Using contraceptives is green in itself because it helps to stave off overcrowding on this planet. But how 'green' is your birth control?
"Condom rubber is harvested in the Amazon. Synthetic estrogen, progestin and other hormones are released into the world's waterways, in concentrated form or through urine expulsion, affecting water safety, impacting human health and contaminating wildlife."
If you're wanting to be more eco-conscious about your methods of contraception, latex condoms are out. Vegan condoms are a better alternative, being made from tree derivatives, or you could also go for Fair Trade condoms which are made from sustainable rubber sources that have been harvested under Fair Trade conditions.
This article appears in Aug 19-25, 2010.