GREETINGS AGAIN, GREENIES!
I feel like I have so much to catch with and share with you after BLOG ACTION DAY took up a whole blog..... SO!
This week it is on with the blogging about all the great green things I have found for you!!
SOAP NUTS
Soap nuts clean your laundry without detergent!
In 2006, Soapods founder Penny Morgan found soap nuts in an ashram in India. They
have a natural soap inside the shell that cleans washing without the need for detergent. And you know how much I love the things that tick all the green boxes....Soapods products are high-quality and completely environmentally friendly. They are 100% organic, cruelty free, not tested on animals, sustainable, renewable, 100% natural and.... they really work!
I met Penny, who is a very persuasive lady, and I believe it when she says that after telling all her friends about her nuts she decided that there was a potential opportunity for an eco-friendly and ethical business. Soapods was born! Check out her website for all the places to find them.
"GREEN PR, SWEETIE! I PR GREEN THINGS!"
My friend Sarah Louise Baulsh’s REVAMPT business of recycling vintage fabrics into lovely new things is going great guns. You can find her at Acton Art & Craft Market & Farmers market most Saturdays and at The Sustainability Show at O2 this weekend.
Sarah tells me she has learnt so much on her green business journey she is now able to share her wealth of knowledge and promote others with similar green business ethics and she has started GREEN PR - an offshoot of ReVampt where she offers PR services. These include help with styling shoots, creating a Marketing Calender, unique press contacts, networking, Press Releases etc and says studies have shown that people need to see your brand name 27 times for it to register and will forget it if not reminded again within 90 days! Sarah's enthusiasm for promoting the green word is infectious. So if you have a green company to promote, give her a call!!
SOYBEAM CANDLES
Liz in LA emailed to let me know that her SOYBEAM candles can now be shipped to the UK and if you and if you type in the word Friends at the checkout you will get 20% discount!
Christmas is coming!! 'Rah!
GORGEOUS GREEN THINGS
THE GREEN HAUS
I recently met Jane Mosely founder of THE GREEN HAUS which is a one stop shop for fabulous green designers and their products. With The Green Haus, Jane has created a unique showcase for the new up and coming designers of our green future.
Jane also supplies organic cotton bed linen by Amenity. Inspired by nature and committed to preserving it, Amenity makes purely organic, 320 thread count, cotton bedding collection which means it is ssssoooofft!
The fabric for this collection is certified organically grown and organically processed cotton. Each of the large-scale images is printed individually onto the fabric with non-toxic, eco-friendly, water-based dyes.
At The Green Haus, Jane has sourced an eclectic mix of products, some readily available, some made to order but all of them with sustainability at their core, the majority of which has been designed and made in the UK.
Talking to Jane, I couldn’t agree with her more when she says that sustainable design is not just about the end product but the entire product process. She also believes that sustainability should be affordable and she is on a mission to bring these gorgeous green things to us all. I LOVE her!!
Based in the Pacific North West, Zola Eco Furnishings make custom hand-made eco-friendly home furnishings. A little over two years ago, they established the goal of eliminating all toxic products from their furniture and adopting eco-friendly and sustainable practices for all of their manufacturing.
ZOLA recently supplied a piece of eco furniture for “Living with Ed”, the eco-friendly home show on HGTV with Ed Begley Jr.
Alexandra,
Is there a green way to clean granite countertops?
Gloria
Beth Haley Design
www.bethhaleydesign.com
Of course if you are stuck with granite counter tops it is best not to get rid of them just to send to the landfill so my reply was:-
Gloria,
Thanks so much for your email. Granite is a very resilient surface but is still porous and can show a dark stain like red wine, so you have to be careful what you use on it if you are going to throw away your chemical surface cleaners. I would recommend my environmentalist and green friend Ed Begley's fantastic cleaning product called BEGLEY’S BEST. It comes in a concentrate, so needs less packaging. (we first used in on the Prius!! Dontcha know! It was MAR-velous!! fwah fwah!!). I can also recommend Method which is also has a range of cleaners and is economical on packaging too because it comes highly concentrated.
Best Wishes, Alexandra
For my UK readers, Ecover is a range of cleaning products that is doing very well including laundry detergent and limescale remover - which I like very much. They are available at Waitrose and other supermarkets.
