One of my favorite parts of working at Dr. Bronner’s is how a group of incredibly diverse people link their differing strengths to move mountains bigger than any one of us could achieve alone. We head towards the same goals but on completely different avenues.
Here I am writing to you from the comfort of my home, helping individuals one by one in their daily lives, whilst others of my colleagues traipse the world, transforming whole communities and agricultural systems on this huge global scale. I work micro. They work macro.
One of these global adventurers is our Vice President of Special Ops, Gero Leson, whom I first met amidst a noisy group dinner in a dim restaurant in Boston after an exhausting day at Expo East, a huge trade show. I was completely worn out, trying to stay upright and sociable, and all I remember is the deep voice, German accent, serious demeanor, impressive credentials. As it turned out, all of that covered the heart of a courageous and determined problem-solver, who plunges into far-flung parts of the world to establish innovative businesses that benefit people and planet.
Honor Thy Label is his book and tells the story of his adventures in global business. I interviewed Gero live on my Facebook Page (bit.ly/GoingGreenOnFacebook) earlier this month.
At the core of this story are Dr. Bronner’s ingredients - where they come from, the people involved, the environments and communities impacted - things many conscientious consumers yearn to know as they seek to vote with their dollars for good business practices. The book even explores how palm oil is done well.
However, there is so much more in there.
• There’s the story of Dr. Bronner himself, from his German Jewish roots to his efforts to unite the world through a message on a soap bottle.
• There’s the story of a family business, begun as the vision of one man and transferred successfully through generations, each building upon the successes of the last.
• There’s a history of the company’s unexpected and trailblazing activism in areas such as organic integrity, drug policy reform, and climate change.
• There’s explanations of the gorgeously efficient soap-making reaction, called “saponification” - one of my favorite topics!
How can one soap company do all this? Maybe because on one told us it was impossible. Check out Gero's book to find out more. Purchase a copy from your favorite bookseller, or on our webstore at: bit.ly/Order_HTL
In addition to our interview, Gero answered a few more of my questions in writing afterwards. Read those over on my blog at bit.ly/HonoringTheLabel.
For more tips, visit my blog, “Going Green with Lisa Bronner” at www.lisabronner.com/.
Shop Dr. Bronner’s products at shop.drbronner.com/.