The folks at www.newdream.org have revised and updated the traditional American Dream of “work hard and you will achieve a better life through the earning money.” In their words:

“We care about the health of our natural world, about social justice for people across the globe, and about living lives that fulfill our deepest needs.”

This site is chock full of information. You can learn how to be a more responsible consumer, how to minimize your environmental footprint, how to relieve yourself of junk mail and much more.

One of the most interesting features I found was their “Turn the Tide” program. By signing up and agreeing to do 9 things ranging from skipping a car ride once a week to eliminating garden and yard pesticides, you become one of thousands who collectively reduce water usage, carbon dioxide emissions and the consumption of valuable resources. My favorite thing, however, is the positive tone this organization has. They essentially show us that a healthy, sustainable future IS possible and that every person makes a difference.

Now there’s a dream we ALL benefit from. - Sara

Click here to visit www.newdream.org

Intro Kit Special – Save 20% We put this kit together to help women make the switch to GladRags. But it’s also a great way to add to your current menstrual protection collection (hmmm…that has a nice ring to it).The GladRags Intro Kit includes 1 night pad and 3 day pads. Choose from organic color, organic undyed or regular cotton color pads.Special last through August 31st. Use coupon code NL0806 to redeem this offer. Offer cannot be used with other offers.Good on the following products: OCK - Organic Cotton Color Intro Kit ORK - Organic Undyed Intro Kit CLK – Regular Cotton Color Intro Kit Click here to view our GladRags kits.

Book Review: Cradle to Cradle - Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and William Braungart You should pick up Cradle to Cradle at your local bookstore – and I mean that literally! The weight of the book is as unique as the ideas that lie on its pages. The book is made of a synthetic material that is not paper, not even recycled paper. The result is a waterproof book that weighs probably 4 times the average paper-made book (its pages will not be blown back by the wind at the beach!). Cradle to Cradle also illustrates the vision that authors William McDonough and Michael Braungart have for the future of our world.The practices of recycling or downcycling (the recycling of materials into lesser quality materials) are practices that are “too little too late” in the minds of these men. Instead, McDonough and Braungart propose a practical and holistic alternative that incorporates two cycles of production into industrial design and community planning: a biological cycle and a technical cycle. These are completely regenerative processes that avoid the cradle-to-grave approach that is currently being practiced and sends materials to landfills to rest there eternally. This new cradle-to-cradle approach would eliminate the need for landfills all together! An easy read, this timeless book has been around since 2002, so if you haven’t read it yet – get a move on! Click here to learn more.

Friend of the Month: Lydia Rich

A note from Brenda Mallory, Owner of GladRags:

Lydia Rich is one of my best friends and lives two streets away so it’s easy for us to hang out, share dinners, drink wine, and talk about everything from politics to our kids. She is one of GladRags’ greatest fans and tells everyone she knows about them (whether they are interested or not). I consider her one of the most stylin’ babes in town - most people couldn’t look as good as her if they shopped Barney’s or Macy’s, but her gorgeous look all comes from Goodwill and Value Village. So with her clothing budget small, she gets to spend her big bucks on fancy bikes (she rides everywhere) and funding worthy causes. Lydia lives large and leaves a very small footprint.

Name: Lydia Rich

Hometown: Portland Oregon

Age: 51 1/2

Profession: Public School Teacher

Interests: Playing music, biking, knitting

Dreams: To live a long healthy life.

Number of years/months using menstrual alternatives:

7 years ago, when I was 47, I started using GladRags. Like I say, “You’re never too old or too young to try something new”.

Reason for switching to alternatives:

When I discovered them, believe me I was an easy convert. Now, I want to tell everyone about GladRags. Our family carries a canvas GladRags bag to the bread store and I wear my GladRags Tee Shirt. I like that I’ve kept a pile of used napkins out of the landfills because of my decision to use GladRags. I haven’t even mentioned the fact that the cotton GladRag is WAY more comfy than the “whatever that stuff” of which the disposables are made. )-;