Crowded Upstairs

Brought to us by my old college pal aireal, today's link of the day is...Seventh Generation.

Pardon the observation, gentlemen, but women's shelters in the U.S. go through thousands of tampons and pads monthly. Assistance agencies generally help with expenses for "everyday necessities" such as toilet paper, diapers, and clothing, but one of the most BASIC needs is overlooked: feminine hygiene products.

Seventh Generation, a green paper and cleaning products company, will donate a box of sanitary products to a women's shelter in your chosen state -- just for clicking the link. Talk about easy (and, yes, it is legitimate)!

It's very very easy. Go to http://www.tampontification.com/donate.php and select your state from the drop-down list. (For my international friends, pick any state you want.) Then, in the cute picture at right, drag the heart along the path and drop it inside the house. That's it! That's all the effort required. I hope you'll all click!

I've decided to do a new thing in both of my LJs; as often as I remember, I'm going to post the Link of the Day. This is going to be the address of a website that catches my attention for some reason. The reasons will probably vary with my mood and suchlike. I may post a link to promote a cause; because I know the webmaster; or just because the site is fun and I felt like sharing.

The first Link of the Day is... Stuff Ya Don't Want.

Stuff Ya Don't Want is geared toward the interwoven principles of helping the environment, reducing waste, and doing things that will make a difference for others. The site owner is Nancy Matson, a children's book author who got tired of seeing how much Americans waste and how their actions hurt the environment. She's provided a LOT of information on simple things you can do to reduce your impact on the environment, things you can do to get rid of (as the domain name says) stuff you don't want, and why it's a great idea to shop at thrift stores for some of the things you do want. Her information is often stuff that not many people would otherwise hear about; for instance, did you know there's a woman in Colorado who accepts donations of used crayons for recycling? She turns them into art projects and resells them. She's been doing this for fourteen years and has recycled more than 16,000 tons of crayons. If you're doing anything like what I'm doing -- cleaning out your home, trying to declutter while making as few additions to the local landfill as possible -- you'll definitely want to check out this site for some really good ideas.