Did you know that every time you take your birth control in the morning, or slip on a condom, you’re embarking on a sustainable (and totally sexy) act?

Birth control is an incredibly green, sustainable choice. For real. Every time a lady or a fella chooses to put off having a kid until they actually want to, they are doing themselves and the Earth a solid.

Grist recently reported on just how green birth control really is by citing research done from an Aspen Institute piece. The piece found that voluntary family planning — for people who want the service — “could provide 8 to 15 percent of needed carbon reductions.”

Whoa.

And this isn’t the only study that has shown these results. Grist cites more related research completed by the Center for Global Development. David Wheeler and Dan Hammer wrote a paper that argues using money that would go to climate research for family planning programs could compare positively to many other investments that are made in low-carbon technologies.

And if you really think about it, this research makes sense. Many people in the United States create a lot of emissions, reports a 2010 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

And while birth control is a green choice, it’s also an essential option for women who want to have complete and total control over their lives. If a woman has an unintended pregnancy, she can experience a decreased quality of life. And, duh, that’s not because babies suck (kids are awesome) — it’s because unintended pregnancies cost a lot of money. Women who have the information and resources they need concerning pregnancy tend to be better off in the long run. They also choose to have fewer children.

Related on EcoSalon

How Green Is the Birth Control Pill?

Natural Birth Control Tips Part II: Getting Down to Business

Green Birth Control: Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t

Resources

Let’s make safe sex second nature

Aspen Institute

The Economics of Population Policy for Carbon Emissions Reduction in Developing Countries

Image: Monik Markus

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