TheSoapBlog.com Proudly Unveils Its Soap With a Soul Web Award
TheSoapBlog.com, a new blog started by Staci Marquez-Nichols, is quickly establishing itself as a resource for the handmade soap industry. Marquez owns the handmade soap company Sustainable Soaps and features many issues and news items related to sustainability in her blog.Marquez' latest endeavor is a web award she created called "Soap with a Soul." She designed the award as a special distinction for advocacy leaders in the handmade soap community. The criteria for the award is:
"Natural, handmade soap makers and suppliers who are making a difference by taking a lead in humanitarian, environmental, anti-corporate control, cosmetic safety, or similar issues. Soap makers must make soap from scratch with lye (not melt-and-pour) that is available for sale to the public. Soap makers and suppliers must be innovators leading by example with a good reputation."
A few days ago, TheSoapBlog.com announced its first award recipient--Vermont Soapworks. Marquez interviewed the founder and owner of Vermont Soapworks, Larry Plesant, and wrote a wonderful feature article on his company. Vermont Soapworks was the first company to offer USDA-certified organic gel soap, foamer soap, spray cleaner, non-toxic cleaner, and pet shampoo. Plesant proved himself a worthy recipient as he lives in a log cabin using his own energy, founded the Green Products Alliance, and once traveled to Ghana to teach soap making.
Marquez hopes that her new "Soap with a Soul" award will promote issues of sustainability and humanitarianism among the homemade soap community. Proving herself a worthy recipient of her own award, Marquez kicked off her new blog by coordinating a campaign to get homemade soap donated to Haiti via a 501(c)3 non-profit agency in Florida called Clean the World. It's easy to see that she's passionate about many causes. "Most soap makers are advocates of cosmetic safety to some degree already, but there are many out there adding FD&C dyes, synthetic fragrances, and even animal by-products to their soaps. Unfortunately, not everything that's handmade is natural," Marquez said.
EMAIL ALERTS
