We want change. And we want it now! Sustainable Cycles believes that anyone who has, will, or does experience a menstrual cycle deserves access to basic education so that they can make informed choices about their mobility and their menstrual cycle.

This spring 2017, we will send 6 self-supported cyclists to bike thousands of miles to the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research conference in Atlanta, Georgia. We will be demanding space for sustainable transportation on public roads and hosting menstruation workshops in local communities along the way.

As we cycle, we offer workshops about basic menstrual health and bicycle safety for women. We talk to hundreds of people about the environmental, economic, and health benefits of choosing sustainable modes of transportation and menstrual supplies. Our workshops link personal health with sustainability – from menstrual cycles to bicycles.

Since 2011, we have ridden 16,000+ miles in over 30 US states, demanding space for sustainable transportation on public roads and challenging menstrual taboos. This spring marks our sixth tour, our second pilgrimage to The Society for Menstrual Cycle Research conference, and our first time riding internationally.

Vamos unidas con nuestras hermanas latinas porque el movimiento es mundial.  

We cycle through diverse political landscapes and meet people from all walks of life. Through person-to-person interactions, not just comments and likes, we narrow the gap between the ideologies and judgments currently keeping us divided and oppressed.

Disposable menstrual products are wasteful, toxic, expensive, and chained to an industrial system that is NOT good for our communities. In using them, people who menstruate have to spend thousands of dollars, create hundreds of pounds of trash, and expose themselves to harmful chemicals throughout their lifetimes. The 15 billion dollar “feminine hygiene industry” will never admit that the alternatives to their expensive and wasteful products are simple and healthy. We have to do it ourselves. Our workshops link have already inspired hundreds of people across the US to embrace their cycles as a sign of vitality and make the switch to lesser known, non-toxic, reusable menstrual supplies.

Your donation will go to rider scholarships to support our “spokeswomen” on tour, providing them with food, bicycle gear, and emergency repairs as they cycle through communities and provide workshops on their way to Atlanta.

Donate now. Support the movement!

In October, Sustainable Cycles attended Bike!Bike! hosted by Back Alley Bikes in Detroit, MI. Their website says it best: “Bike!Bike! is an international annual gathering organized by and for community bike projects and collectives that use the bicycle as a vehicle to create positive social and community change solidarity” (bikebike.org).  It consists of a rollicking four days of workshops, shared meals, music, dancing, and lots of biking!

The Hub is the retail branch of the DIY wrenching co-op Back Alley Bikes in Detroit.

The Hub is the retail branch of the DIY wrenching co-op Back Alley Bikes in Detroit.

Spokeswomen Rachel Horn and Heather Meehan attended the conference as part of their own co-op delegations. Rachel H. works at the Bikerowave in Los Angeles, and Heather is involved with Mechanical Gardens, a new co-op in New York City. The two of us collaborated in facilitating a workshop about Sustainable Cycles’ past, present, and future, and to brainstorm improvements.

It’s always fun when people attend our workshops unintentionally. Due to a change in venue, some people arrived expecting a workshop on bike tools. Whoops! When we explained the periods and biking theme, some initial confusion and discomfort transformed into very rewarding conversations during and after the workshop. Since Bike! Bike! Is a gathering of seasoned social activists and bike nerds, our session was primarily a brainstorm to improve our messaging for future workshops.

We had one (!) DivaCup to give away, so we invented a competition. At the start of the workshop, we handed everyone a piece of paper and asked them to draw a diagram of the female reproductive system on one side, and a bicycle on the other. They then had to label as many parts as possible. This exercise turned out to be quite challenging, even for us! It also highlighted a need that came up later on in our discussion: to educate people on the specifics of the female reproductive system. This is something we could consider incorporating into our SC workshops in a more comprehensive way, since many of us do not have a solid grasp on this most fundamental knowledge.

The person who labelled the most parts was male-bodied Shane from LA. Shane graciously passed along the DivaCup to female-bodied Hannah from Detroit, since she has more need of it than he does. Way to go Shane for paying attention in health class (that’s where he credits his knowledge of female anatomy), and for sending a message to the rest of us to step up our game!

