Vienna Student Promotes Reusable Diapers As Less Expensive Option For NoVA Parents

SEVEN CORNERS, VA — For parents on a tight budget, diapers are one of the expensive products they need for their children. That's why a James Madison High School student is working to promote a more cost-effective alternative among Northern Virginia communities.

Avery Cañedo, a junior at Madison High School decided to do her Girl Scout Gold Award project on promoting reusable diapers and where to find them. Cañedo told Patch that the Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest achievement for Girl Scouts, the equivalent of an Eagle Scout rank in Boy Scouts. Girl Scouts who complete the project will identify a need or challenge, submit a proposal and put together a project plan, including creating a budget, securing funding and reaching a target audience.

The idea for the reusable diaper project stemmed from Cañedo's volunteer opportunities through the Junior Volunteer League.

"During the pandemic, I spent hundreds of hours working at the Community of Faith food pantry and learned that in addition to food, diapers were in high demand, because they are very expensive," Cañedo told Patch. "We sometimes received donations of diapers to distribute, but we never had enough to meet demand, so I thought about how I could help address this need and found that reusable diapers are much more cost-effective in addition to being more environmentally friendly and better for babies."

Her project, called "Happie Nappies," promotes reusable diapers as a less expensive alternative to disposable diapers. Her awareness campaign also informs people where to find disposable diapers and includes display materials, brochures, and surveys in English and Spanish. She is surveying hundreds of people in her target audience to determine if they were aware of reusable diaper benefits and if they were open to using them.

Cañedo said the reusable diapers give families more value in the long term after an upfront cost. She knows of local resource centers that have provided reusable diapers in the past with little interest, but that could have been because people were not aware of the benefits.

"Diapers are so expensive. And it's something everyone with babies and small children needs," said Cañedo. "It is a basic human need and many people are not having this need met. There are organizations that collect diapers to distribute to those who need them, which is awesome, and I thought that approaching it from another angle would also help address the challenge of making sure people who need diapers have them."

As part of the project, Cañedo is participating in community events to reach families, such as the Culmore Community Day on May 6 in Bailey's Crossroads and the upcoming Summers in 7 Corners Block Party on May 20 in Seven Corners. Cañedo was familiar with Culmore Community Day after volunteering there with Reading is Fundamental last year and knew families with young kids and babies attended to seek resources.

"I talked to so many people that day and had such a positive response - it was really exciting," said Cañedo. "Many people didn't realize how much better and easier to use cloth diapers are now than even a few years ago."

Cañedo was also contacted by the Summers in 7 Corners Block Party to exhibit there. She will be talking with attendees about the benefits of reusable diapers and surveying them on if they would use them.

In addition to the community events, Cañedo will join Trace the Zero Waste store owner Mala Persaud for a sustainable products workshop on May 25.

Cañedo has been volunteering since eighth grade through the Junior Volunteer League, helping organizations like the Community of Faith Food Pantry, Reading is Fundamental, BRAWS, Special Olympics, Food for Others, Women Giving Back and more. She has received the Girl Scouts' President's Volunteer Service Award for the past four years.

Aside from her Girl Scout and volunteer participation, Cañedo leads the Madison Forensics public speaking team, works part-time at Westwood Country Club, and plays beach volleyball for Grit Volleyball Club. This summer, she will represent Madison High School as a delegate in the Virginia Girls State. She hopes to attend college in Southern California after high school but is undecided on what to study.