Academy Stocks Eco-Friendly Menstrual Products
In response to student interest in improved menstrual products, Student Council (StuCo) collaborated with PeriodxESSO to install more comfortable and environmentally friendly pads and tampons in bathrooms.
StuCo Policy Committee co-head and senior Summer Hua, PeriodxESSO co-heads lower Siona Jain and upper Sarah Kang, PeriodxESSO member lower Hannah Henris and Director of the Office of the Principal Leigh Drapeau worked together to install these products in various locations across campus.
Currently, these products are available for use in women’s and all-gender bathrooms in Phillips Hall, Elizabeth Phillips Academy Center, the Phelps Science Center, the Academy Building, Elm Street Dining Hall, the Forrestal-Bowld Music Building, the Art Building, the Library, the Goel Center and Love Gym.
Though updated menstrual products are currently not offered in men’s bathrooms, Jain clarified that expansion into all bathrooms was in the agenda of PeriodxESSO. “Our resources are limited. We only have so many [menstrual products] and because we want to make sure that the majority of students will be able to use them, we decided that it would be best to prioritize the female and gender neutral bathrooms on campus,” Jain said. “We want to get more products in male restrooms and just all restrooms on campus because currently they’re only in the biggest academic buildings.”
The group initiated the project after StuCo’s Cookies and Conversations event, where a majority of focus groups brought up a need for change in period products. “One of the most consistent comments was of the quality of the menstruation products available. Previously, they were atrocious, they weren't sustainable and they weren't comfortable,” StuCo President Ayush Noori said.
Hua explained that the project also began due to a lack of information about the current menstrual products. “We didn’t know if [the menstrual products] are truly good for our body because there's almost no information on the packaging. Second of all, it was very hard to use the products because sometimes when we used them, it felt uncomfortable,” Hua said. “So that's why after a lot of students' concern reached our policy committee, we decided to team up with PeriodxESSO, which was led by Siona and Sarah, and start this whole initiative to revamp what we have currently.”
To combat this problem, school decided to select new menstrual products from The Organi Project (TOP) which are “crafted with 100% organic cotton and are 100% biodegradable,” Noori said. “They produce organic, produce three products and the proceeds go to fight from the school purchasing go to fight period poverty.”
Jain valued TOP’s investment to confronting period poverty, a state at which individuals do not have enough financial resources to afford menstrual products for sufficiently safe hygiene practice. “About one in five women and girls are in period poverty, so this is a great way to not only allow Exeter to make a little impact on the world globally, but also allow us to improve student life on campus,” she said.
This initiative is part of a larger movement, PERIOD, which was started at Harvard University by student Nadia Okamato to promote access to menstrual products, according to Kang. “[Okamato] struggled with homelessness in her past and she didn't actually have access to the proper menstrual products. She basically started this company called PERIOD, where there are different chapters. So Siona and I wanted to see if we could start one,” Kang said.
In addition to the improvement of the products themselves, PeriodxESSO also put up posters around campus, including information on the evolution of menstrual products over time and period poverty statistics. “I also hope when people read the posters, they see how lucky we are because so many people just don't have access to these products,” Henris said.
Community members lauded these changes. “We received messages saying, ‘This is a game changer and is really improving the student experience,’” Noori said. “I really do think that this is a project thanks to the generosity of the Principal's Office, the compassion of Ms. Drapeau and the hard work of StuCo and Period. We've made a huge impact on campus.”
Looking forward, Kang hopes to reach out and confront period poverty outside of Exeter in the general state of New Hampshire. “Hopefully, we'll be able to do fundraising soon, and we'll be able to get products, so we can reach out to people who are actually experiencing period poverty and try to help them,” she said. “We hope to not only help Exeter's environment, but also actually deal with those people who are affected by period poverty.”
Henris also discussed the club’s overarching intention. “Our goal is not just to focus on the Exeter community and get products to people who need them, but also the greater world,” she said. “Right now, we're starting as a small club and focusing on Exeter. We just thought: what small thing can we do to actually affect the world? Why not just find products that are helpful that aren't as harmful to the environment as past products?”
Biology Instructor Kadeine Peterson supported the off-campus aspirations of PeriodxESSO’s work. “In implementing particular initiatives, we can sometimes forget that Exeter the school got its name from Exeter the town. I would love to see programming extend to the greater community,” she said. “What if we can work with the public Exeter High School to get menstrual products into their bathrooms that equal the products that we have here on campus? No menstruating body wants to deal with subpar cardboard applicators and big bulky pads with toxins leaking into their body.”
Hua hopes that students will continue to discuss access to menstrual products in both Exeter and the world. “It should be something that's openly discussed,” she said. “We hope to even bring these products to the dorms cause we ultimately want to provide this an equitable opportunity for all.”