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In recent history, our concept of the environment has changed. If we think about how our ancestors lived, they were deeply intertwined with their surroundings. They woke up and saw themselves in a vast world. They did not close the door and forget about the natural world. Instead, every day they partook in the world through picking fruits and vegetables, sitting by the fire and stargazing before bed. They loved the entire world but never hurt it because they relied on it for their sustenance.
Today we see the environment as something external. We all live in our cozy bubbles. We don’t think about sharing the planet with animals and plants. We think of the world as ‘our world’. We often make comments like, ‘cars and factories are polluting our environment’ and ‘the environment is in grave danger and it may be too late to fix it’. If we think about how these comments are phrased, the word ‘the’ usually comes before environment. Let us not externalize our environment, but encompass it and take ownership and responsibility for it. Cars and factories are destroying us, WE are in grave danger and it may be too late.
Before soap or whatever we do or sell, we must all put our environment first. Environment must always be at the forefront of our minds when we make life choices. Environment is not some external symbol for the world we live in. It is you and I, as individuals.
Every business plan we’ve developed at the Rivendell Soap Factory has involved the respectful treatment of our environment. We use as many local ingredients as we can and support small farmers and growers wherever possible. Building a sustainable business is easy when you don’t put profit margins first.
We believe in using only renewable and plentiful resources. Some essential oils like Sandalwood contribute toward the destruction of endangered plant life. Sandalwood is cut down only for its bark! Also, because it is such a popular essential oil, it is now on the endangered species list. Maybe we should stop using it and give it some time to regenerate before the entire species is wiped out. Furthermore, we use very little packaging in our products, which helps to minimize landfill. If you think about it, as soon as you take a product out of the package that package goes into the garbage.
Our beliefs are not extreme or ridged in any way, we are always learning and willing to adapt to new information. However, with each new source of information, it is always important to read critically. Far too often, especially in the health industry, people try to push opinions with misguided or false information that only leads to negative consequences.
We believe in educating just as much as we believe in learning. We also feel that giving back to communities in a healthful manner is just as important. We’ve donated forty-pound boxes of soap to homeless shelters. We’ve taught classes from Grade 1 to adult where we have focused on the importance of using natural products in place of synthetic products.
Walk gently on the Earth and be mindful of what we are doing.
Adina, Ryan and all the staff at the Rivendell Soap Factory.
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