Running through our town was this adventure runner, 53 year old Kay.
We met Kay on the side of the road when we saw him today running along the highway into Donnybrook. I felt compelled to stop and run alongside to find out what he was about. His jogging "pram" built for twins was filled with supplies and he had a flag saying "peace Run" running 40 000kms. He had started in Perth and in 4 days had travelled approx 250kms and was heading to Sydney, a journey of 8000kms. 
We signed his peace flag offering Peace, Love and a safe Journey. Did I mention he is 53!
Kay just wants Peace, he says:

"Moving is traveling.
We meet people through traveling and talk to each other. There will be SMILE through communication.
Smlie leads PEACE of mind. With PEACE of mind, we can have gratitude for anything around us. Then there is small PEACE beginning to grow right there. 
If each one of us have PEACE of mind, the state of PEACE will surely appear..."
You can read more: www.h2.dion.ne.jp/-viento/

It is time to renew our adoption of baby Dodo. Thanks to all our Scrumpy Soap Co customers for your continued support, that has enabled us to sponsor four Orangutans for a year.

SEPTEMBER 2013

Thank you for adopting Dodo for the past year. We hope you have enjoyed the updates we have sent during the year. If you have not received these for any reason please contact us and we can resend. 

Your ongoing support continues to help the survival of these magnificent animals and really does make a difference.

How to renew your adoption

You can continue to support your little one for as little as $12 a month or $32.50 a quarter by credit card or direct debit. Payments can be cancelled at any time and all adoptions continue to be tax deductible.

You can renew your adoption via our websitewww.orangutans.com.au 

Please add the word 'renewal' in the 'special notes' section as you process your renewal online. 

Alternatively you can download and scan/post the attached form.

And don’t forget, if the name to go on the renewal certificate is not yours, tell us the name of the lucky adoptive parent. 


Other ways you can help

Check our website www.orangutans.com.au for information on how you can do even more to help stop one of our closest relatives from becoming extinct:

· run a raffle

· purchase a piece of rainforest or a virtual gift certificate

· become a BOS member, or

· make a donation - Paypal now available

· volunteer


Thank you once again, from all of us at BOS for adopting a baby orangutan.


Like ·  · Share

We have expanded our range to offer hand made gift bags created using 100% recycled fabrics and made by me. These are always changing, are unique and use what is available at the time.
 The story with this lovely one goes: I was in our local op shop scratching around when I found this great table cloth amongst other fabrics. I take it to the counter and my neighbour is there. 
She says that is my table cloth. I dropped it off yesterday.
I replied, great I love it, I am going to cut it up....... silence...but I paid full price and now everyone is going to enjoy your table cloth. BIG SMILE.
She was happy. The end.
Now you can have a little piece of cloth from Donnybrook on this 100% recycled and hand made woollen gift bag with a beautiful soap inside for $8.95

Well, Scrumpy Soap Co continues to evolve. Sticking with our principals of value, fairness, truth in labeling and environmental sustainability, we continue to grow organically giving us the opportunity to work on always new and creative ideas. Our stall front has been hand crafted by Jon from recycled Jarrah, our boxes are of course recycled Donnybrook fruit carriers and our new gift bags, soap shaving sacks and gift satchels with thoughtful messages are all made by us and from recycled fabrics. We have loved the evolution and so have our customers. Thank you. We are not sitting on our laurels, there are some new ideas and works in the pipeline as we strive to offer affordable products, made from local ingredients without the throw away packaging. Our supportive customers have enabled us to adopt four Orangutans this year and hopefully we can continue to support other worthwhile environmental causes even though we are only a micro business. One individual can make a difference.

My comments on the below article in which they want us to use "sustainable Palm Oil" by We need to stop using palm oil completely as there is no guarantee that so called sustainable plantations owned by large companies such as Unilever who make Dove and Lux soaps have any interest in caring for the forest and its wildlife when they need cheap oil and labour to make big $$$'s. The soil after these plantations are finished (20 to 50 years) is no longer useable because of pesticides etc... how is this sustainable??? and the burning of the peat wetlands still occurs when "creating" a sustainable plantation which adds to the co2 emissions. Orangutans that wander onto palm plantations are seen as pests and shot!

Goat milk soaps are not all equal: "Goat Milk Soap" does not mean NATURAL soap.
Unfortunately some sellers are advertising goat milk soap that is made in factories with all the usual chemicals. These soaps are advertised as Goat Milk Soap and usually with no ingredients listed. Some of this soap is made with Goat Milk Powder or just an unspecified amount of Goats milk. Is that a teaspoon or a cup full??
If the Goat Milk Soap you are purchasing is very cheap, please consider asking for an ingredient list before you purchase. Of course the price is often less when Palm Oil is used and can often be listed as vegetable oil. Even the more expensive brands will still use Palm Oil.
Natural homemade Goat Milk Soap is not white, unless Titanium Dioxide is added. 
Scrumpy Soap Co's Goat Milk soap is made from an Extra virgin olive oil base and we use local un pasturised goats milk. 
We list all our ingredients and call for others to do the same. "Truth in Labeling". 
Often each batch of soap we make will look a little different to the last as different olive oils used will bring about different shades in the soap. This is your guarantee that it is hand made using authentic, natural ingredients. Scrumpy Soap Co's goat milk soap appears light and creamy through to a darker golden colour due to the fact we use seasonal olive oil that of course varies and so does natural un pasturised goat milk.

