Homemade soap to make our habits more sustainable

I have always been conscious of respecting the environment and especially on not wasting resources. Water is our most precious resource on earth and, while 1 in 10 people don’t even have access to fresh water on a daily basis, we still waste it A LOT. My internship in EduCare as a SWASH intern gave me an opportunity to think about how to reduce our water usage. In a sustainable development approach, the reuse of grey water is a huge part of the solution to this problem.

In an ideal world, we would be able to have a cyclic system in our houses where no water is wasted. Unfortunately, we put so many toxic compounds in our grey water that we can’t use it for much, except for flushing or cleaning. So how can we solve this? How can we improve the quality of our grey water in order to use it for a possible garden? Where does all the toxicity come from?

And the answer is simple: imported chemical detergent. We use soaps and detergents on a daily basis for our bodies, our dishes and our home without even knowing their exact composition. And, most importantly, we don’t understand how those chemicals will affect us and our environment. So, to improve the quality of the water we put into the ground after washing, we need to know what exactly we are using to wash it.

Before all the big corporations came along with their fancy soaps, what did we use to clean our stuff? As for many times in environmental conservation research, I had to turn to our old traditional ways. Let’s make homemade soap!! By wanting to solve an issue, I could also link it to other aspects of eco-friendly living and broader sustainable development! By producing soap locally, we are reducing the plastic packaging coming into the village. Also, this can become a microfinance activity with women of the village producing this soap and selling it! Finally, we can improve the village’s health by limiting the amount of toxic chemicals used on a daily basis!

For this, I was lucky that our local liaison Manoj had a recipe for homemade soap. His auntie produces homemade soap for the whole family of 60 people! This soap is used for washing laundry, dishes and the house. To make this soap even cheaper, they use the black frying oil from Manoj’s snack shop. So this soap uses waste oil as a resource, which makes it even more a sustainable eco-conscious product!

To make a batch of around 20 squares of soap, we start by dissolving 250g of caustic soda in 1L of water. We mix this and let it to rest overnight. The morning after, we add 1L of black oil (soybean), mix everything for 30 mins and we get creamy liquid soap! The caustic soda actually reacts with the oil to form what we call soap. The proportions are calculated so no caustic soda is left unmixed since it’s corrosive so not really what you want as a soap! We finally leave the soap to dry overnight and, when it gets the expected texture, we can cut it and start using it! We had some troubles with the soap being a bit oily for laundry but we are always improving the recipe! Moreover, I found out there are so many great recipes for soap out there so it can be adapted to all different wants and needs! 

Water and caustic soda

Adding the black oil

Creamy state of the soap

Home-made soap is not the only option, as there are hundreds of ways to clean without any chemicals that pollute your body or your home! Lemon is a great natural disinfectant and is actually what many industrial soaps use as main cleaning agent. Sand is great to use to scrub dishes or house surfaces in order to remove any stain. Ashes are also traditionally used to clean the dishes in Sikh temples. Indeed, ashes contain hydroxide anions which is the compound we use from the caustic soda. So, when they mix with the oil present in dirty dishes, they actually create mini droplets of soap on the plate. So, when the plate is rinsed, all the dirt has been washed with the ashes! Some studies have been made to address eventual health issues caused by these alternative methods. But the important thing when using any method is to weight the pros and cons and understand how each method impacts your health and environment. 

I started this project by trying to reduce water waste, and ended up learning so much more about sustainable alternatives. This experience made me rethink all my habits and re-analyze the products I use on a daily basis back home. We need to choose better and healthier care products not only for us but for our future children. We’re surrounded by all these products that are supposed to be the greatest cleaning agent ever but where does this come from? Advertisement plays a huge role in this and it’s important to become more responsible customers. Let’s challenge the big companies and ask for better products, that don’t spoil our health and our precious water and earth! It’s crucial to think about the impact that every single one of the products we buy has on the environment. From this experience and from seeing other habits here, I understood how new is not always better and that in some cases, our grandparents had it figured out all along.

After a whole night

Cutting the soap

Final result

Debora Cortez Miranda - Portugal

SWASH Project Manager and Center Administrative Manager in Gajner 

Three months in India

Who am I ?

I am a french student in engineering school where I am studying environmental sciences.

Why did I choose India ?

I had to do an internship in a foreign country. I wanted to find a country completly different from France, with an other culture, an other language and other life conditions. That’s why I chose India, the second most populous country in the world, the 7th largest country in the world.