Shane is knowledgeable in bicycles and the female reproductive system. Congrats! 

 

During the workshop, we received valuable feedback from our multi-gendered and international participants. They suggested organizations to connect with and creating self-care oriented all-women bike tours that incorporate holistic healing methods. They suggested more zine literature and continued support for menstruation-related story sharing. We are excited to connect with more amazing projects as we continue to ride bikes and facilitate period spaces.

We are grateful to the safe space that Bike!Bike! Provides. In conversations throughout the conference, Heather spoke to a number of people, mainly male-identified, about menstrual cups and the mission of Sustainable Cycles. They had a healthy curiosity not only about menstrual cups but also the impact that they have on women’s lives and overcoming taboos surrounding menstruation. Having these sorts of mildly awkward but immensely illuminating conversations goes a long way towards undoing taboos.  

Jack, the urban farmer and bicycle dad. We made produce deliveries with him to some Detroit restaurants. He’s got 3 children in that front cargo set-up!

2017 will be exciting! We are planning to ride to The Society for Menstrual Cycle Research Conference at Kennesaw State University, just outside of Atlanta, GA. We will leave Austin, TX in late May and arrive in Kennesaw in time for the conference start on June 22. We will stop in Jackson, MS and Birmingham, AL. We are also planning an east coast route leaving from NYC. Let us know if you want to ride with us for all or part of the trip!

 

I have a confession. Sustainable Cycles isn’t just about menstrual products. While menstrual supplies are the focal point of our work, this project is as much about social and economic justice, community conversation, breaking down stigmas, feminism on the streets and conscious consumerism, as it is about what we put between our legs.

Here are a few of the other things that Sustainable Cycles is about.

Sustainable Cycles is about women being visible, living examples of courage and strength. When we ride through small towns and big cities and talk to people on the street, many ask us: Are you carrying guns? Are you insane? Aren’t you afraid? They assure us that we should be. With so many living in fear, we choose to share stories of the generosity and hospitality we’ve encountered. Like the people who offered to host us with just a few hours’ notice, who fed us dinner in their warm kitchens and sent us off with breakfast. Like the “strangers” we end up talking about birth and death with, sharing stories and tears. In many corners of the country, simply being women traveling by bicycle and fixing our own flat tires is radical. We shake up people’s conceptions of what is safe, of what is possible, of what we are capable of. It seems almost everyone has a spark of adventure inside them, and we get to ignite this – countless individuals at gas stations or public parks tell us about their own dreams of taking off on an adventure, which we wholeheartedly encourage! When the teenaged girls we talked to at a day program in Jacksonville told me they’d like to go bike touring one day, I felt enormously proud. I realized the power of planting these seeds, and remembered all of the people who inspired me to take this life-changing adventure.

When we are traveling in a pack of six, as we did for the last leg of our journey last spring, we are enough to hold up traffic. We make cars move over for us. We turn heads. We take up room in the streets. We declare our presence, making ourselves big – when we are so often told to make ourselves small, as women and as cyclists. All of this we do entirely through a grassroots, people-to-people, one-foot-in-front-of-the-other way.

Sustainable Cycles is about conscious consumerism. We expose one way that corporate interest intersects with economics and environmental disregard to negatively affect our health. Tampons and pads are made from cotton, one of the most pesticide-heavy crops grown in the world. The pesticide-laden cotton (less-so for the more expensive organic brands, of course) and synthetic glues and plastics that make up tampons and pads, plus the petroleum-based plastic or cardboard applicators and packaging, plus the fuel required to deliver them all over the world, amounts to a lot of environmental toxins and a lot of garbage. And guess what – these pesticides and plastics are also harmful to our internal ecologies, and they get inserted directly into one of the most sensitive parts of the human body. (Check out books such as Whitewashing and others on our resources page for more info). So, we have a product that is dangerous to our bodies, harmful to the environment, and it is one that companies sell to us over and over and over, creating a monthly burden for many. Because environmental degradation and poor access to healthcare disproportionately affect low-income people and people of color, this issue is also one of race and class. We also learn about how many of the health class videos that students watch across the country are made by Proctor & Gamble or other corporations, and are usually accompanied by sample packs of tampons. Brand loyalty starts at menarche for many pad and tampon consumers.

