International Bird Rescue is lucky to have some truly amazing sponsors. In this regular feature, we highlight the work of some of our key supporters. This week’s spotlight belongs to BirdProject soaps by Matter Inc!
Of all the brilliant sketches on IFC’s Portlandia, perhaps the most famous (or infamous) is Season One’s “Put a Bird On It,” where a hapless design duo 
takes over a tasteful gift shop to put their avian touch on every item imaginable.
Indeed, gift stores across the country seem to be ever-increasingly filled to the rafters with bird-related merchandise. We often wonder: Do these companies give back to the animals that they put on their products?
Answer: Some of them do. In fact, one of the coolest bird-inspired products has given over $9,000 to International Bird Rescue since 2010. We’re talking about BirdProject soaps by Matter Inc.
The soap is the brainchild of Tippy Tippens (pictured right), who was living in Brooklyn when the Gulf Oil Spill unfolded into the worst ecological disaster in American history. International Bird Rescue was on the ground throughout, co-managing oiled bird care in four states.
“I was really obsessed with the oil spill, and couldn’t believe how long it was taking to stop it,” Tippens says. “My background is in product design, and I wanted to do something to help. So I came to New Orleans and had the idea for the soaps.”
Tippens, an alumna of Propeller’s Fellowship & New Ventures Accelerator, launched the project via Kickstarter. The rest is artisanal soap history.
So why do we like BirdProject? What’s not to like…
—It’s made of biodiesel glycerin, aloe, fair trade olive oil and activated black charcoal (great for the skin)
—The cypress scent is irresistible
—It’s produced in the Big Easy
—50% of profits go to the Gulf Restoration Network and International Bird Rescue.
And, the pièce de résistance: At the center of each soap is a work of art: a white ceramic bird fashioned from Louisiana clay that can be used as a decorative accent in the bathroom or elsewhere in your home.
Check out BirdSoap’s special LoveBirds Edition here, and a Valentine’s Day sale on select items here.
Thank you, Tippy and everyone at Matters Inc!