Kay The Cook does not like Ecover washing up liquid so much because she doesn't think it cleans so well. I’d be interested in comments on your experience using these eco cleaners. As everyone has different standards of hygiene at home, sometimes the chemical wins over the natural surfactants. (Oooh, steady on! Big word!!)
And I still want to find out where to find ECOVER Bleach. It does all the stuff a regular bleach does but doesn't harm all the fishes in the sea. Anyone seen it? I can't find it in my local Waitrose but have seen it mentioned on their website.
I use a washing ball for my laundry and that eliminates the need for detergent all together and it's great for everything except I do like something to give me whites a wee boost now and again.
Designers like Richard Liddle who created the RD (roughly drawn) chair
Made from 100% recycled plastic packaging waste like milk, detergent bottles & food packaging, the chairs are hand made using a revolutionary process, developed by Richard, which take on the appearance of woven metal. I love their funky look!
No two are alike.
No two are alike.
Jane also supplies organic cotton bed linen by Amenity. Inspired by nature and committed to preserving it, Amenity makes purely organic, 320 thread count, cotton bedding collection which means it is ssssoooofft!
The fabric for this collection is certified organically grown and organically processed cotton. Each of the large-scale images is printed individually onto the fabric with non-toxic, eco-friendly, water-based dyes.
At The Green Haus, Jane has sourced an eclectic mix of products, some readily available, some made to order but all of them with sustainability at their core, the majority of which has been designed and made in the UK.
Talking to Jane, I couldn’t agree with her more when she says that sustainable design is not just about the end product but the entire product process. She also believes that sustainability should be affordable and she is on a mission to bring these gorgeous green things to us all. I LOVE her!!
IN THE STATES
Based in the Pacific North West, Zola Eco Furnishings make custom hand-made eco-friendly home furnishings. A little over two years ago, they established the goal of eliminating all toxic products from their furniture and adopting eco-friendly and sustainable practices for all of their manufacturing.
ZOLA recently supplied a piece of eco furniture for “Living with Ed”, the eco-friendly home show on HGTV with Ed Begley Jr.
QUESTIONS QUESTIONS QUESTIONS
Talking of Ed Begley I have to blog about him again because I got this email from a designer in Nashville Tennessee:-
Talking of Ed Begley I have to blog about him again because I got this email from a designer in Nashville Tennessee:-
Alexandra,
Is there a green way to clean granite countertops?
Gloria
Beth Haley Design
www.bethhaleydesign.com
Of course if you are stuck with granite counter tops it is best not to get rid of them just to send to the landfill so my reply was:-
Gloria,
Thanks so much for your email. Granite is a very resilient surface but is still porous and can show a dark stain like red wine, so you have to be careful what you use on it if you are going to throw away your chemical surface cleaners. I would recommend my environmentalist and green friend Ed Begley's fantastic cleaning product called BEGLEY’S BEST. It comes in a concentrate, so needs less packaging. (we first used in on the Prius!! Dontcha know! It was MAR-velous!! fwah fwah!!). I can also recommend Method which is also has a range of cleaners and is economical on packaging too because it comes highly concentrated.
Best Wishes, Alexandra
For my UK readers, Ecover is a range of cleaning products that is doing very well including laundry detergent and limescale remover - which I like very much. They are available at Waitrose and other supermarkets.
Kay The Cook does not like Ecover washing up liquid so much because she doesn't think it cleans so well. I’d be interested in comments on your experience using these eco cleaners. As everyone has different standards of hygiene at home, sometimes the chemical wins over the natural surfactants. (Oooh, steady on! Big word!!)
And I still want to find out where to find ECOVER Bleach. It does all the stuff a regular bleach does but doesn't harm all the fishes in the sea. Anyone seen it? I can't find it in my local Waitrose but have seen it mentioned on their website.
I use a washing ball for my laundry and that eliminates the need for detergent all together and it's great for everything except I do like something to give me whites a wee boost now and again.
God, I sound more like my bloody mother every day…
BLOG ACTION DAY RESULTS
By all accounts Blog Action Day was HUGE success. 20,603 Bloggers participated, there were 23,327 Blog Posts (according to a Google Blog Search) and there were (at least) 14,631,038 Blog Readers. If you were one of those millions who participated because you read my blog last Monday I thank for becoming part of a Global Awareness to change the World.
