Puma, the sportswear manufacturer, has begun swapping out its plastic shopping bags with what it is calling the “Clever Little Shopper,” a cornstarch-based bag that the company claims will decompose  in compost heaps in about three months. Perhaps even more cleverly, it will actually dissolve in water in about 3 minutes. (A video demonstration at this link.) Now, the first thing that comes into one’s mind when one hears of a water-soluble shopping bag is, “What if it’s raining? Not very clever, that.” Ah, but according to the video, the optimal temperature is 145 degrees (purportedly Fahrenheit), which one would hope is a tad warmer than the usual rain shower. The red liquid it dissolves into is said to be eco-friendly, although whether that is true or not deserves further investigation. (Hmm...I wonder if you can use that dye with Puma merchandise and make your own tie-dyed apparel.) Puma claims that the new bags will save 192 tons of plastic, and 293 tons of paper, per year. Bringing one’s own reusable bags—or, if possible, not requiring a bag at all—is the best option, but it’s nice to know we can get rid of our shopping bags by washing them down the drain.