Make Environmenstrual Week fun with these creative and social ideas to celebrate periods. Whether you are able to meet in person or virtually, we have lots of ideas:
MAKE A WASHABLE PAD
- Trace the pattern and place on double thickness of fabric with good side facing inwards.
- If you would like to include a waterproof layer, try using up-cycled mattress protector sheet or up-cycled nappy wraps.
- Cut around, leaving seam allowance (outside dots).
- Overlock around edge leaving one end open (inside dots open at one end); trim and turn inside out; trim and turn inside out.
- Sew up the open end.
- Add poppers to wings where shown.
- Finally (and optionally), hand sew a pocket on either end of the wrap to hold a liner in place.
MAKE A PERIOD PROUD BADGE
Help spread the word about the Environmenstrual Week by making and wearing a badge:
- Glue your badge designs (on the following page) to a piece of recycled cardboard or a cereal box.
- Once the glue is dry, carefully cut out your badges following the dotted line.
- Use masking tape to fix a safety pin to the back of your badge, and wear it with pride!
HOST A PERIOD QUIZ
How about getting a few friends together for a quiz night? This would be a fun activity on zoom.
- How shaming women for periods leads to plastic pollution
- Period. End of sentence
- Menstrual Man
- Endo what?
- The Moon inside you
- Seeing Red. Menstruation and the environment by Wen.
- For Vagina’s sake
- Bloody Good Period
- Padman
- Red tent movie
- Bleed With Me: A Film About Destigmatizing Menstruation
- How shaming women for periods leads to plastic pollution
-
Meet Miah short film by WVE
MOVIE NIGHT
Plan a film night with friends! With social distancing in mind – you could pick a film related to periods or the environment and agree to watch it on a specific date. After the movie, hop on a video call with your friends to discuss what you liked about it or learned from it.
This is a great way to introduce the #Environmenstrual topic and inspire people who might want to make the switch to sustainable period products.
Find all these movies and clips on the Environmenstrual Week Playlist.
BOOK CLUB
Are you a member of a book club? How about suggesting one of these books and talking about the issues raised? Or start a new book club? – Your club can be held anywhere – in your home, at a local café, or at your place of work.
Here are some suggestions:
- Walking with the Genie, Alexandra Pope
- The Wild Genie, Alexandra Pope
- Love Your Lady Landscape, Lisa Lister
- If Women Rose Rooted, Sharon Black
- The Autism-Friendly Guide to Periods: by Robyn Steward
- Periods Gone Public: Taking a Stand for Menstrual Equity by Jennifer Weiss-Wolf
- Vagina: A Re-education by Lynn Enright
- The Managed Body: Developing Girls and Menstrual Health in the Global South by Chris Bobel
- What We’re Told Not to Talk about (but we’re going to anyway): Women’s Voices from East London to Ethiopia by Nimco Ali
- Period Power by Nadya Okamoto
- The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies by Chris Bobel , Inga T. Winkler, et al.
- Period. by Natalie Byrne
GO LIVE!
Almost every social media platform has a live video feature. Why not host a chat with your friends, colleagues or followers to raise awareness about EWOA? Use our Environmenstrual Explainer slide deck. Or how about watching together virtually – take a look at Netflix Party – where you can watch Netflix with your friends online. It synchronises video playback and adds group chat to your favourite Netflix shows.
HOST A PERIOD PARTY!
Host a period-themed dinner party and end the menstruation stigma. Talk about periods, share your experiences, educate others on eco-friendly and healthy menstrual products and together, beat plastic pollution!
Here are some recipe ideas:
- Gazpacho, tomato & red pepper soup
- Bloody bruschetta
- Red lentil, tomato & aubergine stew
- Pomegranate guacamole
- Beetroot brownies
BRILLIANT IDEAS FROM ENVIRONMENSTRUAL COALITION PARTNERS
- Host your own Detox the Box Party by signing up for a Women’s Voices for the Earth Party Kit! In this kit, you will find information on period products, spoof ad videos, a helpful discussion guide.
- Hey Girls. My Period Cards.
- Volunteer at an asylum seeker drop-in centre supplying period products with Bloody Good Period.
- Join the Surfers Against Sewage for their Million Mile beach Clean
- Get inspired by Friends of the Earth activists and organise a beach clean near you saving our shores from plastic tampon applicators!
- Learn the in’s and out’s of menstrual cups by hosting a Cupaware Party with the Cup Effect.
- Wear your period stain with pride with Chella Quint’s STAINS™ pattern and iron-on transfers sheets.
- Hold a meeting with friends to learn about your menstrual cycle with Diva Cup.
- Period Positive Pledge – sign and share on social media
- Want to get the conversation started for boys and men? Look no further than Eco Femme’s guide!
- Join the Marine Conservation Society on one of its many beach cleans around the country.
- Work out the cost of your period with Anglian Water’s periodic calculator.
Find out more about Environmenstrual Week and how you can get involved
Download the Environmenstrual Toolkit
Environmenstrual explainer slide deck and downloadable pdf
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