As a vegetarian, I thought a lot about using a sponge, and decided it was the right thing to do for me. I've been using the same sponge for TEN YEARS. When I think about all the shipping fuel, packaging, cotton (do you know how many animals get killed by harvesters?), and shelf space I've saved in comparison to tampons (even organic ones, which I could never afford), it was definitely worth it for me.