This year, we were asked to form a unique partnership by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to create a product line that would raise money for their Animal Action Campaign for the Endangered African Elephant. Our “Kilimanjaro” product line was the result. Our goal is to raise $10,000 in one year’s time ( moksacampaigns.org.)

Elephants are the largest land animals on our planet. Yet the future of this mighty species is remarkably fragile: In 1900, there were more than 10 million elephants worldwide. By 1979, less than 1.4 million. Today, fewer than 650,000 elephants survive.

In addition to relief efforts such as relocation, and securing habitats for elephants in National Parks, IFAW has created their Animal Action Campaign for the endangered African Elephant.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Animal Action Education program will engage some 5,000,000 students, teachers and families in more than 15 countries to learn about and celebrate elephants, which are among the smartest, most social and emotional of all animals. The program will also introduce young people to the challenges that threaten the survival of this remarkable species, including habitat loss, poaching fueled by ivory trade and conflict with human communities.

We’re honored to be a part of this program. And more so, we’re grateful to do be a part of what we love to do, what we live for, what we talk about all of the time. Making a difference in a world we wish to become better. Who knew soap could do that?!

On behalf of mōksa, thank you Sierra Club for all that you do to uphold your mission of “explore, enjoy & protect.” We will always honor the spirit of this award.

Below are a few photos from the Martin home. We hope you enjoy as much as we do….

I must say, our blend is pretty unique. We’ve got 7 different oils that work together for some serious goodness to the skin. USDA certified organic coupled with fairly traded shea butter and cocoa butter make for the softest, cleanest skin ever.

We’re one of the few companies that use extra virgin olive oil and hemp oil alongside of coconut oil, babassu oil, soybean oil, shea butter & cocoa butter. We’ve got one of the heftiest, yummiest, socially responsible, sustainable bar soaps around (chock full of flowers, herbs & essential oils!)

If that’s not enough, we happen to think that the outside beauty can leave you completely unsure as to which bar to fall in love with! We’re pretty certain you’ll be head over heels even more when you find out that each bar soap sold means a tree is planted in Africa or India.? Each bar of bliss is hand wrapped using 100% post consumer waste packaging printed with soy ink. Our bottom line is not the dollar, but rather some really, really, good soap…

To sum up the beauty, our bar soaps’ intoxicating aromas will hopefully remind you of the “greater good” with each and every shower.

Click me! Click me! View our bar soaps.

We are more than thrilled to announce that our sustainable, revolutionary, oh so yummy, moksa bar soaps will be stocked with American Apparel both online and select stores throughout the country.

We happen to think American Apparel has a stellar company for more reasons than one: 1) they keep it local! Unlike most U.S companies who outsource to third party, off shore manufacturers for labor and materials, A.A. keeps everything at their homefront from start to finish in Los Angeles, CA. This means they’ve eliminated millions of miles of travel, fuel consumption and unethical sweatshops. 2) Plus, we happen to LOVE their leggings and super cool socks!

Viva la Revolucion!

1. Ditch the plastic and paper bags from the grocery stores. Invest in canvas bags! Here’s a list of reasons why (plus, we happen to think they look way cooler!)

• Plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year when animals mistaken them for food

• Between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year

• Approximately 60 – 100 million barrels of oil are required to make the world’s plastic bags each year

• Most plastic bags take over 400 years to biodegrade. Some figures indicate that plastic bags could take over 1000 years to break down.

• Every year, Americans use approximately 1 million plastic bags, creating 300,000 pounds of landfill waste.

2) Replace your bottled water with Canteens. The bottled water industry is unregulated! We encourage you to watch the film “Tapped.” Invest in a filter and “Take Back The Tap.” Retro-fitting your faucets with water filters shows a proven savings when you actually see the cost analysis.

3) Compost! If it comes from the Earth, it makes good sense to give it back. Composting your leftovers, banana peels, cuttings from dinner preparation, coffee grounds, etc saves tremendous amounts of trash that ends up in a landfill. What normally takes a few weeks to degrade, can live in land fill for years. It’s theorized that much of our trash in landfills (plastics in particular) can take up to 1,000 years to break down. Even if you have a small apartment in the city, there are some pretty neat ways to compost. Personally, I love my compost pile. I love to see the fresh dirt that brings life to other plants! A must do experience if you haven’t done so already.
Tips for composting.
Click the link for composting tips.

4) Use Eco-Friendly products ! Avoid excess packaging and products full of chemicals and toxins that you can’t pronounce. It’s not needed. If you haven’t sourced your luxuries, we’ve got this one covered for you. Our bar soaps and other products are made from 100% organic ingredients. They’re socially, locally and responsibly made. Fortunately, moksa packaging is made from 100% post consumer waste and non toxic inks. You can compost your labels or recycle them in your bins. We use our leftover soaps to clean the leaves of our plants (hint: our Iceland Mint bar keeps certain bugs/parasites at bay), our sidewalks and outside tools. How versatile can you get?!

 

5) Avoid the use of palm oils! It’s the leading cause of deforestation and habitat loss. Read your labels! Palm oil and derivatives are in almost all processed foods, body care products and bar soaps. Palm oil is now found in about half of all packaged goods on the shelf. It’s unhealthy to ingest and the mass cultivation is bad for our environment. Contrary to popular belief (and according to the Organic Consumers Association), organic palm oils are not necessarily sustainably produced. “There have been many attempts to make palm oil sustainable. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was even established in 2003 to do just that. Unfortunately, six years later, there is still no system that can effectively trace palm oil beyond the processor to the plantation level. Companies that manufacture products using palm oil have little way of knowing where the controversial substance originated – which leaves the question of whether and to what degree palm oil is sustainably farmed up in the air.” (Organic Consumers Association: Sept 2009.)

http://ran.org/category/issue/palm-oil

Rainforest Action Network.
Click the link to learn more.

Green The Film – Trailer from Patrick Rouxel on Vimeo.

Become a part of the solution! Make a change.

 
Viva La Revolucion!