I recently went on a week-long hiking/backpacking trip to the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming and my period came the first day we were on the trail. While I wouldn’t say it was entirely pleasant to be doing business in the woods during the peak of mosquito season, having a DivaCup and Lunapanties (along with a pStyle) was the best thing I could ask for.
With all the sweating and walking (the longest day was nine miles, which was also my day of heaviest bleeding), I’m sure I would have been chafed and in pain if I were still using disposables (not to mention probably picking up a pretty bad yeast infection from the lack of breathability).
To say that we were blown away by the response to our LunaRevolution Video Festival & Contest is a seismic understatement – it was literally one “WOW” after another at yesterday’s staff viewing. Thank you so much to all of you who participated; we are deeply honored by your efforts.
The overall experience has been more complex than “WOW” suggests, however, and I want to address that it was not as easy as sitting down with a bowl of popcorn and basking in the Luna-love. I cannot go any further without first acknowledging the efforts of Nancee, our Video Intern (here for her second summer, woot!) and our IT wonder Lisa. Nancee is a fabulous tech-geek workaholic super-smart/nice person who is constantly seeking more ways to be helpful (if you can’t think of them, she will!) and then executing them with dizzying speed and efficiency. With equal dedication the perennially brilliant Lisa waded through the maze of technical issues with her consistently calm and sensible demeanor.
Clever Lunagals and all, were there flaws? Oh yeah! We have not had a video contest in years, and naturally technology has advanced a notch or two. We decided to go with a Facebook application called Wildfire, which involved a bit of a learning curve and proved to have its shortcomings. Thank you to all of you who were smart enough to point out the not-totally-clear bits and have been patient enough to bear with us while we worked it out.
We received 21 (TWENTY ONE!!!) submissions, which we considered to be totally amazing. Twenty-one Lunagals felt inspired enough to take the time to tell us how our products have changed your lives: how incredible is that?!?
It was a massive challenge to choose the top picks, and if we have any regrets it’s that we didn’t create more categories and/or Honorable Mention spots in the first place (it would have looked pretty silly if we had created a dozen categories and only had three submissions, for example). Finally, we didn’t all agree about, for example, what made a video particularly “creative”, and so I want to highlight what we felt was uniquely awesome about the videos that may not have fit into a particular category.
Our 5 Honorable Mention Prizes:
another drum roll, please…
Lunapads was so proud to host this year’s LunaRevolution Video Festival and Contest! The contest was a highlight of our summer and we hope you all enjoyed it just as much as we did.
Since the voting period ended, we have been busy in the office watching (and re-watching!) all the videos and trying to pick out the winners. We felt every video was superb in its own way and deserved recognition. You all did an amazing job, and made it extremely difficult for us to choose the winning submissions – more on that in our next post!
Alas, winners had to be selected – and so without further ado *drum roll please*
To be clear about how the winners were chosen: the People’s Choice awards were based solely on the number of votes through Wildfire. The Most Creative, Staff Pick and Honorable Mentions were chosen based on lengthy conversation and general consensus between the Lunagals. That said, as the song goes, “Everyone’s a winner, Baby” (didn’t take 1 of the top 8 prize-winning spots? keep reading!) – please check out all of the entries, and share your favorites with your friends!
The fact that Ashley’s video got so many votes speaks for itself – she was the hands down People’s Choice winner. Our Staff Pick went to Carla. We loved her funky editing style, amazing facial expressions and irresistible enthusiasm and charisma. Top it off with a wonderful musical choice at the end, and you’ve got a winner. DIVA!!! We chose Nicole’s video as Most Creative due to her choice of a multiple interview style, great music, and totally authentic girlfriend conversation about all the stuff us Lunagals dislike about disposables. A little something awesome for everyone!
Aside from announcing the top winners, we would really like to give a shout out to our People’s Choice runners-up. In fact, the top 3 contenders were so close in votes we couldn’t believe it! Coming in with the 2nd most votes was long-time Lunapads fan Holly Pluchinski, followed very closely behind by Kendra Gabert. Excellent work, ladies!
Stay tuned for Madeleine’s follow-up blog post naming our 5 honorable mention prize winners, as well as special mentions for everyone else who participated! For those who did not win, keep an eye on your mailboxes for a thank you treat from all of us here at Lunapads! Please send your mailing address tous at info@lunapads.com (use the subject “Lunapads Video Contest: My Address!”)
Everyone give a final round applause for these lovely ladies and their video creations – and don’t forget to share your favorites with your friends.
Want more video fun? We got you covered. Subscribe to our Lunapads YouTube Channel today for videos on reusable menstrual products, women in business and how-to’s. Thanks again so much from all of us at Lunapads!
It’s great to be back at Lunapads after an entire school year has passed. Last summer I had the opportunity to work on the Lunapads Pads4Girls video. It was a great experience…not only to create the video, but to learn about Pads4Girls. If you haven’t heard yet, Pads4Girls is the name of Lunapads’ philanthropic project which sends reusable menstrual pads to girls in developing nations. The project has an enormous impact on the lives of girls living in developing nations. Having adequate menstrual supplies ensures that these girls don’t miss school when they get their periods. Without these supplies girls miss up to as much as 20% of their education because of their periods. Pads4Girls is currently being featured on Mothering.com this month.
