IttyBittyFoodies have donned our superhero thinking caps to find ways to reduce our carbon footprint in the kitchen and we’re doing it with a SodaStream soda maker. We never drink soda at home but we do consume about 10 litres of sparkling water a month. Last week, Beefcake had a lightbulb moment and said “Why don’t we buy one of those machines that carbonate water?” Ding!
So in keeping with our Earth Day Pledge to be kinder to the earth, our little $100 investment has now eliminated throwing out approximately 120 empty bottles a year. No more lugging bottles home from the store and no taking up storage space in the pantry. And because the water comes from the tap, we are reducing our carbon footprint by not purchasing bottles of water which have to be processed in a plant. The upside too is that we save money each month. By our calculations, we’ll get our money back in less than ten months. cha-ching!
The Food and Water Watch Organisation states that “the United States is the world’s largest consumer of bottled water, purchasing 37 billion bottles in 2005. Our daily bottled water habit is bad for people and bad for the environment. Bottled water wastes fossil fuels and water in production and transport, and when the water is drunk the bottles become a major source of waste”.
Using the SodaStream machine is basically child’s play. Just fill up the provided bottle to the line with cold water, place it under the SodaStream spout and press three or four times till you hear a honk! The carbonator makes about 60 litres before you need to exchange it.
A variety of flavors came with our machine. We did try the rootbeer flavoring that came with our machine but did not like the ‘tinny’ taste. Some of the other soda flavors had caffeine in it and I’d honestly prefer to feed the kids something more natural.
Pikelet & Lollo prefer making their own Pelligrino Aranciata with 100% orange juice and mixing it with our freshly made ‘spritzy water’ or adding fresh summer berries to it.
If you have a great idea on how to help save the planet, please tell us in the comments below.
Voting ends soon! Please vote IttyBittyFoodies!
Till our next Happy Meal!
