Living plastic free: Pop

Last year one of my New Year’s resolutions was to lose 15 pounds. So I became a JennyGirl and lost 25. This year I resolved to get a 6-pack. I haven’t been to the gym once yet, but today I realized I had already achieved this goal.

In fact, I didn’t just get me a 6 pack....EnviroWoman is flaunting a 12 pack. (What can I say, when I take on a resolution I do it in a big, big way.) You see, when I gave up plastic January 1st, as another one of my resolutions, I had to stop buying Pepsi in plastic bottles.

I now buy it by the can, in the handy 12-pack size. (6 packs are a No-Go because they come with those nasty plastic ringy things that kill wildlife).

But, EnviroWoman is not deluded. In no way do I think that buying 12 cans of Pepsi overpackaged in aluminium cans AND a cardboard box is in any way ecologically better than buying Pepsi in a plastic bottle. And lets face it aluminium is probably as environmentally evil as plastic. The Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association  says it takes 100 years for a tin can to dissolve in sea water, 200-500 years for an aluminium can and 450 years for a plastic bottle. What’s an EnviroWoman to do?

Well, my rule is ‘no new plastic in 2007’ and I gotta live by it. So I’m saying ‘No’ to Pepsi-in-plastic and opting for the 12-pack.

Now, maybe you’re thinking – ‘Hey EnviroWoman – if you’re into cotton grocery bags and tofu-burgers, how could you drink gut-rot like Pepsi. Surely EnviroWoman is into Evian water from the French alps and herbal teas from the far reaches of Bangalore.’

Ah……NOOOOO. I have no use for bottled water (well, except for when Vancouver’s water supply gets polluted from flooding because we’ve clearcut our watersheds and all two million of us are forced to buy bottled water for two weeks ….which by the way, those bottles are still taking up space in the fridge, and its been 5 months since the water ban was lifted). I think bottled water is just marketing hype. And that herbal tea crap just makes me gag.

NO. Proudly count me as a member of the Pepsi generation. Admittedly a hot cup of orange pekoe tea is really my beverage of choice (which I may have to change because boxes of Tetley tea come packaged in plastic). But, sometimes I’ll admit Pepsi is my breakfast of champions on those work days when I really have to kick butt.

In fact, give me the Pepsi taste test, and I can pick Pepsi over that other dirt-water every single time. And if I’m really feeling in a wild and crazy mood, Dr. Pepper is my drug of choice. (Especially when going through the airport security check)

I know, I know. For those of you who think of me as some kind of eco-goddess (I’m SURE you are out there somewhere), I have totally burst your little green bubble. Trust me, that is a good thing.

I gotta say this though. Product packaging is a very curious thing. Why is it Pepsi and Coke come in either plastic bottles or aluminum cans, but Snapple and Jones Soda mostly come in glass bottles? I’d love to know the rationale for this. Is it a brand differentiator decision, or an economies of scale decision, or a distribution logistics decision? (I've got an email into Jones Soda to find out) But if you know, please enlighten me.

Hmmm, perhaps EnviroWoman’s next diploma should be a PhD in product packaging.

Anyway, here’s how things add up:

Category: Soda Pop

SAINT: Pepsi, Coke, Dr. Pepper, Seven Up…you name em. If they do plastic bottles, they also do aluminums cans

Price: The same

Quality: The same

SINNER: Pepsi, Coke, Dr. Pepper, Seven Up…you name em. If they do aluminum cans, they also do plastic bottles too

Lessons learned:

• Pepsi is the breakfast of champions!! But I knew that already.
• SINNERS can be SAINTS. I guess no one is perfect. Even EnviroWoman.
• Ya gotta pick your poison ‘cuz there’s no perfect nirvana solution. Cutting trees is bad, smelting aluminium is bad, non-biodegradable plastic is bad. Let’s be really honest here…a wee heart to heart….from me to you….what it really comes down to is…being human is bad.