NEXT WEEK
THE SUSTAINABILITY SHOW at O2
ETHICAL & FAIRTRADE FASHION - not just yoga pants, Love!
ECO HOUSE BUILDS FROM NOTTING HILL TO DEEPEST HEREFORDSHIRE
NEXT WEEK
THE SUSTAINABILITY SHOW at O2
ETHICAL & FAIRTRADE FASHION - not just yoga pants, Love!
ECO HOUSE BUILDS FROM NOTTING HILL TO DEEPEST HEREFORDSHIRE
2 comments:
I watch the "Eastenders" omnibus every weekend on PBS. Does that make me a "soap nut?"
Soap Nuts (Soapnuts) – Nature’s Natural Detergent
I’m not an environmentalist by any stretch of the imagination, but I do consider the impact of what I am doing has on the environment. That is why when my wife started using Soap Nuts as our household cleaner, it sparked my curiosity to learn more.
What are Soap Nuts?
Soap Nuts are actually not nuts at all. They are berries (also known as Soap Berries) that grow on trees in India & Nepal. There are two main varieties of Soap Nuts: sapindus trifoliatus (The Small Soap Nut) and sapindus mukorossi (The Large Soap Nut). The Large Soap Nut is the most commonly used in cleaning (probably due to its size & ease of harvesting), but both varieties are quite effective.
How do Soap Nuts Work as a Detergent?
Soap Nuts contain large quantities of saponin in their shells, which acts as a natural, gentle detergent when it comes into contact with water. Without added chemicals, fragrances or dyes, Soap Nuts are safe and gentle for handwashing delicates, yet tough enough for regular laundry. They will leave your laundry soft, clean and fragrance free, without the use of fabric softeners.
Will Soap Nuts Clean Difficult Items?
Yes and No. Soap Nuts are one of the best detergents out there to get rid of bad odors. Musty towels and wash cloths, even cloth diapers, come out smelling fresh and new. When it comes to stubborn stains, though, such as blood & red wine, you will want to use a stain remover to help the cleaning process.
What About My Allergies to Soap?
Most allergic reactions to soap are due to added chemicals and fragrance. Soap Nuts are naturally grown and chemical free. When we began using soap nuts for our laundry detergent, the eczema which I had across my chest and belly cleared up and has been gone now for 6 months. Soap Nuts are 100% non-allergenic.
How do I use Soap Nuts in my Laundry?
For Laundry Detergent, you can use Soap Nuts one of two ways:
1. Toss 3 half Soap Nut shells in a small muslin bag (provided with most Soap Nuts orders) and throw it in with your laundry. (Make sure that you take the soap nuts out before putting your clothes in the dryer). The nuts will do 3 or 4 loads.
2. Boil 100 g of Soap Nuts in 12 cups (3L) of water for 30 minutes. The liquid you have is now a concentrated, chemical free detergent. The leftover shells can be placed in your compost. Use 3 Tbsp or 45 ml of this detergent with each load of laundry. This allows you to do approximately 45 loads of laundry. Not bad for under $10!
Can Soap Nuts be used for More Than Just Laundry Detergent?
Yes. Soap Nuts can be used, in the liquid form, for cleaning just about anything. From dish washer soap, to window & glass cleaner, to repairing oily or dry hair, Soap Nuts are a multi-purpose cleaner. For more information on particular applications visit http://SoapNuts.Wordpress.com
The End Product Still Goes Down the Drain. Does That Hurt the Environment?
No. Soap nuts are antimicrobial. This means that they actually help in breaking down the grey water in the septic system. Also, you do not have to do a rinse cycle when you do your laundry with soap nuts. This can save gallons of water every wash cycle. Don’t worry, though; if you forget to stop your machine before the rinse cycle the Soap Nuts are just as effective. The amount of saponin left in the rinse cycle will just leave your clothes feeling soft.
Soap Nuts are a Win-Win Situation
With great cleaning power, no harmful chemicals, & prices that rival any other detergents, Soap Nuts are one of the best cleaning agents you can buy.
For more information on Soap Nuts & pricing, visit http://Stores.HotterThanHealth.com
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