Here is an overview of what we discussed at the pre-Valentine’s sex & sustainability meeting, along with links to the resources mentioned:
Vegetarians Have Better Sex?
-
“Veggie Love” Banned Super Bowl Ad
- What studies? I couldn’t find them
- Could be…
- Health- better stamina
- Taste- rumor is that vegans taste better
Overpopulation and Over-Consumption: A Quick Overview
Growth Rates
- The doubling rate of our population has gone from taking 4,200 years in 800 BC to 40 years in 2005
- The population today at 12:55 was 6,759,653,690
Over-consumption in Developed Countries
- The average American baby will consume 30 to 50 times the resources of any baby in a developing country
- If everyone consumed the same amount as Americans we’d need 5.3 planets
Overpopulation in Developing Countries
- Slowing population growth in developing countries requires:
- Women’s rights
- Availability of birth control
- Improved standard of living
- Increased confidence children will survive
Safer Sex
Abstinence is the most sustainable option, but not always practical. Contraceptives should be used to prevent pregnancy, but there are sustainability issues to consider when choosing which form to use.
- Contraceptives and their sustainability
- Oral contraceptives
- Hormones get into water from urine and cause feminization in fish
- Condoms- protect against STDs, but create lots of waste
- Latex- theoretically recyclable, but not practically; may not be vegan because of an added milk enzyme (try Glyde)
- Polyurethane- plastic so not recyclable or biodegradable; better feeling but more likely to break
- Lambskin- natural and biodegradable, the best feel, but doesn’t protect against STDs
- Diaphragm- reusable barrier to pregnancy, can last 3 years if latex, 10 if silicone
- Intrauterine device (IUD)- inserted into a woman’s uterus, which releases a hormone or copper with effective spermicidal properties
- Free STD Testing at UF: Wednesday, Feb 11th, 5-8 pm at the Student Health Care Center/Infirmary
Green Sex Toys
- Sustainable toys
- Avoid PVC plastics and phthalates
- Look for silicone, annealed glass, metal, and Lucite
- Natural/organic lubes
- Sex toy recycling program
- Mail in your toy(s)
- Get a $10 coupon to buy a greener
toy - More links
- Toxins in your sex toys
- Breaking up with my blow-up doll
- Where to get green sex toys and other products: Planet Green: Green Sex Toys
Green Valentine’s Day Gifts
- Recycled Valentine’s at the Sustainability Hut: Wednesday, Plaza of the Americas
- Potted plants vs. cut flowers
- Air purification vs. pesticides and pollution
- Lives for years vs. dies in a week
- Same deal as GSC’s Guide to Green Gifts
- Experiences and food rather than stuff
- More links
Green Feminine Products
- The average woman will menstruate for about four decades and use an estimated 16,800 sanitary pads or tampons in the process — that's 250 to 300 pounds of waste.
- In the U.S. alone, some 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are disposed of annually.
- Pads
- Reusable cotton
- Organic cotton/biodegradable/recyclable packaging
- Tampon problems
- Dioxins
- Toxic shock syndrome
- Tampon alternatives
- Organic cotton tampons
- Sea Pearls
- Menstrual cup (most sustainable)
February 11, 2009
I wish I had been able to come to this meeting…you guys did an awesome job putting this stuff together.
–Alison
February 11, 2009
Thanks, Alison.
Chris