Now, we’re not saying that disposable supplies don’t have their place. We understand that certain lifestyles, situations, and personalities are not conducive to reusable alternatives, which is totally fine!  However, due to the health risks and the monthly costs and the waste, many folks would like an alternative. So why aren’t sustainable supplies more well known and available? Capitalism pop quiz! You are a multinational corporation that makes menstrual products. Which would you rather sell: tampons, which each woman will buy every month on average for forty years, or a menstrual cup that women will buy one time every ten years? Obviously the prior. And if you are a drug store trying to turn a profit on the materials you stock on your shelves, the same principle applies. On the other hand, menstrual cups, sea sponges and cloth pads are almost all made by small woman-owned businesses around the world, with a much lower profit margin and a social mission. When we shift toward these products, we shift toward a sustainable economy that provides us with choices that are healthier and low-impact for body and earth. We can redirect thousands of dollars that would otherwise end up in the already stuffed pockets of major corporations.

 Through group discussions, we examine this phenomenon and start to become more conscious consumers, examining the way that economics, environmental impact, health, and social issues intersect in almost everything that we buy.

Sustainable Cycles is about breaking the menstruation stigma in order to encourage education, health, and period positivity. By talking about periods, whether in workshops or to people on the streets of the towns we ride through, we break the sound barrier that surrounds even the word “menstruation.” In our society, menstrual shaming is so pervasive that for many people, young women especially, if they don’t feel ashamed of their own cycle and disgusted by their own body, they are inconvenienced or in some way feel negatively about it. In my view, this is a tragedy in its own right and a part of the distorted sense of self that results from the alienation of whole self from physical body. Furthermore, when we don’t talk about something, we don’t learn about it. The stigma contributes to a lack of education about menstrual health and how to deal with bleeding from a logistical perspective, leaving most people feeling alone in how to handle their cycle.

In our workshops, we bring bleeding-bodied folks (of all genders)* together to learn from one another and share our experiences about menstruation. We hear story after story about the embarrassment of being caught red-panted, or about tampon mishaps, or the confusion of a trans-gender experience. In our conversations, we invite everyone to share their period stories to create a community where all experiences are welcome, from the painful to the celebratory. By voicing our stories, we break down the silence, relieving ourselves of the shame that many of us carry. We also get to celebrate the beauty and life of periods! Folks get to share the strength and wisdom they draw from their cycles, the beauty of the life-giving process, the connection to their bodies, earth, moon, mothers, and sisters. We air these stories, celebrate them, laugh in resonance, and learn from each other. Stories tell of some of the most intimate moments of our lives, of how we learned from our mothers or grandmothers or aunties, of how we relate to our partners, of how we treat our own bodies. We create sisterhood when we share and laugh and cry together. This newfound openness and connection can ripple out through our all of our communities. By inviting everyone to share, we uncover the collective wisdom and knowledge of our lived experiences, and share it to help one another live healthy, powerful lives.

So, this is a little bit more of what Sustainable Cycles is about, and why I can hardly wait for our 2017 tour. I hope you will make it to a workshop one day to experience it for yourself!

Rachel S.

*We intend to support and fully include gender fluidity and the experience of trans-gender people in our work. We acknowledge that not all women menstruate and not all people who menstruate are women. Therefore we often use terms such as “bleeding-bodied” or other gender-neutral words to refer to people who menstruate.

Happy belated Summer Solstice!

We are happy, a little sad, and proud to say that the 2015 tour has concluded! Both Sarah and Ruby are back to work in NYC, Rachel H is working at a summer camp in Vermont, Olive is working at a camp in California, Rosie has returned Down Under where she is applying what she learnt on tour to her work with Sustainable Menstruation Australia (www.sustainablemenstruationaustralia.com.au), and Rachel S. is in Boston planning her next adventure. 

