Save the world! Make your own soda

Sodas have been getting bad rep for years. They contain a lot of sugar, ruin your teeth, and the containers they come in contribute to their landfill. And yet almost anyone will tell you that it's almost impossible to give up. A low-sugar, ecologically sound solution would be to make your own soda, where you can regulate the sweet that goes in your drink and reduce the plastic and aluminum that go into the trash and eventually, the landfill. Soda Club, which makes home carbonation systems, has come up with SodaStream, a soda maker that allows you to make your own soda. The SodaStream mechanism doesn't rely on batteries or electricity, needing only a SodaStream carbonator cartridge to add fizz to water, creating sparkling soda. You then add flavor by adding one of SodaStream's soda mixes, which have only one-third the sugar of regular soda and contain no additional chemicals. They also have diet versions that contain Splenda. "You can make fresh, home-made soda at home in just thirty seconds," says Charmaine Chua of SodaStream. Moreover, SodaStream is eco-friendly is because the bottle where your newly-made soda is placed is reusable, which means less trash. All the green benefits aside, making your own soda is quite fun, and in the long run, less expensive than buying them retail. The basic unit sells for P3,799.75 and includes the Jet Machine, a 60L Carbonator, two (one-half liter) syrups of your choice ( Cola, Lemon Lime, Orange, Cola Zero), and a one-liter Carbonating bottle. One Carbonator is enough to make 60 liters of soda. The SodaStream fits into the lifestyles of folks who are looking for a greener, healthier alternative to store-bought sodas, and also to those who just want to have fun. After all, who doesn't want to create their own fizz? (And if you're unsure about what flavor to pick the first time around, Chua recommends the Lemon Lime or Orange.) Now soda drinking need not be a guilty pleasure. Of course, the best thing is still to go without it, but if you're like the millions of people out there who can't, making your own is probably the next best thing. - GMANews.TV SodaStream home soda maker is available at all SM Snack Exchange departments nationwide, Metro Gaisano Ayala (Cebu), specialty stores like Hobbes & Landes Bonifacio High Street, Greenbelt 5 and Powerplant Mall, Robinsons Galleria, Festival Mall, Sta. Lucia Department Store, Automatic Center Cubao, Gourdo’s Trinoma, Promenade Greenhills, The Fort, Alabang Town Center, Gourdo’s World Market Greenbelt 2 and at Living Well Homestore at the Podium and Mall of Asia. You can visit their website at www.sodastream.com.ph. Photos courtesy of SodaStream.