Free menstrual products at U of A: An interview with Club Periodically

Menstruation is a fact of life for many studying at U of A. However, many students struggle to access menstrual products, and many may be unaware of free menstrual products available on our campuses. Luckily, Club Periodically and Green Flow Period Pantry are addressing the demand for these products and destigmatizing the realities of menstruation, all with a goal of sustainability in mind. I sat down with Club Periodically president Tracy Cui and vice president Aidan Ly, along with the founder of Green Flow and Club Periodically’s director of sustainability, Kairan Dhillon, to learn more about their on-campus initiatives. 

Before there was Club Periodically, there was Periodically: a post-high school summer passion project started by Cui and Caroline Lyu aimed at destigmatizing menstruation through repurposing menstrual pad wrappers into phone cases. When Cui started studying at the U of A, the project quickly transformed into a student club that maintains the core goal of destigmatizing menstruation with an added focus on providing free, accessible and sustainable menstrual products. Lyu currently studies in Toronto and holds the position of Club Periodically's external affiliate. 

Green Flow, an initiative of Club Periodically, is integral to the club’s mission of sustainability. Green Flow’s mission is to provide free and sustainable menstrual products to university students. As Dhillon, a sustainability student, explained to me, normal menstrual products create a considerable amount of waste in our landfills; however, making the switch to more sustainable products can be difficult for students as sustainable menstrual products are often considerably more expensive than regular ones. Dhillon aims to remove this barrier for students with her Green Flow initiative so that more students can adopt sustainable approaches to menstruation. Together, the two initiatives are repurposing the waste created by standard menstrual products into new goods such as phone cases, notebooks and earrings, and using the profits to purchase and distribute sustainable menstrual products.

The demand for free menstrual products on campus is significant; Dhillon shared with me that Green Flow has received over 300 requests for products since its inception. Recently, Club Periodically placed two menstrual product baskets with over 80 products each in a campus library, and they were both empty by the end of the day. To help address the evident demand for free menstrual products, Club Periodically has a map developed and frequently updated by Ly that features the locations of their products around campus. Club Periodically also offers an online ordering form through their Green Flow initiative that allows students to request products ranging from period underwear, menstrual cups, menstrual disks, compostable pads and compostable tampons. Club Periodically holds regular distribution events where students can pick up their requested items and chat with club executives. 

It can be uncomfortable for many to talk openly about menstruation, never mind openly asking someone else for menstrual products. Club Periodically practices accessibility and inclusivity by placing their items in open areas that are accessible to everyone as opposed to strictly women’s washrooms. Gender inclusivity is a fundamental goal of Club Periodically. Dhillon emphasized her wish for all students to know that they can access the club’s products freely and non-judgmentally. In her words, “everyone who menstruates should do it with dignity.” 

Club Periodically is helping to destigmatize periods by fostering an open and casual dialogue around menstruation. Club Periodically’s phone cases, notebooks and earrings achieve just this. In Lyu’s words, “what’s more everyday than a phone case?” The colourful designs made with repurposed menstrual pad wrappers reinforce the commonplace nature of menstruation. Club Periodically is helping students to, as Cui says, “address periods as comfortably and casually as they would a phone case.” 

The future of Club Periodically includes placing more menstrual baskets around campus and holding more distribution events. The club is also planning to start a series of educational workshops dispelling myths around menstruation, raising awareness around sustainable menstruation, and informing people on how to use and care for sustainable menstrual products. As Dhillon emphasized, it should not be assumed that everyone who menstruates is informed on how to use menstrual products, especially sustainable ones.