The last  week of our tour from NYC to Boston were some of our best and strongest days. We hustled hard, completing the 300 mile journey in 5 days’ time.  As we headed north we got to bike through some New England beach towns. We were near the ocean for much of the week, and got to ride through beautiful salt marshes and forests. After a 77 mile day that ended just before a rainstorm hit, we were hosted by an amazing Warmshowers host named David who generously took in all 6 of us. He regaled us with stories about his bike tour from England to Israel and fed us a veritable feast that included freshly caught trout.

We then traveled to New London for our last official workshop at Fiddleheads Food Co-op.  We felt incredibly welcomed by the community, and their employees even took us home for the night. Next was the long, but exciting last leg to Boston. Although the weather was unseasonably chilly and rainy, our spirits were up and we were feeling sentimental about our last few days on tour.

Finally, BOSTON!
WOW! WE DID IT. 
Our trip concluded in Boston on June 3rd. We got a great surprise when Ruby’s mother arranged for a police escort for the last three miles of the tour. The streets of Melrose, MA shut down, and we were welcomed warmly by enthusiastic bystanders! We were overwhelmed by joy and gratitude at having completed our journey safely, and we ended the evening with a “make your own baked potato” bar-– this was a highlight of the day!

On June 4th we made our way to the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research Conference. We were so happy and relieved to have arrived at our final destination and the mecca for menstrual activism. The Society gave us many platforms to share our stories, including a morning panel, afternoon workshop, and evening potluck. It felt great to have our work be recognized and valued by other activists, scholars, and researchers. Individually, we all found the conference itself to be life changing. Key note speaker Loretta Ross spoke about her Reproductive Rights model, and opened our eyes to the many social, political, socioeconomic factors that effect women’s reproductive rights daily. Jax from the Menstrual Activist Research Collective (M.A.R.C) led an eloquent discussion about the importance of “queering” menstruation, and the implications of our language when discussing periods. Lisa Leger from Justisse enlightened us about the Fertility Awareness Method of birth control, which was inspiring enough to have Ruby looking into a possible career shift! WASH United presented a global perspective, and reminded us about the basic needs that are not being provided to women all around the world, including clean water and the privacy needed to change a menstrual product. We were all touched by  ceremonialist Giuliana Serena, who gave a heartfelt workshop about rites of passage with her organization Moon Time Rising, and gave permission for each attendee to use the space to facilitate their own rite of passage about issues ranging from menarche, to menopause, to abortions. We left the workshop with teary eyes, and full hearts. 

All in all the conference was life affirming, and reminded us of the great importance of this work to our community, and world! 

And our work continues!

Sarah W. was able to present on a guest panel for the “Unmentionables Film Festival” in NYC. Again, another opportunity to share stories from our journey, and meet other inspiring activists, including a woman who teaches therapeutic double dutch, and two 16 year–old, up–and–coming film makers who had their movie, “A Girls Rite” featured at the festival. 

Although our 2015 tour has ended, Sustainable Cycles continues to grow and gain momentum. We feel that we are at the cusp of a menstrual revolution, and we are deeply grateful that we (and you!) are a part of that revolution. Stay tuned for more updates as we enter the next chapter of Sustainable Cycles post 2015 tour.

The cross-country riders have united at last. We are together, and the period party is just beginning. Rosie, Ruby, Sarah W, Rachels H & S, and Olive are together in New York City in the last throngs of their bicycle journey. Boston is under 300 miles away, and it is hard to believe the proximity. 300 miles. A distance that, not so very long ago seemed daunting to cycle across now seems like a hop scotch away. It is amazing what a long-distance journey will do to a small group of women.

We wish you a Happy Menstrual Hygiene Day! We will celebrate this young holiday tonight in NYC at the Delancey Lounge on the lower east side. MHD was created to “raise awareness about the importance of good menstrual hygiene management for women and adolescent girls” all around the world. The taboos and discomfort about menstruation that Sustainable Cycles has observed across the country is a part of a pervasive “period negative” culture that “limits women’s and adolescent girls’ access to relevant and important information about their bodies, directly affecting their health, education, and human rights”. We are excited to be a part of the movement to change the culture from negative to positive. Our workshops have been full of supportive menstruators and allies brave enough to ask the questions that are well overdue.

