Pink and green condoms. A 12-hour, washable alternative to tampons and sanitary napkins. Homemade soap and lip gloss.

Student groups hope a discussion tonight about these health options will explain the correlation between women's rights, health and the environment.

The Pink and Green Party, sponsored by Eco and Women's Council, takes place at 8 p.m. today in 402 Computer Center.

"It's just something fun for girls to get together and make friends, meet new people and feel comfortable talking about things they have questions with," said Kelly Sylvester, a geography junior and Eco member. "Because sometimes you don't know who to turn to or talk to."

Sylvester said she only has to empty her bathroom trash can after her period is over. Tampons and sanitary napkins create a lot of waste that ends up in landfills, she said.

But it can be prevented with reusable, environmentally safe feminine hygiene products.

These alternatives come in a variety of brands, such as The Keeper and The Diva Cup.

The funnel-shaped cups go inside the vagina and are made of silicon or rubber. Menstrual blood collects inside and should be cleaned out every 12 hours.

"They are biodegradable, and they will save you a lot of money," Sylvester said. They can last 10 years and cost about $35.

Dennis Martell, MSU's coordinator for health education, encourages women to look into, and be aware, of other options.

"The biggest concern I have is women knowing how to use them properly and clean them," he said. "It's always a good thing when we can cut down waste."

The groups also will promote the use of condoms over other birth control methods and give some away.

"Condoms are the best form of birth control," Sylvester said. "Also, it's the best way to be environmentally friendly because with birth control pills you are letting all the extra hormones into the environment."

After leaving a woman's system in urine, hormones in birth control pills might lightly contaminate groundwater, she said.

Martell said he has not read any definitive data on hormones in birth control pills affecting water, but said it is a possibility.

He did warn about other potential side effects of putting synthetic hormones into your body when using birth control.

They can include back pain, shortness of breath and mood changes, he said.

Meanwhile, latex condoms, when used properly, are 98 percent effective. But they, too, can have side effects, causing allergic reactions for some people.

Party organizers also plan to show attendees how to make their own beauty supplies — packaging-free and environmentally friendly.

Eco and Women's Council got the idea for the party from The Sierra Club, a national environmental group, Sylvester said.

The Sierra Club has teamed up with One by One, a nonprofit organization committed to ending obstetric fistula, which develops in some women while giving birth.

The condition causes the blood supply to vaginal tissues and the bladder to be cut off, according to the Fistula Foundation. The tissues die and a hole forms, which leads urine and feces to pass uncontrollably.

Corrinne Thomas, an Eco member, will talk about the condition at the party. The groups want to collect $300 in donations, which will go to pay for an operation for a woman with the medical condition in a developing country.

"These women are shunned from their people," Thomas said. "If there was more sexual awareness and if people knew about condoms and other different birth control measures, they wouldn't be occurring so often."

The United Nations Population Fund estimates more than 2 million women in the world suffer from obstetric fistula.

"In developing countries, things like fistula and genital mutilation are still a cultural norm, and raising awareness to tend to these issues are important," said Sarah Frantz, a member of the Women's Council executive board and social work sophomore.