Going Green With Lisa Bronner: Benefits Of Green Cleaning To Your Health, Environment, Pets – Using Dr. Bronner’s Soaps, Formulas 

Lisa Bronner is well known among people who practice green living, particularly those who use Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps and other products their company manufactures.  While Lisa is now the maintainer of a popular blog titled Going Green, she was not always interested in using sustainable, natural products.  

The company was initially created as a way to disseminate Emeril Bronner’s (or Dr. Bronner’s) message of All One, which is, at its core, a message of the unity of humanity: what brings us together is greater and stronger than that which sets us apart.  This is in every field of humanity and endeavor, from religion to politics to house cleaning, and everything in between.  

An interesting feature of the Dr. Bronner’s company and brand, which likely contributed to its success, was the personability and humility of the founder.  Not only did he care about people, but he cared so much that he put his home telephone number on every bottle.  And people called him, day and night, to ask questions, and in some cases even to ask advice.  

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There was a lovely story, which we discussed during the interview, of a woman who was distraught and depressed, and she saw the phone number on the bottle and decided to call.  After Dr. Bronner listened to her concerns, he told her to clean her whole house top to bottom, and then  call him back.  She did, and was surprised to find that she did, indeed, feel better.  Cleaning your house can be a cathartic event, particularly if you haven’t done so in a while.  

A Multi-Generational Family Of Soapmakers

Dr. Bronner was part of the third generation of soapmakers in his family, who were Jews in Germany.  Prior to the war, in the 1920s, Emeril had many disagreements with his father and uncles, with his philosophy of unity and love for humanity.  So, he left for America, believing he could have a better life here.  

At first, he made soap as a giveaway to those who would listen to his message.  Once he noticed that the people who came to listen would only stay until the soap was distributed, his company idea was born.  Although it was not popular at first In the 1940s and 50s, it became a mainstay among backpackers, hikers, and the children of the 60s.  His message found its home among them.  

In the intervening years, Dr. Bronner lost many of his relatives, including his father, mother, and widowed aunt, in concentration camps in Germany.  The family, being Jews and unable to continue to own property, was forced to sell their factory to a German family, and they themselves were taken by the Nazis.  While in different concentration camps, their fate was the same.  This fate was very hard on the wife of Emeril Bronner, who was committed to a mental institution during that time.  Emeril’s sister and several other relatives had managed to emigrate prior to the war, but they were unable to convince their parents to leave as well.  His father thought that it was a passing phase, and, of course, no one could have ever imagined the atrocities that would follow.  (See our review of How Could This Happen, where the Holocaust is examined in great detail)

Ta-Da Lists: A New Mom’s Lifeline For Getting Stuff Done

Lisa Bronner also talks in her book about her use of “ta-da lists.” What is this, you might ask? Well, if you are like most of us in this busy, hectic world, you have very long to-do lists. You may find that nothing gets done on those lists on an ordinary day, particularly when you have kids. A ta-da list is a way to know that, no, you were not napping all day even though nothing got checked off your to-do list. It’s a way to keep track of your life and what you have actually accomplished.

Lisa started using these types of lists when she had children. Every day would seem to pass by, and none of the to-do list tasks actually got done. And the worst thing her husband could ask was, “What did you do today?” So, she created these lists so that, even though it might not have been a to-do list task, something had been done. She wasn’t napping or twiddling her thumbs. Maybe she read stories to her kids, or maybe her son wrote on the wall in crayon, or maybe someone dropped dirt all over the floor and she had to clean it up. There are endless possibilities, but the best thing about a ta-da list, as she mentions, is that everything on it has already been done.

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An Unlikely Fate: The Company Continues After Dr. Bronner

The fate of Dr. Bronner’s company was far from assured.  As those versed in economics are aware, it is very hard to pass down a company in the United States.  The same applies for property and real estate, but it is particularly so for businesses.  Upon the founder’s passing, a 50% estate tax was assessed on the business.  This occurred because he also had no will or other plans to pass the company down. It just wasn’t something he thought of, as most business owners do not.   In  order for it to continue to operate, salaries for the family were cut in order to ensure they could keep the lights on and continue to  pay the workers.  