We have ridden our bicycles thousands of miles. We have facilitated over two dozen workshops across the country. We have distributed over 200 menstrual cups. From California and Key West to New York City, we have “started the discussion” every 60 miles or so with the kind people we met all across the United States. We have disagreed with one another, we’ve spit snarky comments, we’ve cried, laughed, sweated, bled, stretched, massaged, supported, talked and listened to, and cycled together. We have created a sisterhood of cyclists. And we are excited to continue our adventure as we cycle to the SMCR conference next week.

Thank you to those who have helped and continue to help us in our journey of self-exploration and sisterhood. We have found the people of this country to be helpful, generous, welcoming, and caring. On a freezing rainy day, the home of a kind stranger is all the home we need.

In middle school we used to throw tampons at our male classmates (un-used tampons, of course). My girlfriends and I had all started menstruating, and we thought it was hilarious how terrified they were by a piece of cotton and plastic.

“Ewww, get that thing away from me! That’s disgusting!” they’d bellow, as the girls shrieked with laughter. I understood that it was a completely foreign object to most adolescent boys, but I wanted to help them understand: It really is just a piece of cotton, like a q-tip. It’s not disgusting and you don’t need to be afraid. So I decided to take a more educational approach, and simply hold the tampon in my hand so they could see it, touch it, and understand how it worked. At the age of thirteen, I thought it was important for everyone to have this knowledge. It’s no wonder I wound up being a spokeswoman for Sustainable Cycles.

Despite my new method, the boys still wrinkled their noses and backed away hastily. I was prepared to give up, when along came Alberto.

“Can I see?” he asked calmly.

“Yeah!” I blurted out in shock, “here you go!” And I thrust the device into his open palm.

He inspected it slowly in a clinical, curious manner. Frowning, he asks:

“So… how does it work?”

I raised my eyebrows. “You really wanna know?”

“Yeah,” he nodded.

I wasn’t quite prepared to explain the details of tampon use to a boy who, admittedly I had a huge crush on, so a gave him a brief, vague answer, something along the lines of, “Oh you just shove it up there and it catches the blood.” I’ve come a long way since then in my jargon.

Alberto smiled, returned the tampon, and walked back to his friends, who were wide-eyed and open-mouthed a few feet away. They began to harass him, and he cut in:

“It’s not gross guys, it’s just somethings girls need in life. It’s totally normal. Grow up.”

Many cis-gender men are uncomfortable talking about periods. Why shouldn’t they be? When the boys at my middle school reacted so drastically to the tampon in my hand, they were only doing what society has taught them to do. If young women themselves are afraid to talk to their mothers about menstruation, how can we expect cis-men to be any better? That is why Alberto’s confidence was so profound, especially at such a young age, and he said some very key words: “It’s totally normal.” Then why do we still feel so dirty and abnormal, as people who menstruate?

At a workshop we held in Cherokee, North Carolina, one woman had multiple stories about how embarrassed she was when she’d have a menstrual emergency and need her man to run to the store for her: “He’d come back screaming, ‘Don’t ever make me do that again! I feel disgusting!’” Rachel once asked one of our friends if she used a menstrual cup, and this friend glanced awkwardly at our male friend standing next to her and said: “I don’t really want to answer that right now.”

It’s clear that we have some trouble being accepting of our cycles, and it is deemed inappropriate to discuss the matter openly. I think it is time to end the stigma and shame, and those of you who don’t menstruate can play a huge role in that.

I am absolutely delighted when I meet period positive men. It only makes sense for people of all genders to understand how our bodies work, and for our partners to be informed and supportive. I once bled on the sheets of one of my romanic partners, and instead of making me feel ashamed or humiliated, he soothed my worries and said it was no big deal: “Don’t feel bad, Olive, it happens!”

In Asheville, we had one cis-male at our workshop, and he had great questions and comments. He was very interested in all the re-usable products we had, the science behind menstruation, and what he can do when his girlfriend is experiencing pain or discomfort.

