Switching Back to Bars

Last week I heard Scott Graf’s story “Lather Up: More Men Switching To Shower Gels” on National Public Radio (NPR). I found it an interesting statistic that more bottled body wash gel was sold last year than traditional bar soap. I have been using organic liquid soap body wash for quite some time. For economy of scale, I would buy a larger size bottle and then refill the smaller squeeze bottle that I keep in the shower to cut down on how many plastic bottles would have to go into recycling.

According to the NPR story, not all consumers will be conscious enough to put those body wash bottles into recycling instead of the trash:

“It does have an environmental impact,” says John Kalkowski, the editorial director of the trade publication Packaging Digest. “People who are considering making that change from bar soap to body washes may want to consider what that impact is.”

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Why You Buy

This afternoon I had an opportunity to listen to myself responding to genuinely interested inquiries from a person I had never met before… and it sharpened my awareness of what I believe in and why I buy.  I consider myself to be a socially conscious consumer, especially as I heard myself saying,

“My laundry detergent is produced locally by NaturOli and is a concentrate made out of natural soap nuts with no chemicals…”

(… and olive leaf extract AND only requires 1/2 teaspoon of detergent per load for a completely effective, hypoallergenic, biodegradable organic clean)

“I’ve made a shift in how and where I shop to support local Arizona businesses so that more of my dollar stays here in-state, including moving my banking to Desert Schools Federal Credit Union, and I am willing to pay more if it’s local and/or organic…”

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