Fw: 2 articles: Native plant soaps & NZ urban habitats for birds

[Guest guest]

I'm waiting for a reply from the soap folks. Some of their soaps may be

vegan. I know they do use honey and beeswax in some but I don't think in

all of them.

 

And the second article I thought might be of interest to the lady from NZ

who was talking about habitat restoration and endangered species.

 

Lynda

 

> Handmade Soap Goes From Homely to Heavenly

> Granny's old fashioned lye soap has come a long way.

>

> Today's carefully handcrafted, botanically based

> luxury soaps feel marvelous on your skin, plus they

> smell divine and look good too.

>

> (PRWEB) August 1, 2005 -- Gone are the days of

> granny's ugly homemade soap that was harsh to your

> skin and smelled like old bacon grease. These days,

> handcrafted soaps are more about luxury than

> necessity. They feel good, look good, and smell good.

> So good, in fact, they're winning awards for their

> Design, Innovation, Creativity & Excellence.

>

> Soap on the Rocks by A Wild Texas Soap BarT recently

> won the D.I.C.E. Award in the Mind, Body, & Spirit

> Category at the June Dallas International Gift & Home

> Accessories Market in Dallas, Texas. Envision a

> beautifully tinted, wildly aromatic, sensuously

> textured bar of natural soap perched atop a

> hand-carved, ancient fossilized limestone soap dish.

> Who said soap has to be boring and ugly? Today's fine

> handcrafted soaps delight your senses, while they

> pamper your skin and accent your decor.

>

> The decorative Soap on the Rocks comes in 10 skin

> loving native plant varieties such as Bluebonnet,

> Prickly Pear, Mesquite, and best-selling Horsemint.

> Maggie Hanus, founder and owner of A Wild Texas Soap

> BarT, and her son Jory gather many of the native

> plants they use in their original soap formulas. What

> started out as an interesting hobby born in the

> kitchen of their tiny log cabin has grown up to be a

> full-blown soap making operation. They now hand pour

> over a thousand bars of fragrant natural soaps each

> week in the small manufacturing facility they built in

> the woods near their cabin. They plan to expand soon

> to keep up with the demand.

>

> As savvy consumers learn about the many benefits of

> natural handmade soap, they're also discovering the

> joy of experiencing beauty, creativity and art in

> everyday household items. Judged by a panel of

> industry experts in Dallas to be the best, most

> innovative new product in its class, Soap on the Rocks

> has taken " homemade soap " to a whole new level.

>

> About A Wild Texas Soap BarT:

>

> A Wild Texas Soap BarT is a family business located on

> 20 wild and wooded acres just east of Austin, Texas.

> Maggie taught herself to make soap there back in 1995

> and hasn't been able to stop ever since. It is her

> passion to provide you with the finest quality natural

> handmade soaps, while caring for the environment and

> promoting the necessity, value and natural beauty of

> native plants. For additional information or product

> availability contact Maggie Hanus at 512-272-4058 or

> visit www.awildtexassoapbar.com

>

> # # #

>

> Plant trees and bring back the birds

> 02.08.2005

> http://www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/storyprint.cfm?storyID=3646398

>

> By ANGELA MABEY

> SILENCE in Wanganui is not always golden. The Royal

> Forest and Bird Protection Society wants residents to

> help bring the noise of native birds back to the

> region's trees. Forest and Bird information officer

> Hellen Thornton said restoring the dawn chorus was a

> major goal of the organisation.

>

> " New Zealand used to wake to the sound of hundreds of

> birds, a beautiful dawn chorus, but development has

> cut a swathe through bird habitats, leaving our

> mornings muted. " We are working with the Department of

> Conservation to use Conservation Week to highlight

> what the public can do to start reversing the

> declining numbers of native birds.

>

> " Habitats are being destroyed, and native birds such

> as the kereru [wood pigeon] no longer have the feeding

> and nesting places they need.

> " Pest control is seen as a way to help stop the

> numbers of native birds decreasing, but Forest and

> Bird want New Zealand to do their bit to help increase

> the number of native birds.

>

> " Something as simple as choosing the right plants for

> a garden can help stop birds becoming endangered. "

>

> Miss Thornton said Forest and Bird wanted the public

> to plant native plants on their property to help

> rebuild habitats for native birds.

>

> Native plants provided a valuable food source for

> native birds such as the tui, bellbird and the

> endangered kereru.

>

> Forest and Bird supported any move to help native

> birds, but would particularly like to encourage people

> to plant trees such as puriri, karaka, kowhai and

> kahikatea, favourite foods of the kereru.

>

> " Native plants help native birds, but native birds

> also help native plants, and the cycle is

> ever-increasing, " she said.

>

> " The kereru is the only native bird left with a beak

> large enough to swallow the larger seeds of trees such

> as the puriri, tawa and karaka.

>

> " The undigested seeds fall to the ground in its

> droppings, they then sprout and grow all over the

> place.

>

> " So if we can help kereru numbers increase, then we

> can help increase the number of native plants around

> New Zealand. "

>

> A St John's Gardens spokesman said that this was a

> great time to be adding new plants to gardens.

>

> " With a bit of planning you can fill your garden with

> plants that will attract all sorts of birds, who come

> to feast on flowers, nectar and berries.

>

> " While native plants are an ideal choice, there are

> some exotic plants that can provide additional food

> sources and some have the additional benefit of being

> fast growing. " Native plant recommendations included

> puriri, a tree with year-round fruit and seeds, the

> flowering kowhai, and the fast growing pittosporums

> such as kohuhu and karo.

>

> Recommended exotic plants included flowering cherry

> trees, proteas, a large nectar-rich flowering shrub

> and crabapple trees, which provide a winter food

> source.

>

> More information about choosing and planting natives

> can be found at www.forest-bird.org.nz and

> www.doc.govt.nz.

>

>