Outside of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the Sustainable Cycles team was having a parking lot picnic, when a young man emerged from Radio Shack to ask us about our tour. We explained our project to him, and he was stoked: “Wow, that- that’s amazing! I am really interested in women’s health, my girlfriend has taught me a lot and it’s become really clear that feminism is one of the most important movements right now. You girls are doing incredible work.”

It’s unacceptable to perpetuate the culture of silence and shame around our cycles. We bleed, we cover it up, ignore it, and god forbid we talk about it, let alone with men. No matter your gender identity or expression, all of us are effected by the moon cycle- it is the origin of life! If you are a non-menstruating individual and want to learn more, please join the conversation. All voices are appreciated. It feels so incredible when your partner says “It’s okay if you bleed on my sheets,” it is so amazing when a bearded man walks out of a Radio Shack and expresses his feminist views, and it is just astounding when a twelve-year-old boy ignores his immature peers and takes the tampon.

Olive Mugalian

Monday, May 11, 2015

Written from Raleigh, North Carolina

Here’s a few photos from our adventure!

In the past few weeks Ruby and Sarah have been pedaling hard to the east. We are happy to be in Virginia, and looking forward to meeting up with our other Sustainable Cycles crew members in Richmond!

We had a wonderful ride through Missouri on the Katy Trail, which is an old rail road line that has been converted into a bike trail that traverses almost the entire state. We saw more animals than people, but did have a chance to give away a menstrual cup to a curious female cyclist we met on the trail. We also had a successful event at Clover’s Market in Columbia, MO where we met fellow women’s health enthusiast Carrie Pattison. Carrie is an herbalist and midwife, and gifted us free samples of Wishgarden medicinal tinctures in exchange for a cup. They have been helpful to us on the road, especially for muscle cramping during the ride and seasonal allergies. Visit her website here: http://www.wishgardenherbs.com

After the workshop we  continued along the Missouri River to St. Louis, spotting everything from eagles to deer to turtles. The scenery was breathtaking, and the riding conditions were easy and enjoyable. At last!

St. Louis was a stark contrast to our trail riding, but we quickly fell in love with the city’s diversity, which was reminiscent of our home town of Brooklyn. We had a great workshop at the Community Arts and Movement Project, and spent two nights with our inspiring friend and fellow bike touring enthusiast Amy Fleming! We traded travel stories and stayed up all night working on a jigsaw puzzle before riding out to the city bus station at 3am to catch a Greyhound bus to Lexington, KY. Ruby miscalculated the mileage and we were going to have to cut out about 300 miles to get to our next workshop in time!

We arrived in Lexington on the day of the Kentucky Derby. Our gracious host Bill offered to drive us 50 miles the next day just so we could attend his Derby party. How could we say no?! The race was only two minutes long, but we enjoyed the company and the city of Lexington, and got to drink authentic mint juleps out of silver cups. Next we went Stanton Kentucky where we met Joe Bowen, a man who walked across America on stilts in 1980, and who has done TWO 14,000 mile American bike tours. Joe was inspirational, and told us how important it is to follow your dreams. He also took us on a tour of Kentucky’s natural arches along the Red River Gorge. Joe was intrigued by our project, and requested a menstrual cup so that he may share the idea with fellow travelers as they come through his bed and breakfast. “This is incredible!” exclaimed Joe as he got a close up look at a Rubycup!

We were sad to head east into the mountains and leave our new friends, but the Appalachians offered us lush green vistas despite excruciating climbs. Since many of these roads were built before grade regulations, we often had to get off and walk/push our bikes up the steep, winding roads. Our mountain riding was cut short by a busted axle and wobbly wheel just after we crossed into Virginia. Feeling unsafe on the steep mountain passes, we were miraculously able to get 3 separate rides over 100 miles to the closest bike shop in Abingdon, VA.

We are very excited for our event tomorrow!

Saturday, May 9th
at: the Virginia Tech Women’s Center (206 Washington St., Blacksburg, VA)
12-2PM
Tell your Virginia friends!