We are saddened by what is happening, but super happy to be working with Rotarians and concerned citizens like you.
THE PROBLEM: Rotary International's Past President Barry Rassin (2018-19) stated in an Oct. 2026 ESRAG Zoom meeting that he expects the Bahamas (his home) to be uninhabitable within 25 years. Closer to home here in NY, National Geographic published that 80% of NYC and all of Cambridge, MA (home of Harvard) will need to be vacated by the end of the century.
What can we do about it?
Looking for solutions? CO2 OFFSETS can be supported at:
1. Offset.ClimateNeutralNow.org (The UN Website)
2. Drawdown.org/Explorer (Project Drawdown)
3. MoonCatcher.org This MoonCatcher offset, highlighted below, is calculated to be 14 cents per ton of CO2, based on Project Drawdown's numbers. (The MoonCatcher Project & Niskayuna Rotary)
The average American contributes 15-tons CO2e each year. Therefore, a $2.10 contribution ($2.10 = 15 tons * $0.14/ton) at MoonCatcher.org offsets a year's emissions. A $21 contribution pays for 10 American's emissions AND pays for 3 schoolgirls receiving a washable menstrual kit.
A TOP RANKED CLIMATE SOLUTION
WASHABLE MENSTRUAL KITS & HYGIENE TRAINING
HOW DOES THIS BENEFIT THE ENVIRONMENT??? ANSWER: A WHOLE LOT!!!
1. RANKED #1 CLIMATE SOLUTION!!! Project Drawdown has determined that addressing runaway human population is of the utmost importance. They therefore rank (A) girls' education and (B) family planning at #1, more important than all else, including solar and electric cars.
2. HUMANS ARE THE ENVIRONMENT’S #1 VILLAIN. Educated girls marry later and have fewer children.
3. AVOIDS ENVIRONMENTAL WASTE
SCOTIA ROTARY's GLOBAL GRANT 1872625 provided WASHABLE MENSTRUAL KITS and health training FOR FREE to over 5000 schoolgirls in Uganda. All kits were MADE LOCALLY, boosting the economy. For SUSTAINABILITY, two schools were trained to make kits.
THE MOONCATCHER DESIGN WAS SELECTED BECAUSE IT IS:
- cost-effective ($7 each) = (12-cents/month),
- long-lasting (5+ years),
- does not require underwear,
- size adjustable,
- highly absorbent,
-where water is scarce, comes clean with just 1 cup of water,
- the pads resemble washcloths, so they can be sterilized in the sun without embarrassment,
- includes a waterproof carrying bag that doubles as a washing pouch,
- includes an antibacterial Tyvek barrier,
- delivered with health education about the reproductive cycle which supports FAMILY PLANNING.
PROBLEMS THE GIRLS FACE: Girls improvise with leaves, rags, plastic, mud, or squat & drip while shooing flies. Girls unable to handle their menstruation DROP OUT OF SCHOOL, MARRY YOUNG, HAVE MORE CHILDREN THAN THEY CAN AFFORD and live in POVERTY.
PER MARCH 2022 ROTARY MAGAZINE: "A packet of sanitary pads in Uganda costs $0.85 to $1.40. "The cost often leads girls to EXCHANGE SEX FOR MONEY, exposing the girls to early unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases."
TO MAKE OR DISTRIBUTE KITS, or ARRANGE FOR A GUEST SPEAKER, contact:
Scotia Rotarian Helen Penna +1-518-858-1333
Niskayuna Rotarian Lon Penna +1-518-312-6588
Give a Man a Fishing Pole and he eats for a lifetime.
Give a Woman a Fishing Pole and her entire community is uplifted.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has" - Margaret Mead
