ECOWABI GREEN EXPERIMENT

How To Use Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergent: Soap Nuts

This month's EcoWabi Green Experiment introduces a natural and environmentally-friendly laundry technique using Soap Nuts.

Using Soap Nuts (Sapindus Mukorossi) to clean clothes is an ancient technique that originated in India and Nepal. Soap Nuts contain saponin, a natural cleaner, inside the shell. Saponin is 100% effective, natural and gentle on your laundry and skin. Moreover, it is completely biodegradable and is an excellent alternative to conventional detergents. Thanks to the recent surge in green awareness, soap nuts have become a hot product among people who are conscientious in using natural and green products.

How To Use Soap Nuts:
- Put 4 to 6 nuts in a cotton sack and drop the sack into the laundry machine.
- Run the laundry.

That is it! The result is amazing: clothes are clean and soft. Moreover, the used nuts can be reused several times, although the amount of nuts needed and their reusability depends on the water temperature of the load.

*Soap Nuts can be used for white and color laundry, cotton and silk!
*Soap Nuts are available at Whole Foods and various online outlets. For example, Amazon offers 50 loads for $18.99.

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ECO BEYOND BORDERS

Benefits Of Living In A Small Village
   More Than Just Food And Nature - It Is Beautiful Skin!     Interviewed by Seiko

This month's Eco Beyond Borders is about a small village, Breitenbach, that is located near Strasbourg, France.

- France -

Breitenbach has a population of about 700 people, and is one of the 18 small villages that lie close to a town called Ville; the area is called Val de Ville. Each village is geographically isolated by a valley, and people of each village feel a strong sense of identity that is separate from the other villages.

Outdoor lifestyle.

Breitenbach offers many outdoor activities, including hiking and cross country skiing. It is easy to leave the back door of your house for a walk, and within minutes, you are immersed in nature and wild life. At dusk, one is almost certain to spot a deer or a fox near the border of the village. As the dusk deepens into evening, one can see a staggering array of bright stars in the nighttime sky! Given Breitenbach’s natural beauty, it is a wonderful family getaway for both parents and small children, and there are many bed and breakfasts that allow families to stay there.

For people who, like me, are from big cities, it may be hard to imagine a life in such a small village. But certainly, there are benefits to living in a place like Breitenbach that cannot be found in big cities.

Fresh food.

One of the big benefits is the food. There are local farmers that offer fresh and organic dairy products, meat and vegetables, and people in the village can buy fresh food at the weekly market in the village. Also, many households own gardens to grow their own vegetables in their yards – they can grow several different kinds of vegetables throughout the year! This benefit is not only that villagers have plenty of fresh, nutritious and tasty food virtually right on their doorstep, but also that the carbon emissions that result from food transportation is eliminated. Compare the local production of food in Breitenbach to the transportation of food over vast distances to cities like Chicago. Think about just a few common foods: oranges come all the way from Florida, and lettuce comes all the way from California. All of this transportation results in massive carbon emissions that could be avoided if food were produced more locally.

Healthier skin.

Another benefit of living in a small village like Breitenbach is the beautiful and firm skin of older people. Their faces are less wrinkled and look more healthy and firm than city peoples’ faces. Is it because of the quality of water and less stress and pollution? Maybe that is why people in the city, who live surrounded by polluted air, have to rely on expensive skincare products to keep their skin looking young and healthy.

The mother of the household I was staying at recommended using Jojoba oil (pronounced ho-Ho-ba) as a skin moisturizer. My only experience with applying oil on the dry skin was using a big brand name baby oil, which gives a film feeling that I cannot imagine feeling it on my face. However, it was completely different from what I expected. Jojoba oil felt very smooth and nourishing like a rich moisturizing cream. The only downside is that the face gets very shiny. So, it is recommended to use at night, unless you want to go to work with an oily shiny face!

All good but ...

In the end, having a holiday in a country village like Breitenbach is a luxury: having good food, breathing clean air, being around the grandeur of nature, and seeing animals that you can never see in the city. The only way to make my time here even more luxurious would be to have no Internet connection. (Internet, Internet, Internet! It is so easy to waste the whole day surfing the web!)

 

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