Many of us think about how drinking sugary drinks has an impact on our bodies, namely how sodas rot our teeth, create havoc on our digestive systems, and how our bodies become addicted to the caffeine and processed sugar that we swig down all hours of the day.
However, how many of us really think about the impact that our addiction to soda has on the environment on a global scale? What if we could make a difference on both fronts, just by making the simple switch of changing our daily soda intake to something we make at home?
Manufacturing of Soda and Its Packaging
One of the largest impacts on our environment is large industry. Because laws of supply and demand, the more that we demand soda, the more that will be produced. In order to produce these large orders of demand, large manufacturing plants need to operate, and many of them produce more pollution well above what is above the industry standard. Or even worse, they are grandfathered in to be exempt from new standards that are being passed by the Environmental Protection Agency.
What if individuals stopped demanding the supply of soda? Manufacturing would slow down, and there would be fewer plants needed. Therefore, they would also need to run less frequently. What if we just produced the sweet concoctions we needed right in our very own kitchen? You know, ones which are healthier, like something made with peach puree. Not only would we be reducing the carbon footprint through manufacturing products at home, the products we would be creating would be better for our bodies anyway.
The Distribution of Soda Worldwide
Once soda is produced, it needs to be distributed worldwide. This is completed by planes, trains, trucks, automobiles–every step of the way from the factory to your trunk. Think about how much gas that takes! Have you ever been behind a large truck that stinks heavily of diesel fumes? Have you ever wondered about the carbon footprint that each one of those trucks produces? Now, multiply that number by how many shipments there are per day, by how many factories, how many brands, how many distributors, how many stores and how many consumers. That is a lot of distribution and a lot of pollution.
You do a lot to keep your kitchen green already right? You know what is put into each and every one of your meals. You know what ingredients are used. You know how it is packaged. You know that it travels from the appliances that you use to table you eat from. You use minimal energy consumption because you intend to leave a minimal carbon imprint. You are doing what you can in order to do the right thing for you, and to teach your children the right things in life also. These choices add up when they travel from family to family, and across the community. Just making one simple choice, like changing one type of beverage you drink, can make all the difference in the world.
The Aftermath
You recycle right? You take your cans back like a good Samaritan. But does everyone? Does everyone cut up the plastic rings? Does everyone care about the earth not to litter? Of course not. It is infuriating. The effects that the production of soda has on the environment have a long-lasting aftermath. The more that individuals depend on the production and distribution of soda, the more littering and packaging that will end up on our landfills for generations to come.
However, when you make peach puree at home as a substitute alternative, what kind of aftermath do you have? A full belly? A satisfied and nourished soul knowing you did the right thing for yourself? A few dirty dishes? You have left a considerably smaller carbon footprint, and you are a better person for it, all the way around.
There are so many reasons why switching from sodas to a delicious peach puree is such a good idea, not only for yourself, but for the environment. The question is, what are you waiting for? The sooner we all make individual choices that better our health and our environment, the better we will feel and the more of a lasting impact we will make for generations to come.