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allyleeds

Listed below are comments made by allyleeds between Friday, 29th August 2008 and Sunday, 31st August 2008.

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Once a month 11:48pm on 31 Aug 2008 #30 This may not be the eco-friendly answer you need and I'd love to see/hear a better alternative.

As a healthcare professional, I would recommend using either an alcohol gel hand-rub or antibacterial wipes to solve your problem (I keep a small bottle of gel in my handbag, each one lasts about 8 months).

Obviously the wipes create waste material, but far less than used sanitary products, and the gel comes in plastic bottles, but still both lower your risk of TSS without the need to resort to applicator tampons.

Let's face it, most of the public facilities in the UK fail to meet any sort of hygiene levels, until this problem is sorted out we each need to take action to protect our own health - a little gel or wipe could save the NHS hundreds of pounds (not to mention pollution from packaging, excreted antibiotics etc) and help us and our families be that little bit healthier!

Finally, good luck to all you ladies who continue to insist on having periods, I won't be joining you any time soon :)
London bans plastic water bottles 11:37pm on 31 Aug 2008 #63 I live in West Yorks and I've had the same kettle for the past 8 years, there isn't a single spot of limescale on it yet. This is not a sarcastic question, I'm now worried because I live in a Victorian property with the original mains. Do I need to swap to bottled water to avoid lead poisoning? My tap water tastes great by the way, I'm just a little concerned now.

The water bottles would *absolutely* be recycled if I had to buy them...
Back to plastic? 11:28pm on 31 Aug 2008 Great blog, Chris! The first time I've been inspired to contribute on the BBC, it's certainly made me think more about what more I can do to reduce my waste even further.

Tomorrow here in Leeds is monthly 'green bin' collection day; that to me means putting out two full-size green wheelie bins full of recycling, plus one black one of non-recyclables (my once a month for both even though the council empty black bins weekly). I thought was doing pretty well till I saw what you and some of the other guys here have achieved.

#9 I'm 37 years old and have never had a driving licence, never intend to. Most 'car addicts' seem to think public transport is costly, inconvenient and time-consuming. It doesn't take much effort to get hold of timetables and route maps, and it can actually be quite pleasant to just sit back and enjoy the ride. I've travelled most of the south of India, all of Egypt and most of Eastern Europe by either bus or train - if it can be done simply in another alphabet, let alone language, it must be easier than drivers think it is in their own countries!

Yes, it's a three-quarter mile trek up a very steep hill to my nearest bus stop, but the walk to get there is good for my health and fitness; I'd recommend that anyone take the 'car free' for at least a couple of weeks :)
London bans plastic water bottles 7:19pm on 29 Aug 2008 Peter, I did once accidentally drink the tap water in Cairo, sold to me by a hotel owner in a 1.5 litre bottle. It didn't dawn on me that the seal had been previously broken until my ex and I had drunk it all and went to buy another one. Said hotel owner told us 'of course I reuse the bottles people leave behind by filling them with tap water' - the idea of throwing those bottles away was just totally alien to him, we in the west have a lot to learn!

I spent the next 3 days in fear of something life-threatening, but suffered no ill effects. My ex on the other hand spent almost a week on the toilet (shame!). It just goes to show that a strong immune system can work wonders against even the most evil of bugs :)
Once a month 6:57pm on 29 Aug 2008 I'd like to add my thanks to Chris for this interesting and highly informative blog. Chris, you're not the only one who almost didn't let their partner into the house when he brought a plastic carrier bag home from the supermarket this week!

#22 I'm totally with you on this front, as I've said elsewhere, medical science means that for the majority of women, periods are now a matter of choice, not just something we 'have to put up with' - I dread to think how many tampons/ pads I'd have put into landfill over the past 8 years if I hadn't taken the decision to opt out.

For those women who can't or won't stop their periods though, I can honestly say one of my friends started using Mooncup a couple of years ago; I now don't know a single mutual friend who has periods and doesn't use this system, they all give it rave reviews :)

#15 the option I went for is the Mirena IUD - much lower hormone levels, therefore fewer side-effects. If the thought of pain on insertion worries you, most hospitals will offer to fit it as a 'day case' procedure under a 5 minute general anaesthetic, though I found, even having never given birth, the pain was no worse than your average period cramp and over with in minutes :)

It only needs to be changed once every five years and I fully intend to keep updating till I'm well past the menopause!

I have to say, the advertising of 'risk-free sex' does seem a 'little' irresponsible, but it has to be said these products are marketed at women who are in long-term relationships, as an alternative to sterilisation. I'm now actually grateful to the patronising doctors who refused to sterilise me aged 28 on the grounds that I 'might change my mind' - this way, I'm just as effectively protected from pregnancy, without the hassle or environmental impact of having periods :)
London bans plastic water bottles 2:47pm on 29 Aug 2008 Thanks again Peter, I knew somebody out there would have a sensible answer for me!
Once a month 2:45pm on 29 Aug 2008 #12 I've been discussing the benefits of 'opting out' of periods in the plastic bottles thread.

I've been period-free for over 8 years now and certainly don't miss them!
London bans plastic water bottles 2:00pm on 29 Aug 2008 Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that each country's tap water harbours different micro-organisms. The people born in those countries, or who stay for some time quickly develop a natural immunity to these. Move to a different country and it takes more than a fortnight's holiday for the immune system to adapt, leading to poisoning from tap water that's perfectly safe for the locals to drink.

Surely in that situation it's better for the environment to buy bottles of water, than the consequences of a tummy upset?
London bans plastic water bottles 1:24pm on 29 Aug 2008 #46 I recommend Mirena to all and any women!

I first had mine fitted to control endometriosis (*very* painful!) - the added benefits of reliable contraception and absolutely no periods were a welcome addition!

It's time women challenged the assumption that the monthly cycle is compulsory, not just because of the devastating effect sanitary products have on the environment, but for the sake of our sanity!
London bans plastic water bottles 12:36pm on 29 Aug 2008 Oh, and I'm just too damn tight-fisted to buy a drink at the shop opposite the bus stop every time I walk up that hill ;)

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