NGO Another Way (Stichting Bakens Verzet), 1018 AM
SELF-FINANCING, ECOLOGICAL,
SUSTAINABLE, LOCAL INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FOR THE WORLD’S POOR
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FREE E-COURSE FOR DIPLOMA IN INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT |
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Edition 158: 17 November, 2010
Edition 01: 16 April, 2008
Edition 02 : 31 December, 2010.
SOME RECOMMENDED DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGIES
Soap
nuts
There are two
main species of soap nut trees. The sapindus mukorossi is native of the lower
Soap
nuts (sapindus trifoliatus)
Soap nuts substitute the use of toxic laundry
detergents
1kg will do 100+ loads of wash. (even
200-300 washes)
The cost in western industrialised countries is about € 18/ kg.
Soap Nuts are a washing detergent that grows on trees - Used for Millennia, now
rediscovered for the modern world. Soap nuts are mild and soft cleansing for
your washing machine and for personal use. Their active agents are natural saponin surfactants.
The advantages of soapnuts
in a nutshell:
* Pure and natural washing detergent that leaves your
laundry fresh and clean
* Keeps your colours bright
* Allergy-free, good for your skin
* Environmentally-friendly. Chemical free
* Cultivated through sustainable agriculture
* Ecological and economical compared to other brands of
detergent. One kilogram of soapnuts can be used for
more than 100 loads of laundry.
* No need for fabric softeners
* Used for all fabrics and with all temperatures. Works well
with delicate fabrics such as silk and wool.
* When washing in cold to warm water, soapnuts
can be used for a second
time the same day
* In the case of heavy stains, one tablespoon of stain remover can be added.
* For a fragrant wash add your favourite essential oils
In India and
The up to
harvested in October. When removed from the tree the soapnuts
are sticky and golden in colour. They are dried and their colour becomes
reddish-brown. Then
the nuts are cracked and the black kernel, which can neither be eaten nor used
for washing is removed and the shell, which contain saponine
(a natural
detergent), are packed up in cotton bags.
How does it work?
The somewhat sticky saponine in the shells of the
soap nuts acts similar to normal soap. As soon as the shells get in contact
with water, this natural
saponine soap is released and creates mild suds.
Place 4 to 5 half shells in one of the provided cotton bags. Tie the bag and
place it with your laundry
in the washing machine. Start your machine as usual, with or without pre-wash.
The remains of the soapnuts can be composted or be
disposed of
through organic refuse.
Some information on the Soapnut tree (sapindus trifoliatus).
Household use of the soapnuts by courtesy of
Zamuta Soapnuts.
RETURN TO:
Some recommended
technologies.
"Money
is not the key that opens the gates of the market but the bolt that bars
them."
Gesell,
Silvio, The Natural Economic Order, revised English
edition, Peter Owen, London 1958, page 228
“Poverty is created scarcity”
Wahu Kaara,
point 8 of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, 58th annual
NGO Conference, United Nations,
"In the end, it's about love for mankind. Freedom begins with love.
Our challenge is to learn to love the world"
Nigerian writer Ben Okri, interview in Ode
Magazine, Dec 2002-Jan 2003, p.49
This
work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Licence.