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| Soap-making onboard -
the environment team gets busy |
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| Soap making with Peace Boat guest Jacob Reiner. |
Recently, the Eco Team has been busy cleaning up
Peace Boat-by holding several lectures and workshops on biodegradable
homemade soap. To raise awareness about the health and environmental
risks of petroleum-based detergents, Eco Team members are training
participants in the art of making soap from recycled and natural ingredients
found on Peace Boat.
Today, most commercial soaps contain detergents to increase the amount
of suds produced. While suds seem effective, they actually do not
increase cleaning power. In fact, detergents require five to ten times
more rinsing, wasting both water and time! After rinsing, some detergents
leave a sticky residue that contributes to algal blooms and water
contamination.
Traditionally, most people made their own soap by reusing tallow from
candle-making, scraps of animal fats, and lye from cooking ashes.
Today, we simply pick up an inexpensive bar from the supermarket.
It is hard to imagine that some of these soaps are manufactured at
a great expense to human and environmental health. Scientific research
shows that repeated long-term exposure to harsh chemicals, found in
most common household cleaning products, can contribute to cancer,
impaired respiratory function, and allergies. Women and cleaning professionals,
who traditionally perform the majority of daily household cleaning
tasks, are at a higher health risk. Natural, additive-free products
are much safer for both the body and the environment. Soaps derived
from vegetable oils, such as castile soaps and glycerin soaps, are
better choices than petroleum and animal fat-based products because
they generally lack harsh artificial chemicals and are more biodegradable.
Many people have been signing up to participate in the workshops,
where they learn how to turn humble ingredients like recycled cooking
oil from the Peace Boat kitchen and leftover coffee from breakfast
into handmade Coffee Cinnamon Soap. Some of Peace Boat's old pet bottles,
clean yoghurt containers, seashells, and plastic bags are reincarnated
as soap molds containing delicious-smelling concoctions like Honey
Milk Soap, Chamomile and Lemongrass Soap, and Green Tea, Lemon, and
Rice soap. The success and popularity of these workshops demonstrates
an interest in safer and sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based
soaps. The Eco Team supports the environment and human health by teaching
a practical and self-sustainable alternative that is easily integrated
into modern life. |
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| Ushaia-Papeete
/ Peace Boat's 36th Voyage |
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PEACE BOAT is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. |
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