Vermont Soap
The world is changing rapidly. Societies that have lived in equilibrium with their ecosystems for thousands of years are now wrestling with issues of deforestation and the droughts that inevitably follow the large scale cutting of trees. Overpopulation threatens every aspect of biological life. Technology brings mixed blessings. In our compassion to relieve suffering and reduce infant mortality, we create even greater suffering through overpopulation and the ecological devastation that follows in it’s wake. We must always remember the basic rules of biology; for example, that an increase in the food supply creates an increase in population. Development and family…
Read MoreThis is how they make artisanal, handmade shea butter. In 2004 and 2005 The Soapman traveled to West Africa to learn how shea butter is made. Here are some pictures and blog links (Africa – Part 1 and Africa – Part 2) from those journeys.
Read MoreIt didn’t really hit me until the day before we boarded the plane. “What kind of foolish adventure have I gotten us into this time?” My wife Sandy Lincoln and myself were traveling to Ghana, West Africa for two weeks to teach soap making in a rural village. A nonprofit (NGO) had contacted The Soap Guild looking for a volunteer. After much back and forth, it was decided that I would go. It took some convincing, but since Sandy brings her own unique skills to the table (librarian, bookstore owner, homesteader, entrepreneur, textiles), the NGO agreed to pay her way.…
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