Since we are headed towards the midpoint of February, the month of love, let’s talk about just that – love. Love can be a messy business, so how can we keep things both green and clean?
Contraceptives are key! What you choose to use is up to you, however using some sort of protection is always better than nothing. By not using protection, you are drastically increasing risk of pregnancy, thus furthering overpopulation and pollution by birthing into the world a “fossil-fuel burning, diaper-wearing copy of yourself”. Yikes.
If you still don’t feel right about wasting all of those condoms, take heart in the fact that the plastic wasted from them is just a small, small fraction of everything else we throw out. There are other things you can do to minimize your waste, including getting an IUD (a more effective, greener alternative to the birth control pill), using more sustainable condoms, or decreasing the number of condoms you purchase at a time.
Whatever you choose to go with, just remember to be conscious of what your options are, and how they extend beyond the shelves of your nearest convenient store. Staying informed is the best way to remain safe and sustainable!
Written by Teddi Shapiro, class of 2019