Using Soap in Nature: An Environmental Perspective

I messed up... And a few of you called me out on it, which I appreciated, so I thought why not making it a learning moment. I posted this same reel yesterday with one extra clip where a non-environmentally friendly soap was pictured. So let’s talk about using soap in nature. First, why is most soap bad for the environment? 🌊 Detergents in soap break the surface tension of the water which is harmful for those surface critters 🌊 Breaking the surface tension also reduces oxygen levels in the water which is harmful to anything living in the water 🌊Some soaps have micro plastics that are harmful to anything living in the water as well And the list goes on! Second, are their environmentally friendly soaps? In my research, yes and no. It’s important to understand what ingredients are in the soap but also to understand how toxic each ingredient is and how long it takes to biodegrade. In some cases it’s better to have an ingredient that is higher in toxicity but lower in the length of time it takes to biodegrade because it will spend less time in the water causing harm than an ingredient that takes longer to biodegrade at a lower toxicity. I think it’s safe to say the best bet is to avoid putting soap into water unless absolutely necessary, which in the case of the slip n slide, isn’t necessary. With plenty of water, the right swimsuit, or boogie board you absolutely can have this much fun! Also, through this research I’ve learned that pretty much all soap no matter where it’s used (laundry, dishes, public bathrooms, etc) is detrimental to the environment in someway. So I’ll be doing even more research to figure out better options than what I’ve been using!