Sustainable Planet
The Reusable Period Pad
Period poverty is defined as the lack of access to sanitary products, toilets, menstrual hygiene education, handwashing facilities and/or waste management (Kiende, 2019). Unfortunately, these products are still considered luxury products in the vast majority of the world. Lack of adequate sanitary products leads to numerous problems such as leaving school earlier, risk of sexual violence, exclusion and infections. It also negatively affects mental health, increasing shame and embarrassment, causing difficulties with participation work. Therefore, among the 17 SDG goals, we chose two main goals to work towards through our project: good health and well-being and quality education.
As a prototype, we designed and created a manual on how to make a handmade reusable pad. Moreover, we made an actual pad to test how well the manual can provide instructions from the point of view of an individual who does not know how to. With this, we want to encourage people to make their own reusable sanitary products, especially in areas where period poverty is a serious issue. Additionally, we also want to break the taboo and spread awareness about period poverty. By making the pads reusable, we take sustainability and accessibility into account, as they will be easier and cheaper to produce.
The Butterfly Effect Fundraiser
Through the Sustainable Development Goals, ‘The Butterfly Effect’ is fundraising and awareness aimed at students in order to create memorable events by working with partners (Goal 17). We are focused on helping build a sustainable planet by supporting small NGOs.
Our current project supports ‘Future of Africa’, an NGO which provides nutritional, social & educational opportunities for unaccompanied minors in the streets of Accra, Ghana (Goals: 1,2 and 3)
The problem we want to address with our project is regarding small NGOs or relatively underfunded charities worldwide. Small NGOs receive too little funding. Some local (but small) NGOs could make a big impact if they received more fundings. This is why created a prototype that aims to provide funds for small, local, and trustworthy organisations starting with two and a half months of fundraising for a small NGO in Ghana called ‘Future of Africa’.
The OATLINGS
For our project we decided to work with the SDGs 12, sustainable consumption and production, and partially goal 2, end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture, and 11 correlates with our aim to build towards a sustainable community.
In order to gain more public awareness for the sustainability of plant based milk we decided to build an informational campaign informing about the topic, but we also want to gain attention to put things into action! We would love to have plant based milk in our coffee in UCG, or even in the entire rug University. We want to spread awareness with our own merch and to top it off we provide you with all the information we gathered throughout the time with our posters around the city (just a few to keep it justifiable)!
We want to show you that our project goes beyond the simple task of a final deliverable.We have future events lined up in collaboration with local organisations (green office, caerus, MasMas Cafe etc.)
Plant milk lovers get excited!
Cards for Sustainability
Our project is centered around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) and merges it with methods and applications from social entrepreneurship. We have created a collectable card for supporters all around Groningen to put wherever they deem show-worthy! Together, we show commitment to a sustainable planet for everyone!
Our mission
To make the importance of a sustainable planet visible by distributing 1000 postcards in Groningen by September 2021.
The great thing is that each card supports a project that addresses one or more sustainable development goals, increasing our overall impact to support-worthy causes and the development goals. Thus, each postcard supports a project. Currently, we support the “Butterfly Effect Fundraiser” (see below). All funds go to the project, helping to gain supporters to achieve their and our mission and make the importance for a sustainable planet visible in Groningen!