Brave New Word: Saving the rainforest with orange juice

Ahh. That's the refreshing sound after drinking a refreshing drink of sweet Tropicana orange juice. That delicious, healthy goodness is not only good for you, but it can be good for the earth too.

I saved 200 square feet of rainforest today, and I've saved 700 square feet of rainforest so far with Tropicana.

Tropicana's campaign in conjunction with Cool Earth tries to combat these negative effects by rewarding people who purchase their juice, no matter what the size. Even the 12 oz. bottle offers the lush land some peace.

By saving rainforests in Brazil, Ecuador and Peru, Tropicana preserves the trees necessary for turning CO2 into oxygen. Tropical rainforests shelter more than half of the world's population of plants, animals and insects. Aside from the taking away habitats and trees that filter the air, the act of deforestation also sends great clouds of CO2 into the air.

Purchasing the product isn't enough though. This is what separates the people who really care from the casual consumer. While many companies will donate a few cents to charities just for purchases, Tropicana requires people to sign up and enter 11-digit offer codes.

I think I know what you're thinking. Here's the answer: Tropicana will NOT spam your inbox with offers.

Keeping codes and entering them online is a leap, especially for people who won't take the time to sort out recyclables. However, it's worthwhile because Tropicana donates more funds to take land away from loggers than other companies give to charities.

Take Starbucks for instance. If you sign up for a Starbucks (Red) card and remember to bring it, Starbucks will donate $.05 per purchase to the Global Fund to give medicine to people in Africa. That's great, but $.05 is insignificant considering that most drinks at Starbucks cost $4.

If a person buys a drink from Starbucks every day for one year, he will contribute $18.25. Though I believe it's good to take a little money away from a wealthy corporate chain to benefit the needy, this is no incentive to go to Starbucks more than usual, especially since it takes 53 gallons of water to make one latte. Read here.

Next time you go to the grocery store or to 7-11 for a cool refreshment, consider purchasing Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice. And remember to hold on to the bottle cap or code until you get the chance to go online. Your email, Facebook and favorite blog will be there but that spot of rainforest that you could have saved might not.