handmade soaps, equal marriage, and stop the tar sands: i discover lush

As part of my work for the video surveillance project, I was wandering around the Square One mall, when I saw this sign in the window of Lush.

I went inside to ask for more information: there was a petition, a postcard drive, and an excellent pamphlet from Freedom To Marry. The manager told me about some of the company's past political actions, including Stop The Tar Sands and anti seal hunting campaigns.

I am very impressed! Most corporate chains define their social responsbility in the blandest and least controversial way possible. With Stop The Tar Sands, Save Our Seals, and Freedom To Marry, Lush is bound to take a lot of static in both Canada and the US. They'll certainly gain some business, too, but corporate social responsbility is usually all about middle-of-the-road.

Lush sells beautiful handmade soaps, all cruelty-free and ethically sourced. As much as it pains me to plug a competitor of my friend Stella Marie Soaps, shipping charges from Rhode Island may be prohibitive for Canadians, or you may need to touch and smell your soap in person. Or maybe you need a quick gift, and mail order won't work. In those cases, think Lush.

Extra special thanks to Dharma Seeker for turning me on to Lush.