Given the heatwave, here is THE perfect eco-friendly drink

HOT WEATHER – Stay hydrated, have fun, be green: all three at once, it’s possible. Of course, water is the best student of green drinks. So do not hesitate to drink regularly as the heat wave hits France this Wednesday August 10th and puts our bodies to the test.

But maybe you’re standing at the edge of a pool wondering what your snack or aperitif will consist of, and you decide that a tastier drink would be a good idea… Before you order, The HuffPost gives you the map of the worst consumers on the planet and dug up a homemade recipe for you to spice up the taste of water.

Alcohol is not green at all…

You can forget about alcohol. For health reasons, alcohol should be consumed in moderation and is not hydrating in times of high heat. And for the health of the planet, we cannot say that alcohol is virtuous. But if you have to decide, 1 liter of beer produces 1.5 kg of CO2 versus 6 kg of CO2 for wine or whiskey, according to figures from a 2010 Danish study. So beer has a four times smaller climate footprint per liter than that of wine and strong alcohols.

What is expensive in the carbon footprint of wine and these alcohols is transportation. Many are imported. But also the packaging. Although glass is easy to recycle, alcohol bottle glass is very thick and heavy, which emits a lot of CO2 in its manufacture. To be more environmentally friendly, you can buy your alcohol in cubi of several litres. This cardboard container is lighter than traditional glass bottles and can be stored in the fridge for several weeks.

Also, don’t forget the astronomical amount of water required to produce alcohol. According to the organization water footprint network, a single glass of wine requires the consumption of 109 liters of water. As for beer, half a pint uses up…75L of water. This water called “Virtual” is the one related to the production of alcohol (irrigating the vines, pressing and fermenting the grapes, brewing beer, etc.).

Coffee and tea imported from the other side of the world

We think about it less in the summer, but coffee is still widely consumed by the French. Well, it’s no big deal… Between deforestation and importation from the tropical regions where it’s grown, coffee has a serious environmental impact.

Tea isn’t much better… It too is mainly imported from India and China. A poll by the magazine 60 million consumers published in February 2022 shows that our tea and herbal tea bags are regularly sprayed with insecticides to increase yields. But not all teas are created equal, the worst students are green teas and glyphosate (a heavily criticized pesticide whose European approval expires on December 15, 2022, Editor’s note), was found in some black and green tea bags. Only organic infusions are guaranteed “Zero Pesticides”says the study.

Water-intensive lemonades

Also avoid sodas. These drinks are very water-intensive: an average of 5 liters of water are required to produce 1 liter of soda. Several journalistic investigations show that the factories of the Coca group are drying up the poor countries in which they are based. Director Julie Delettre recounts the depletion of groundwater resources in the Chiapas region of Mexico in a 2016 film: “They have received approval from the National Water Commission to pump 500 million liters of water a year! This dries up the surrounding villages, those who are connected to the grid no longer have anything at the tap and those who are used to living off the water from wells see them emptying more and more.”denounces them before the Public Senate.

Juices are all about the fruit…

No alcohol, no coffee, no soda, so what do we drink? Very fresh juices and smoothies but not with any kind of fruit… You should know that fruit and veg make up 44% of air travel Food. The most imported fruits are bananas and citrus fruits, followed by melons and strawberries. That’s why we avoid these fruits that have traveled, preferring them local and seasonal.

For example, in summer you can make a smoothie with apples, pears and some strawberries if they grow near you. Ditto for homemade lemonade if you live in a region around the Mediterranean basin where lemon trees in gardens do well to acclimate. Also, favor organic fruits and vegetables to encourage more sustainable agriculture and limit pesticide residues on your fruit. Drinks made from local, seasonal fruit, preferably organic, are pretty eco-friendly, but there’s more to the planet.

Homemade herbal teas: THE eco-friendly recipe

Here’s the easiest, cheapest, and most eco-friendly trick to spoiling the taste of water: Add fruit to the bottom of your carafe. Put some carrot strips and apple slices in a bottle with some mint, pour in water and chill. One to two hours later: Your water is flavored. And the recipe tested by The HuffPost even works with a simple slice of cucumber. For the planet, the best recipes are often the little homemade tricks!

also listen The HuffPost: There’s no good reason to buy your bottled water