As a man, I admit I did not feel equipped to write this blog. But when I visited the head offices and manufacturing facility of Lunapads in East Vancouver, founders Madeleine Shaw and Suzanne Siemens welcomed me with open arms. Lunapads makes washable cotton menstrual pads, and as an average woman could use some 12,000 disposable pads or tampons in her lifetime, this is a big Green Deal indeed. Lunapads also promotes an open, healthy dialogue around a subject that most people (even women) tend to avoid. Yet menstruation is a natural process, and as Madeleine Shaw points out, “It’s where we all come from.”
Lunapads started when Shaw developed an allergic reaction to tampons. As a fashion designer, she saw an opportunity to create a new more personal product line, bringing bright colours, patterns and choice to the monthly period process. Suzanne Siemens brought her business acumen to the partnership and the two have been changing monthly attitudes across the world ever since.
With their Pads4Girls initiative, they donate Lunapads to developing countries, where girls may miss school every month because of a lack of menstrual products.
So, ladies, if you want a reusable cotton alternative to traditional menstrual products, Lunapads are available at London Drugs.