Getting back to basics. This was an excellent program by "Foreign Correspondent" on how some Greek people are dealing with the economic collapse, resulting in high unemployment and with only low social security payments that are to be cut further including pensions. Not to mention if you are out of work, you only have 1 year to get a job before your benefits are cut.

"So you’re a city banker, you’re in your 50's and suddenly the floor drops from under your feet. A national economic collapse has taken your job and has dramatically narrowed any prospect of you getting another one. Your savings are evaporating fast, city costs are biting and social security offer not much more than $80 Euros a week and even then you’ll have to meet a strict raft of conditions."

Thessaloniki banker Kostas Bozos went back to basics. He returned to his family village for an education in farming from his ageing father and then on to a local agricultural college to finesse those skills into winemaking and marketing.
'The Odyssey' Foreign Correspondent
www.abc.net.au


Like ·  · Share

I started making soap after suffering from overly sensitive skin, as did some of the people around me. Spending money on products that irritated and inflamed my skin was frustrating and costly. I have always valued good health, our environment and natural organic foods as well as truth and fairness.
We have chosen to live low cost in a small house, growing our vegetables, working from home in a purpose built studio made from recycled materials, using solar power and rain water and generally working towards a self sufficient lifestyle whilst reducing our impact on the environment.
We have been established for 3 years and are regulars at Markets in the area. We enjoy the personal contact, feedback, bartering and bargain hunting that markets encourage. We buy local and get to know where our products are from, the growers or crafts person and how they are produced. 

When buying a product I believe everything in it should be listed and not omitted, not called by another name (eg Palm oil is often labelled vegetable oil) and not full of wild claims. A LONG-STANDING proposal to require all health claims on packaged food and beauty products to be substantiated before they go on the market has been derailed by the billion-dollar grocery industry, which is proposing that it be allowed to sell first, prove later. We need a Truth in labeling bill to be passed. 

I have priced my products fairly so they can be an affordable indulgence, which is 100% natural and 100% bio degradeable. We never use palm oil for environmental and humane reasons and sponsor an Orangutan through Borneo Orangutan Survival, named Dodo.
Our packaging I designed and had made from 100% post consumer waste so that it can be reused. Our glass bottles, I offer a 50c refund, so they can also be reused. At the markets we sell all of our soaps with out packaging and use only recyclable brown paper bags. My commitment this year was not to accept one plastic bag. I have been caught out at the shop and have ran several trips to the car with my items in my arms.... that will remind me to have some of my green bags handy!

Scrumpy Soap Co soaps are made by hand in small 4kg batches. We use only local Australian extra virgin olive oil which makes up 80% of the soap. To get a great lather we add coconut oil and the castor oil acts as a fantastic emollient. It is the right combination of these oils that produces a mild and gentle soap bar. Our method also retains all the glycerine. Commercial soap (usually made of palm oil as it is a third of the price of olive oil) is boiled and the glycerine removed to sell as a byproduct leaving you with basically a detergent bar. Then of course the artificial hardeners, latherers, soap scum inhibitors, artificial colours and fragrances, parabens, sodium Lauryel sulphates etc...are added. How else could you unwrap your soap after years on the shelf with the fragrance still intact and the bright pink, not faded??

Scrumpy Soap Co use only natural clays, botanical, fruits, herbs, honey, local un pasturised goats milk and even sustainable bamboo charcoal for colour. The majority of our soaps are made only with essential oils that are either extracted from the plant by the cold processed method or distilled, making our soaps 100% natural. All our soaps are hand cut so if you get to the market early you get to pick the biggest ones!!

We grow most of the herbs ourselves and all are spray free, that we add to our soaps. These include, Comfrey, Mint (several varieties) Aloe Vera, Calendula flowers, Rosemary and Lavender. Other herbs such as our green tea, we will always try to source from local suppliers of the organic variety.
Gardening is something we really enjoy and living in a small house on a large block is more than ample to grow many varieties of Fruits, herbs, vegetables and bird and bee loving plants. I make an Aloe Vera and cucumber soap in summer that has our own home grown cucumber and I extract the Aloe Vera gel from the plant myself an add this directly to the soap. It just doesn't get more natural than that. Needless to say we are not looking to be a HUGE business, just enough to sustain us and keep me busy, but not time poor, so that I can continue to enjoy creating great products for people who really appreciate and understand our philosophy. Keeping a balance and learning to say no in our small business is important as do not want to compromise the quality of our product..

As we value health, we enjoy keeping fit. So we often run through the bush along the Mundabiddi trails near our home where fantastic wild orchids grow at this time of year. I am currently training for a long distance 10km swim so  this takes a bit of time for training. Then there is making all our meals from scratch, gardening, dog walking, reading etc.... Like everyone you can get very busy quickly and we want to keep life balanced.

Thanks again for some more feedback...we do try to please.

"Got your parcel in the post today (in my maiden name - if you wondering if it was me) - so quick & efficient. The little extras were a lovely touch and MUCH appreciated. These soaps are for my husband & Dad for fathers day. Something a little different to the usual chocolate & liquorice. Couldnt buy them when I saw you in Nannup as hubby was with me. Will see you again when you are next in Manji. thanks again. Clare"