Mobina Jaffer
Senator, born in Uganda

“I don’t think we can buy [our way to a better planet], but we can share. Campaigns like this offer short-term solutions, and they’re not sustainable. They replace some of the work the media should be doing in raising awareness.…It would be great if we could use this ability to get our government to send substantial money to Africa.”

Gibril Koroma
Editor, Patriotic Vanguard

“[Africans are excluded from this because] a lot still live on less than $1 a day. They can’t afford it! But for North Americans, I fully support it. I think P?&?G and the other groups are doing something really good for Africa. I would, however, prefer something like goods4girls, because corporations will always try to make money.”

Deanna Duke
Founder, goods4girls.org

“I think we can. It just really depends on the program. The way P & G is going about it, they’re ensuring a future market by hooking them on a disposable product.…There’s a lot of products out there that are supposed to benefit the environment, but there’s also a lot of greenwashing.…Sometimes it’s better if you don’t buy anything at all.”

Suzanne Siemens
Co-owner, Lunapads

“I think we can consume responsibly to a better world.…The testimonials we see on our Web site have women saying, ‘I feel better about myself now [that I’m using reusable pads].’ So buying things can change how we feel about ourselves. When we buy natural products, we’re choosing something good for everyone involved.”