064: Samir Lakhani of Project EcoSoap - Recycled soap and hygiene education around the world

Samir Lakhani, 26, is a social entrepreneur dedicated to restoring health and dignity to developing countries through environmental initiatives. Prior to founding Eco-Soap Bank in 2014, Samir was deeply involved in climate-resilient aquaculture and nutrition projects in northern Cambodian villages. He has also developed solar lighting social enterprise projects in Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Currently, he serves as the Founder & Executive Director of Eco-Soap Bank—a global soap-recycling organization—which operates in 10 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. To date, Eco-Soap Bank has reached over 1.1 million people with recycled soap and free hygiene education. In 2017, Samir received a CNN Hero Award for his work with global hygiene.

In this episode we cover:

• How do you recycle soap in a sanitary way?
• How is soap that is not recycled impacting our environment?
• Where do you get the soap and who receives the recycled soap?
• How do you change the everyday habits of a community that is respectful of their history and traditions?

Key Takeaways:

• 5 million bars of soap are thrown away EACH DAY! And it's not biodegradable!
• Recruiting hygiene ambassadors that are of the local culture helps spread the message more effectively.
• When you have big ideas, don't wait for it to be perfect, launch it now! But also consider longevity.
• Get involved with Project EcoSoap - donate to the Kickstarter and help spread the word!

Samir Lakhani and Project Ecosoap Online:

• Project EcoSoap on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/projectecosoap/project-ecosoap-zero-waste-big-impact\
• Project EcoSoap website: https://projectecosoap.org/
• Eco-Soap Bank: https://ecosoapbank.org/
• A fun video message from Samir about EcoSoap!
• Project EcoSoap on Social Media:
  • Instagram: https://instagram.com/projectecosoap
  • Facebook: https://facebook.com/projectecosoap
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/projectecosoap
  • Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCObHCVqoIDGrpRR5mJfGl1A

Suggested Resources from Samir:

Suggested online resource:

• YouTube! You can learn anything from how to build wind turbines to how to drive stick shift!

Books:

• Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance