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