. Though the reusable pads apparently last years, the thought of handwashing menstrual blood out of pads every month for years and years to come makes me want to slit my wrists a little. I’m held back by the fact that such slitting would only add to the bloody mess.

But if you, unlike me, enjoy handwashing and have a discreet sunny space to dry your pads — or have your own washer and dryer to wash pads as you please, Lunapads might work for you. Do any green LA girl readers use Lunapads? Share your experience in the comments –

Photo via Lunapads

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If you’ve never recycled a cell phone, you’re not alone. Cell phone recycling rates are “amazingly low,” according to a study from International Data Corp., which says that even a 10 percent recycling rate is considered good.

As an environmentalist, I’m not convinced this is necessarily bad news.

Boston.com certainly thought the low recycling rates spelled glum news for environmentalists, reporting on the story with this depressing headline: “Mobile phone industry faces a long road to green.” But I wasn’t so sure about Boston.com’s debbie downer interpretation. The full study wasn’t accessible free online, so I decided to do some of my own anecdotal research into the issue — by calling up some of my friends.

All of them were green bloggers. And guess what — All of them had phones they hadn’t recycled!

Lest you imagine that all my friends are faux environmentalists that enjoy chucking old electronics into landfills with an evil mwa-ha-ha-ha, rest assured that none of them have let their retired cell phones slowly leach chemicals into the groundwater either. Instead, my friends are holding on to their cell phones.

Whitney Lauritsen of Eco-Vegan Gal, for example, hasn’t recycled a single cell phone — because she’s still holding on to the three she’s ever owned. Why? “I have stuff on there — Photos, notes, or old text messages I should transfer to my computer.” Basically, Whitney’s using her old phones as mini hard drives for her phone data — though considering that her oldest phone’s about 10 years old, I’m not sure this is data she’ll ever actually need again.

Other friends had recycled the majority of their phones — but (more…)

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The bill to ban plastic bags is not the only sad eco news for Angelenos this week. Here are some other reasons to feel depressed on this beautiful September afternoon in California:

>> Walking’s deadlier in L.A. than other places. “In North America, three out of every 100,000 pedestrians are killed. In Los Angeles that number increases to 7.64.”

>> One of my friends got mugged while walking. Esther of E*Star LA got mugged while walking in L.A. On the upside, Esther fought to keep her purse — and did! Yay Esther! Read the post to find out why you shouldn’t mess with this girl. And valiantly, Esther uses the opportunity to share tips that help Angelenos walk more safely.

>> BPA still okay for California’s kids. State senators voted down a bill that would have banned BPA from baby food and drink containers. According to Environmental Working Group:

The bill had already passed the State Assembly (July 1, 2010) and the Senate (June 2, 2009), but needed to be approved by the Senate again in what should have been a non-controversial procedural vote.

However, the combination of two ill and absent Democratic Senators – Jenny Oropeza (D-Long Beach) and Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) – and a heavily funded lobbying campaign by chemical and formula manufacturing companies changed the playing field and ultimately lead to the demise of the the “Toxin-Free Infants and Toddlers Act”(SB 797), authored by State Senator Fran Pavley (D-Santa Monica).

>> Dirty power good to burn in the Golden State. A measure to “require one-third of California’s power to come from non-polluting sources such as solar, wind and geothermal energy” also went down on Tues., when “the disparate interests couldn’t reach a final deal,” reports the L.A. Times.

I feel blue.

Photo by chego101

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Green-minded Californians are weeping into their reusable bags this week. Sadly, AB 1998, a bill that would have banned single-use plastic bags, went down with a 21-14 vote in the California State Senate Tuesday night.

The news comes as a big blow to environmentalists who had rejoiced when AB 1998 passed in the State Assembly — prompting Governor Schwarzenegger to come out in support of the anti-pollution bill. Had AB 1998 passed, California could have become a leader in stopping this unnecessary environmental blight. Now, environmentalists have to rebegin other efforts to get the plastic bags out of Californian’s lives.

So what can Californians — as well as BYO bag supporters everywhere — do to ban the blight that is the plastic bag? Here are some suggestions:

>> Support local plastic bag bans and fees. A few U.S. cities have plastic bag bans and fees in place, but most do not — and many Californian municipalities had put their anti-plastic efforts on hold to see what would happen with AB 1998. Now that the bill’s been defeated, efforts to pass local anti-plastic bag measures are springing back up.

The City of Santa Monica’s Office of Sustainability and Environment, for example, has already sent out an email letting its residents know that the Santa Monica’s City Council will take up an ordinance to ban plastic bags (PDF) at its Oct. 12 meeting. This ordinance was actually last debated in Jan. 2009 — but put off due to the threat of lawsuit from the plastic industry — then delayed further while the fate of AB 1998 hung in the balance. Now, SaMoans need to regroup again locally to get this anti-disposable bag ordinance passed.

LAist reports on similar efforts to drastically reduce plastic bag use by the county and city of Los Angeles and Manhattan Beach. Join the anti-plastic efforts where you live!

>> Vote out the plastic baggers. In his post about AB 1998′s defeat, environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay’s president Mark Gold names and shames the California state senators who voted against the bill — and urges environmentalists to vote those senators out:

These are the 21 senators that condemned sea turtles, fish and marine mammals to continued hazardous conditions: Aanestad, Ashburn, Calderon, Codgill, Correa, Denham, Ducheny, Dutton, Emerson, Florez, Harman, Hollingsworth, Huff, Negrete McLeod, Price, Romero, Runner, Walters, Wolk, Wright and Wyland.

Please remember these names. They are not friends of the marine environment and should be held accountable for their actions. Please write them or call them and tell them you’re upset by their anti-environmental vote. Feel free to mail them your plastic bags as well.

>> Stay involved with anti plastic campaigns. In a press release, Surfrider Foundation pledged to “continue to educate and inform the public about the hazards single-use plastics pose to the environment and the economy” with its Rise Against Plastics campaign. Heal the Bay too will continue the fight against disposable plastic. Join or redouble your participation in those efforts.

Earlier:
>> The Majestic Plastic Bag: Nature mockumentary makes trash funny
>> Bring your own bag: How to BYOB in easy eco-style

Photo by teddave

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Still haven’t read Bill McKibben’s Eaarth – or my review of the scary but important book? Maybe a funny synopsis a la David Letterman will be easier for you to get through. Bill was on Letterman last night, not only talking about the pressing climate change issues covered in his book, but also urging everyone to get involved with the 10/10/10 Global Work Party next month.

Watch the 11-minute clip to find out why he wants President Obama to put solar panels back on the white house, how individual personal actions relate to collective political actions — and what you can do to push politicians to make real progress on climate issues in October. By the end of the interview, you’ll probably thinking what Letterman says to Bill: “Thank you for just scaring the crap out of me.”

Earlier:
>> Book Review: Deep Economy by Bill McKibben
>> Bill McKibben meets The Colbert Report: Can 350.org get laughs?

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Love Chipotle’s organic chicken burritos? Guess how many calories the totable meal has. If you guessed a reasonable 300, you’re right — assuming you’re referring just to the organic tortilla! Eat the chicken and the rest of the tasty innards of the burrito too, and you’ll have consumed 970 calories! After all, Chipotle’s burrito weighs in at 21 ounces — compared to the USDA’s standard 5-ounce burrito.

That weighty news comes courtesy of Nutrition Action, a newsletter from the Center For Science in the Public Interest. In an article called “Still Supersized,” the Center points out that while the “super size” option has technically disappeared from fast food menus, many meal options are still extremely heavy in calories, fat, sugar, and sodium.

“Since when is a cookie the size of a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder patty? Since Americans started growing bigger buns,” write the authors, who point out that even our “healthy” muffins and frozen yogurt treats are supersized, oversweetened, and pretty fatty. Along with snarky commentary like “When did we go from one slice to one pizza per person?”, the article provides handy photos of overweight fast food items — along with a visualization of the fraction of the food that would be considered a “normal,” USDA size.

So what’s an eater on the go to do? Many green LA girl readers already avoid McDonald’s happy meals, but must they shun Starbucks, California Pizza Kitchen, and the organic Chipotle too? Not necessarily — Just know what you’re getting and plan accordingly. In fact, one handy tip may be to go for the food items with diminutive names. Starbucks’ “Treat-Sized” chocolate chip cookie has just 130 calories, making it a reasonable indulgence, versus the Starbucks’ Chocolate Chunk Cookie with its 360 calories.

Otherwise, make your lunch your dinner too by saving half for later. Half a Chipotle chicken burrito would still let you enjoy a 10.5-ounce organic lunch with a livable 485 calories! Write the authors: “Repeat after us: half is the new whole” — which gave me a brilliant marketing idea for Chipotle. Why not simply rename the chicken burrito the “perfect-for-two chicken burrito” or “the two-meal burrito” to show people they’re getting two meals for the price of one AND that just a half burrito should be enjoyed per meal, thereby making peace with the health watchdogs?

Unfortunately I don’t think my healthy and frugal idea would fly with the Chipotle people, partly because the revamped names would imply that the fast food chain’s current customer base has a serious overeating problem….

Earlier:
>> Organic junk food — less corn syrup, just as many calories
>> Marion Nestle indicts junk food while audience nibbles on giant cookies
>> Mendocino Farms: Quick local lunches for Slow Foodies on the go

Photo by Michelle

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While green Californians wait with bated breath to find out if their state senate will vote to ban disposable plastic bags, one Californian’s urging all to say no not just to the bags but to all single-use items. “Say No To Singles,” urges Beth Terry, an anti-disposable plastic crusader who blogs at Fake Plastic Fish.

Because while toting your own reusable bag and mug are a good first step, modern living still begs you to use disposable “convenience” items that mostly end up filling up our trash. Some of the culprits Beth names and shames are plastic bags for umbrellas (“Can you say mold?”), individually wrapped prunes (“The smaller the size, the higher the packaging to product ratio”), and single function gadgets like Butter Boy (“a plastic gadget meant solely for buttering corn!”).