Prior to his passing, while Dr. Bronner’s health was in decline due to Parkinson’s Disease (which we have covered extensively in the past here, here, and here), the family had a meeting to determine if the company was worth continuing.  As those in business know, not every company is worth continuing, whether due to profitability, legal, or other issues.  However, in the case of Dr. Bronner’s, the family agreed that it should continue.  

The initial plan was for Lisa’s father to take over the company, and for her mother to run the economic side of things as the Chief Financial Officer.  However, her father was diagnosed with advanced cancer, and would be unable to assume leadership as he had planned.  

Lisa’s brother, David, who was a mental health counselor in another state at the time, decided to take the reins as CEO.  He has been running it since then, and many improvements have been made under his leadership. 

Expanding Into Other Markets From Necessity 

While we did not discuss the chocolate bars that are made by the company, which are delicious, we discussed the evolution of their coconut oil.  At the time when the company was changing hands, there was no organic standard for cosmetics. This caused the company’s new CEO, David Bronner, to have to go toe-to-toe with the USDA and FDA to create new regulations centered on cosmetics being organic. 

There was also no really sustainable or farmer-friendly source of coconut oil.  Most of the coconut oil that was fair trade was only available in small quantities.  

In a beautiful convergence, at the time that they were seeking a source for coconut oil, the people in Sri Lanka were looking for a way to recover from the massive tsunami that hit in 2012.  Dr. Bronner’s then founded their first sister company, Serendipol, to work with the farmers to produce vast quantities of fair-trade coconut oil.  This is coconut oil where the farmers who produce it share in the wealth they create by earning a livable wage.  A second coconut oil company, Serendi Coco Samoa was also formed for the same reason, this one in Samoa.

After this, another sister company, Serendipalm, was founded to produce the palm oil they needed.  Palm oil is a well-known source of problematic labor practices which the company did not want to participate in.  Now they provide a living wage for the farmers who produce their palm oil. 

The coconut oil they produce is in large enough quantities that they also sell an unrefined, virgin coconut oil for purchase.  

Using Dr. Bronner’s Soaps For (Almost) Everything

As we discussed in the review for Soap and Soul, Lisa Bronner has compiled recipes and advice for how to clean nearly everything in your home using Dr. Bronner’s soap and a few other ingredients.  They also advise washing your hair with Dr. Bronner’s, using a vinegar rinse afterward, followed by a little bit of coconut oil.  You can also use it as a laundry detergent, as well as an all-purpose cleaner and stain remover using the easy to follow recipes in the book.  

Lisa Bronner’s blog Going Green is definitely a great place to find answers to all sorts of questions about natural living, including the use of homemade substances to clean your home from top to bottom.  Most importantly, though, is a change in perception.  

Many people feel that when they enter a clean home, their nose should be assailed by the smell of clean, which is basically a concoction of chemicals.  Once you breathe them in, your body then has to process them.  Eventually, in many cases, the body stops processing them and just starts reacting to them.  Then, you can end up with all kinds of problems, from respiratory issues to general ill health.  Replacing these persistent chemicals in your home will leave you with a clean home in the sense that there is nothing there.  It will not smell bad, but, unless you use extra essential oils in your mixtures, it will smell like nothing at all.  This can take some getting used to, but it is totally worthwhile.  Your nose and lungs will thank you. 

Watch the video above to see our interesting conversation, and learn more about “green” cleaning.  

Banner Image: Video cover. Image Credit – Staten Islander News 

Staten Islander News Service Staff Writer

This byline indicates that this article was penned by a member/members of the Staten Islander News Organization office team. Our staff writers are the backbone of our newspaper, performing all sorts of important tasks like conducting interviews, investigating leads, besides writing the news stories you see.