One of the things I have wanted to do with this blog is mention, from time to time, little things we can all do to make an environmental and political difference. Today I'd like to feature a company whose products I've been using since I was a child, Dr. Bronner's Soaps. As you may or may not know, Dr. Bronner's is that soap, the one with the dramatic spiritual manifestos all over the labels! But behind the ALL-ONE philosophy lay a strong commitment to organic, fair trade practices and the promotion of peace through economic investment and consumer awareness.
My parents opened a health food store in 1975, and from the beginning, Dr. Bronner's natural Castile soaps were a staple product in the beauty section. I grew up using the liquid peppermint Castile soaps, although my adult favorite has been the almond version. Over the years, Dr. Bronner's has expanded its product line (I still need to try the body balms!), but it's also expanded its activism. I would like to introduce you to something I really admire about this company. They are fully committed to fair trade practices, and are currently blending Fair Trade olive oils from Palestinian farmers in the West Bank with Arab and Jewish farmers' olive oils produced in Israel. What a beautiful statement, as well as financial boon for these farmers! You can read more about this venture here, and watch a short film about the process embedded below.
If you've never tried Dr. Bronner's products, I urge you to do so! They are organic certified, Fair Trade certified, opposed to animal testing, and manufactured using 100 per cent recycled/recyclable packaging!
Oh my, I have been so neglectful of my blog as of late! The primary reason has been that my summer has been so very busy! Trips to Colorado (for work), Minnesota (work and play), and California (play and work) kept me very busy! And now the new university term has begun. In case you don't know, I'm a professor at the University of North Texas, so my schedule gets really busy in September. To top it off, I've fallen a bit behind in some writing duties, so I'm still playing a bit of catchup!
However, I've been finding a bit of time here and there to play with my batches of Polaroid Artistic TZ film! I wanted to post this particular photo today to encourage everyone out there to consider replacing your loud and polluting gas and electric lawn mowers with an awesome push mower! My husband and I got this gorgeous retro-and-wonderful, truly analog push mower some months ago, and our lawn looks great! Just think: you'll get some exercise, won't pollute, and have some mulch at the end of your lawn mowing session! It's getting easier and easier to be green, and small steps really add up!
The Lawnmower Polaroid, 2008 Camera: Polaroid SX-70 Film: Polaroid Artistic TZ Film signed prints in my Etsy shop
One of the topics I'd like to tackle from time to time in this blog are some of the greener alternatives I've found for making my life a little less damaging to the environment. My husband and I are always looking for small and simple ways to live with less toxins around us in our home. We recently found these awesome sponges, made by a company called "Twist":
These are the twist sponges we bought yesterday.
Twist creates natural, renewable-tree sourced cellulose and loofah sponges that are dye- and toxin-free, and are 100 per cent biodegradable. They also reuse 99.97% of their waste in their production process. Their packaging is also made of recycled paper, not plastic, and they have patterns on the back for making birdfeeders! I highly recommend them!
Hello! Thank you for visiting my site! I am a university professor of history, but when I'm not writing, reading, or teaching, I love to take photographs with my many historical and contemporary cameras. I'll use this blog to discuss my own photos, as well as my appreciation for other artists and craftspeople. Feel free to explore the links below to visit my extensive online galleries, my shop, and the links to some of my favorite things! If you see something you'd like to hang on your wall, please let me know by emailing me. Have a lovely day!