My arrival in India 

I started my trip with the capital, New Delhi , because I arrived at New Delhi airport from France. The first thing and the most difficult one when I came out of the airport was the heat (47°C). Then, the second thing was the most suprising one : the taximen. About 10 taximen came after me saying that the metro was broken. I stayed 3 days in Delhi where I could visit several temples, discover the old Delhi with its little streets, the diveristy of food and the amazing traffic.

Street of my hotel

Visit of the Lotus Temple in Delhi

My arrival in the centre

My center is located in Harike, Punjab. When I arrived, I discovered that Harike was a little village and was completly different than New Delhi. Indeed, the landscape is not the same, Harike is situated in the countryside and surrounded by wetlands. I also discovered the house of interns and I was pleasantly surprised because the centre was spacious and the rooms were nice.

The Harike centre

Harike, view from a roof

What are my projects ?

I am SWASH project manager and the field which interested me in particular is the waste

management. Moreover, the main problem in Harike about the waste is the soft plastics issue. Indeed, there are trashpickers who pick up all the trash (plastic bottles, glass, metal…) in the street except soft plastics. That’s why, we can find in the street a lot of soft plastics (in particular plastic bags).

Soft plastics area in Harike

Thus, the main goal of my different projects is to reduce the use of soft plastics or to reuse them.

The first project is the creation of cushion in soft plastics.

We implemented this project only in the intern house for the moment. Indeed, we collect our soft plastics (plastic bags, food packages…), then we wash them and we use them to cram the cushions (the cushions are made by tailors).

Washing of the waste

One cushion filled up with soft plastics

The second project is the reusable bags project.

To reuse soft plastics is a good idea but it would be better if we manage to stop the use of soft plastics and in particular plastic bags. Thus, this project is to make cloth bags to replace the plastic ones.

First, we picked up fabric scraps for free thanks to different tailors. Then, we found some women in the community who agreed to make bags with these fabric scraps. In exchange, we gave english courses to women who want it. For the ones who did not want English lessons (and made most of the bags), no compensation was asked as they said they were happy to sew the bags.

Thus, we managed to create 34 bags for the moment. The challenge now is to make sure that the community will use and reuse these bags.

Should we sell these bags ? Should we give these bags ? Should we work directly with the shopkeepers ?

Some of the reusable bags

Paralelly to these projects, I try to find some creations to do with plastics and I managed to make two things :

Pompoms in plastic bags

Bloom in plastic bottles (7 bottles)

Holidays and weekends

Some pictures of our weekends and visits 

Golden Temple, Amritsar

The Indo-Pakistani border

The wetland, Harike

Taj-Mahal, Agra

Gauthier Guerrar - France

SWASH Project Manager in Harike

Grey Water Conservation in Gajner

I´ve been in India for one month already but there is not much I could do for my project: The first week I stayed in Naddi for the induction; the second I came to Gajner, but I was following my pals to their activities (girls/boys club, ASP, YWA) and knowing the community, in order to learn about the cluster’s routine and the community itself; the third week we were back in Naddi for the Quarterlies (that trip is a nightmare and I’ve done it three times in three weeks), and then we came back and I started with my thing.

The idea is to treat the grey water we produce in our house (water from taps, shower, laundry…) making use of a biological filter to use it to water a small garden I will start soon.

I have a design of the biofilter. It consists on a two-step biological filter. The first step is a soil filter with anoxic conditions where the carbon will be reduced as part of the metabolic activity of bacteria attached to the soil and denitrification will take place. The second infiltration step will consist on a soil filter with oxic conditions, which I hope to arrange by planting one plant which name I ignore but is everywhere around here, growing even in soils flooded with wastewater. Also the lower amount of carbon after the first infiltration step limits the growth of bacteria in the second filter. Less bacteria need to breath less-> there is less oxygen consumption-> more oxic conditions.

Plant growing in a soil flooded with wastewater

The oxic and carbon limiting conditions enable for the growth of slow growing bacteria capable for degrading a big range of trace organic compounds, contained in soaps and detergents, and which have a dangerous impact once in the environment. The oxic conditions enable also for nitrification to take place.

I think I’ve found a soil with a good corn size after the physical analyses of several soils around our house. This soil is near the Gajner Palace. The idea is to have a corn size that allows the water to flow down the filters, without getting stucked (too fine corn size) or without flowing too fast (too big corn size). If this last possibility happens, the bacteria attached to the soil corns won’t be able to degrade the carbon contained in the water.

