The Religious and Spiritual Life department is celebrating Spiritual Ecology Month to promote a more reciprocal relationship with the Earth.
The department is dedicating May to hybrid programming that gives students ways to connect with and care for the environment.
“(Spiritual ecology is) thinking about how we’re a part of the natural world, not just people who are designed to use it in a combustible way,” Kristen Glass Perez, the executive director of the Religious and Spiritual Life department, said.
The initiative was created by Glass Perez and RSL Associate Director Eric Budzynski after they learned about the growing field of spiritual ecology. Glass Perez said the department organized programming the month after Earth Day to “continue and deepen” conversations about human relationship to the Earth.
Come May, Menstrual Equity Activists will distribute free menstrual cups on campus.
The initiative is in partnership with CampusCup, a national campaign for menstrual cup use on college campuses. Weinberg freshmen and rising co-presidents Irene Quan and Rhea Sharma said they’re spearheading the project to promote menstrual equity and sustainability at Northwestern.
The sign-up period will open from May 1 to 14. During this two-week block, MEA plans to host a speaker event to promote the project and educate students on the use and impact of menstrual cups, Quan said. MEA then plans to distribute the cups on May 28.
CampusCup was launched in June 2020 by the Danish menstrual cup company OrganiCup to combat period poverty and promote the use of sustainable menstrual products. According to Organicup’s website, its medical-grade silicone cups are a safer and more environmentally-conscious alternative to pads and tampons.