Soapply: You Do You, Goldilocks

More than 294 million Americans used liquid hand soap in 2019. That soap typically comes in plastic packaging... and it ultimately pollutes our planet in landfills and oceans. But while everyone talks about the environmental damage caused by plastic straws and plastic bags, no one seems to be talking about the soap next to our sinks. "For Soapply, that's where we land," says CEO and founder Mera McGrew. In this episode of "Who's Saving The Planet?" get to know Mera — who she is and how she came to be the SOAPerhero we need, but not necessarily the one we deserve. Through an ingenious "modern milk man system," her startup delivers and replenishes your Soapply stock of all-natural lather in glass recycled bottles, reducing the number of plastic dispensers that would otherwise get piled onto trash islands. Lex and Tony also get drenched with some eye-burning facts: 1.4 million children still die from diseases that could be prevented through the simple act of hand washing. That's because many of us don't realize that access to soap is still a luxury that is out of reach for people in many corners of the world. The Soapply community is changing that. With every 8 ounces of Soapply sold, $1 is donated to help fund water, sanitation, and hygiene that makes hand washing with soap possible. It doesn't end there: Mera schools us on the dangers of using synthetic detergents, andhow they differ from actual soap. We also learn where the word 'soap' comes from, and how soap gets made (Tyler Durden was right). Lastly, Mera confirms whether scalding hot water is necessary for a thorough hand cleaning (hint: "You do you, Goldilocks!").