Materials used for the soil analyses of three different soils

The trouble is that this sand is a bit far of home, and it’s too hot to carry it here. Good news is I made friends with a shop keeper who gave me some nails for free. I brought chai to drink with him and he was so happy that he drove me back home with his tuk tuk (yes! He has a tuk tuk too). I asked him, and he will help me carry the sand with it.

I found all the materials I need for the set-up of the filtration system in Bikaner, thanks to Manoj’s help. Coming back to Gajner with Léa in the bus, carrying 4 huge bins (she also needed 2), food and 3 mattresses for the house was a real challenge. The set-up of the filtration train is still in process.

I’ve been learning how to make compost. I have built a compost box and started composting. For the moisture, the effluent of the biofilters will be used. Until they are constructed and in order to be able to start as soon as possible with the compost, we are saving the water used for cleaning the vegetables for this matter. The compost is very important, as the soil here is so poor. 

The garden will be in Manoj’s shop’s backyard, right below our house, and the filters will be situated along the height of the wall, so as to let the water flow with the gravity and avoid the need of external sources of energy, and to drip directly on the garden. I cleaned the backyard as it was full of plastic bottles and bins and waste in general, and I will also have to work on the soil. 

Manoj's backyard full of waste

The heat was too strong for cleaning the backyard, but some random super nice guys of the community helped me early in the morning, making it so much easier.

Improvised awesome cleaning team

The plan is to have the kids of the ASP to help me with the garden, to learn about gardening and about the importance of recycling water, especially in such a dry area. The ASP team is very happy with this idea. In order to let the rest of the community to know about the project, we will also paint the wall where the filter will be situated with an explanation of what is it about as a cluster activity and also with the ASP kids, this way everyone can see it from outside the backyard.

I want to thank all my cluster partners for their help because without them the implementation of this project wouldn’t be possible, as there are so many things I just can’t do alone. Thank you so much guys!!!

Lucía Villamayor - Spain

Bikaner Cluster Coordinator

 

Building a Sustainable Office in Punjab

Educare has been in Punjab a very long time (approximately 5 years to my knowledge).  I believe throughout this time we have seen a lot of ups and downs in terms of progress, but little by little we are making change happen.  We have had centers and Vikas centers in various areas in Punjab- Adampur, Dosarka, Janauri and now in Paro.  Last year we finally renewed our contract in the office space and although it has been a slow 6 months, we are happy to finally be using this office space now. 

Now our challenge as interns?  Furnishing this space in preparation of more projects and interns.  Myself and Nana (Adriana Martinez) have been brainstorming solutions, because one of Educare’s aims is to use recycled materials as much as possible.  What I love about Educare is the same thing that is getting put into practice here.  How can we create a comfortable space for interns and community members, while using the fewest amount of materials in a sustainable way?

While we did buy plastic chairs to sit on- an extremely cumbersome and entertaining bus ride, I may add- we are now thinking of more creative ways to furnish the office. 

interns in the office with a Women’s Empowerment Poster we received from an artist in Delhi.

One of our ingenious ideas is to collect an old door or large piece of unused wood and stack bricks underneath or attach smaller pieces of wood to make a table.  We also have thought about using a low wooden Indian bed frame for the same purpose.  Instead of chairs, we will make cushions out of fabric and sit on the floor.  Not only is this more economical and better than purchasing a brand new table and chairs, it is more culturally appropriate.  The idea for this table will be to set up a sewing space for the girls in the community to sew blankets and curtains for our future ReStore.  They themselves always work on a bed or floor, and a table would perhaps be unfamiliar to them.

I love the opportunity to get creative and use the materials around me to transform unwanted things and breathe new life into them.  I learn a lot from the migrant workers in that regard.  They collect and re-sell trash, but some they keep for their own use.  While some items are unwanted by some, it doesn’t mean it can’t be used in another fashion, and makes me get creative with my own unwanted things. 

I laugh at the thought that in my own country, I would just head to the nearest IKEA and charge up a storm for this new office.  But what we are creating in Punjab is genuine, creative but above all unique.  Everything we will create will have been put together with the minds and hands of the interns and help from the community.  It will come from reused or inexpensive materials and will demonstrate the true ideals of Educare that teach me about sustainability every day.  I know it will take a while before this office is fully functioning to the best of its ability, but I’m proud of the small progresses we have made, and look forward to what we will accomplish in the coming months!

Margaret Arzon - USA

Operations Coordinator