Whether Beth’s post leaves you shamefully sipping wine in individually packaged glasses (to finish them off and never buy them again) or smugly patting yourself on the back for your plastic crap-free home, I hope you’re motivated to bring in less crap into your life. For daily inspiration towards this less trashy lifestyle, become a fan of Beth’s Plastic Crap Wall of Shame Facebook page, which names and shames the most idiotic plasticky packaging and products! On the top of the page today: A one-serving “sensible gourmet snack” with a plastic cup of cheese goo and a trio individually plastic-wrapped pretzel sticks — all encased in a plastic clam shell! (photo right)

I’m proud to say I’ve never bought that “sensible” snack, but I still do frequently buy one product that comes in single-serve packaging: Lara Bars. But last week, I finally bought a blender — which I hope to use to make my own, packaging-free Lara Bars at home. Wish me luck –

Earlier: Bare essentials green gift guide: Reduce and reuse 2.0

Photo by Amanda Goehlert via Plastic Crap Wall of Shame

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Still letting inefficient incandescent bulbs run up your electricity bill? Just can’t embrace CFL bulbs — due to the spiral shape, light color, or mercury content? Then try this bright alternative to both conundrums — an LED bulb!

If you’re the type of person who never got a CD player, instead going straight from a walkman to an iPod, you might also be a good candidate for trading in your incandescent bulbs for LED bulbs. Though LEDs are not new — these efficient bulbs already light up many holiday trees, stop lights, and commercial buildings — they aren’t yet commonly used in homes.

So I was eager to try the new Pharox 300 LED bulb that Lemnis Lighting sent me for review. Unlike my old CFL bulb which takes a while to “warm up” and give off a good light (not all CFLs require warm up time; I just happened to have a not-so-great oldie in this lamp), the Pharox 300 instantly lit up to a nice warm white light. The illumination isn’t bright enough to read by — at least not with my eyes — but is a good, flattering light for eating dinner, playing board games, or just hanging out under without looking ghastly or bluish.

As you can see from the photo, the Pharox 300 is shaped like an incandescent bulb — though it’s quite a bit heftier. Its price tag — at $29.99 a bulb — is also rather hefty, putting the bulb out of reach for some.

However, LED bulbs also last an extremely long time. According to Lemnis, the Pharox 300 will last up to 36,500 hours — which translates to 25 years at 4 hours of use a day — compared to the CFL’s 3 to 10 years or the incandescent bulb’s 1 year. Plus, Lemnis says its LED bulbs use less than half the energy of a CFL bulb. That means over the lifetime of the bulb, the LED bulbs can really save you some money.

I’ll let you know in 2035 how my Lemnis bulb is faring. If you’d like to try the 25-year energy savings experiment yourself, you can get the Pharox 300 at Lemnis Lighting’s online store.

Earlier:
>> The Bulb ban cometh: Do CFL bulbs still make you cringe?
>> IKEA: Bye-bye inefficient incandescent bulbs
>> How to recycle your CFL bulbs

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Museum gift stores are often semi-green eco-boutiques, I’ve discovered, carrying unique fair trade and eco-friendly items that push the envelope on design and function. And the bike-friendly Santa Monica Museum of Art‘s shop GRACIE is among the greenest of them, carrying some of the most useful — and most strange — eco-doodads I’ve seen!

I’ve already mentioned the art-meets-reuse-meets-fetish jewelry from My Sister’s Art — but GRACIE’s wares go far beyond wearable art. On the utilitarian side, this boutique’s a great place to pick up daily use items like Confetti Dishware made of recycled materials and Stretch reusable bags made of recycled billboards — designed by Studio Artecnica and recently showcased at the Pasadena Museum of California Art’s California Design Biennial. A Landmine-shaped CleanUp soap‘s both useful in more ways than one; the item not only cleans you up, but also helps clean up landmine-riddled areas by sending some of the proceeds from the soap to organizations working on that cause.

For creative types, there’s eco-dough — a greener alternative to Play-Doh — and cardboard construction sets that let you build prototypes of your dreams — with a smaller carbon footprint. And for the daring with aesthetic tastes completely different from mine are salvaged metal sculpture-lamps!

The oddest item I found? The Solar Queen! I’m not sure if she’s made of green materials — but she will wave at you with a wrist powered by the sun!

The museum’s currently closed for installation, but visit GRACIE when SMMoA reopens on September 10.

GRACIE at the Santa Monica Museum of Art. Bergamot Station G1. 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica. 310.586.6488.

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Bisphenol-A’s linked to everything from cancer to sexual dysfunction — and Canada’s doing something about the scary chemical:

>> BPA is considered toxic in Canada! Environment Canada, a government agency similar to the U.S.’s EPA, revealed plans to add bisphenol-A to its list of toxic substances last week.

>> Our own government agencies haven’t made any similar declarations — but the fight against BPA is growing. BPA was named and shamed as a troublesome chemical by the President’s Cancer Panel in March, and even the FDA advised people to decrease their exposure to the chemical in January.

>> In California, a bill banning BPA in baby food packaging‘s making its way through government channels, and the California EPA’s moved to list BPA as reproductive toxicant.

>> BPA is in most canned food, many plastic containers, and even cash register receipts!

Photo by stevendepolo

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