Interning for Lunapads this year, one of my fun tasks is to keep the Lunapads Youtube Channel updated and lively! While browsing Youtube today, I came across this truly uplifting video about the Pardada Pardadi school for girls, located just outside of Delhi, India. Surprisingly, the story has a common theme with our Pads4Girls effort- Cloth Pads.
In rural India, where the Pardada Pardadi school is located, the idea of a financially independent woman is still not the social norm. Luckily, the Pardada Pardadi school is making efforts to change this. The school’s goal is to train girls to become leaders in their communities.
“In 1973 I set out to do drawings of women’s genitals for use in sex education groups. I wanted the drawings to be lovely and informative, to give pleasure and affirmation. I organized the drawings into a coloring book because a major way we learn to understand the world, as children, is by coloring. As adults many of us still need to learn about our external sexual anatomy.” -Tee Corinne
We often get asked what the difference is between The DivaCup and tampons. As is the case with disposable pads and Lunapads, it really is a bit of an apples and oranges situation, however this video answers some important questions about differences in size and respective amounts of waste generated.
Suzanne and I were very inspired to meet Kate Northrup when she was in Vancouver with her Mom, Dr. Christiane Northrup, last year. We are thrilled to be seeing Kate here again this weekend at a very interesting-sounding event for women. We will be there handing out sample organic cotton handkerchiefs, so come on down! If you’re in the Vancouver area and would like a chance at winning a free ticket, please comment below letting us know why you’d like to come.
Special guest speaker Kate Northrup will present on Women & Wealth
Spend the day with like minded women and start flourishing!
9:30am – 4:30 pm
Sunday May 29, 2011
Centennial Theatre
2300 Lonsdale Ave, North Vancouver, BC V7M 3L1
Tickets $50 HST included (or comment below for a chance to win a free ticket!)
To receive a 10 % discount call the box office and mention the code word: Wisdom
To receive a 20 % discount please purchase 10 or more tickets by calling the box office.
Tickets available through the Theatre Box Office by phone: 604-984-4484
For more information click here.
It is fabulous to see the response to the previous post about holistic options for yeast infections. Author and Medical Herbalist Katolen Yardley has taken the time to respond to readers’ comments and provide more detail, in particular to questions about the safety and effectiveness of douching, yoghurt, Tea Tree essential oil and common OTC (over the counter) mainstream remedies.
Katolen writes:
Reviewing some of the comments from readers it is apparent that clarification is needed regarding certain terminology and to ascertain whether we are at the same starting place. Of course an accurate diagnosis should always be sought before ANY steps are taken with remedying one’s ailment, always. The purpose of the post is to provide numerous tools and resources for women – not only just pharmaceutical options – once she knows that a yeast infection exists.
Effectiveness is easy to assess. Yeast infections are disruptive, uncomfortable and annoying. If one has a yeast infection, ANY relief is welcome and one will quickly be able to assess what is helping and making a difference and what is not. Perhaps one of the best ways to assess how home remedies work, is to try them out and have a personal experience. Feedback from clients, students and customers all indicate that herbal remedies DO WORK.
Many women have encountered the endless cycle of using OTC medications and find that they are NOT addressing the problem, and the yeast infection comes back – this is when many women become frustrated with mainstream medical treatments and often start investigating other holistic options. Herbal remedies are tried and true (they do not work for everyone all the time, yet they are an option) – their effectiveness is known through trying them. They are gentle and one will quickly know if they are providing relief.
Suzanne and I happened to meet Katolen Yardley MNIMH, a Medical Herbalist, a few weeks ago at a dinner party. She caught our attention immediately with her vibrant personality and passion for women’s health. She is also the owner of the Alchemy & Elixir Wellness Centre in downtown Vancouver. We were thrilled when she agreed to provide her expertise as a holistic medical professional on helping women deal with a common issue, yeast infections. Check out her easy and effective natural tips below!
A typical yeast infection, also known as candida albicans, is a fungus normally present in the body in small amounts. The presence of other healthy flora keeps the bodies levels of candida albicans in check, however the vaginal flora is very sensitive, responding immediately to any changes in our environment. If any triggers disrupt the sensitive balance of good and bad bacteria, candida albicans can flourish.
I am really excited about this video, and hope that it will be the first of several about how women connect with their fertility cycles on a spiritual level.
Back when I first started making Lunapads, I was intrigued by Goddess spirituality and would often participate in women’s rituals around Vancouver in the company of my Goddess-loving BFF, Signy Wilson. They were very moving and beautiful and I fondly remember the power and magic of being in community with other women in this unique way. What has stayed with me from those experiences is a profound sense of Sisterhood (chief among Lunapads’ core values) as well as a deep awareness of my connection to Nature’s other cyclical mysteries via my menstrual cycle.
