Bloody Toxic in Twente
Enschede, the Netherlands
On 15 October, WECF participated in the Student Sustainability Research Conference organised by Green Hub Twente. Here, students from different study levels and across all disciplines were invited to share their research. The event gave plenty of opportunities to get inspired and to inspire others.
After a morning of uplifting presentations and a poster session, WECF contributed to the event through an interactive workshop on sustainable, toxic-free menstruation, bringing light to a topic that is usually underrepresented within the climate debate.
After delivering a short presentation about the specifics of menstrual health-related waste and toxin use, we spent time discussing and brainstorming new innovative ways to think about sustainability and menstrual health. The technical background of the students attending the conference shone brightly in this exercise, where students and staff from different disciplines used their expertise and creativity to come up with innovative ideas. These project plans ranged from introducing compost bins in communal toilets for compostable tampons and pads to creating garments with built-in plastic-free heating pads. Multiple attendees shared that they were inspired by the workshop to take on the issue of toxic-free menstrual health in their fields.
A special addition to the WECF team during this field day was Juliette, a 17-year-old high school student who followed a mini-internship at WECF as part of her international education programme. As a young ecofeminist, she researched premenstrual syndrome (PMS) for her high school graduation project. She provided excellent input from the perspective of her generation on the issue of sustainable menstrual health. It was a pleasure to have her join our team.
We finished the day by answering personal questions from the participants and providing them with greener menstrual sanitation products like menstrual cups and reusable pads to try for themselves. All in all, it was a very insightful visit where knowledge on sustainability was shared, reshaped, and extended to new depths.