I was thumbing through the October Vogue, when the following fact jumped out at me: The average body wash, after it makes its swirly descent down the drain in to another dimension, takes about 300 years to biodegrade.
Now, I'm not the sort who frets about the biodegradability about everyday objects. I'm concerned about global warming and nasty oceans, but I also spend nearly 2 hours/day contemplating wallpaper colors. I'm also afraid that if I start wondering how quickly every item in my life will biodegrade, I'll start looking at people that way and well...that is just awful.
So Vogue recommends that we buy $60 soaps, which is fine if that is your lifestyle. You are paying not just for the zest of 1,000 lemons, but also very lovely packaging. Usually of the rustic, apothocary-like packaging that lets you know that you are not harming the world with your bathing habits.
But for the rest of us who buys cheapie biohazard liquid soap, we can pretend we are virtuous by decanting our soap in to a fancy bottle, such as this one, available at Fante's Kitchen Wares (1006 S. Ninth St.) for about $5. It takes slightly longer to pour out, so I recommend doing this with bubble-bath/leisure bathing soap, which tend to be a little more watery.
P.S. If you do pick up the October Vogue, be sure to peruse the story of Carolina Irving, beginning on page 396. I'm very enthusiastic about the way she displayed the Thomas Frye mezzotints on page 398.
