Aladdin's Do the Reuse Challenge Proves Anyone Can Make an Impact

SEATTLE, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Wish saving the planet and some extra cash was as simple as sipping your morning coffee? Aladdin's Do the Reuse Challenge proved it can be just that easy.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, click:  http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/dothereusechallenge/46453/

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101014/MM81830 )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101014/MM81830 )

During the month of September, nine families nationwide volunteered to take on one of three challenges on www.dothereusechallenge.com, pledging to use reusable coffee mugs, water bottles or food containers in place of disposables for 30 days. The impact they made was tracked using estimated statistics tickers and dynamic graphics on the website.

The families' results were inspiring:

• 226 coffee cups saved
• 271 disposable water bottles saved
• $369.60 saved by packing a lunch
• $555.00 saved total

Even more inspiring – over 1,000 people across the nation accepted the Challenge as well, multiplying the Challenge's results to a far greater impact:

• 4,212 coffee cups saved
• 5,792 disposable bottles saved
• $27,090 saved by packing a lunch
• $42,040 was saved

Breakout Trend: Children As Eco-Enforcers

But the positive impacts of saving money, waste, and calories weren't the only results of the Challenge. A big surprise for many of the families? Children stepped up as star reusers, and enforcers, during the Challenge.

"My daughter has really become the 'green police' these days," said Deana Tuttle of Lakewood, Wash. "Her interest and enthusiasm, as well as what she is learning in school about doing good for the earth, have energized our entire family to reduce waste and look for other areas where we could make changes or choices that are more eco-friendly."

The Andersons of Stillwater, Minn., are another family surprised by the active role that their 13-, 8-, and 6-year-old family members adopted, holding their parents accountable for grabbing coffee on the go in a paper cup.  "In week one, seeing the kids' reaction of worry and guilt over a paper coffee cup almost made me giggle," says Dory Anderson. "It's been great to see them so conscientious about the bigger issue. They are just in elementary school, but I'm impressed by their ability to take this challenge so seriously."

Easy Steps to a Big Impact

The Do the Reuse Challenge's participants showed that making small changes is not as hard as it seems. Dory Anderson noted in her family's Challenge blog, "We are nearly three weeks into the Do the Reuse Challenge and using our Aladdin coffee cups and other reusables has become second nature for all of us."

Kristy Hesskamp, of St. Peters, Missouri, another featured blogger, wrote, "We haven't purchased any disposable water bottles, we have saved $156 this month and it's been fairly easy... My family is forever changed!"

"What the Do the Reuse Challenge illustrated is that making a difference doesn't have to be difficult – it's as simple as choosing to drink your coffee or water from a reusable cup every day," explained Jenn Ottele, PMI's Aladdin Marketing Manager. "Knowing we can make an impact with one small change to our daily routine is incredibly empowering. Imagine what we could do if we all did the reuse?"

What's Next

The impact 1,000 people made in 30 days is encouraging, but the potential impact if more people participated is astounding. If half of the US population, about 155 million people, committed to reusing for 30-days, together they would save an estimated:

• 25 million water bottles and $4.7 billion by ditching disposable water bottles
• 11.5 billion paper or plastic cups and $7.3 billion by switching to reusable coffee mugs
• $16.3 million and 930 billion calories by packing lunches from home in reusable containers

If these challenges became a permanent part of their daily lives, over the course of a year nearly $198 billion would be saved in homemade lunches alone.

D-I-Y Reuse Challenge: Tips and Tricks

Doing the reuse is a small change that makes a big impact whenever you start. The Aladdin brand's September challenge may be over but you can still accept one or all of the reuse challenges on www.dothereusechallenge.com. Here are some tips and tricks to make doing the reusing a snap.

Break it into bite-sized pieces. Commit to reusing for a week or two instead of a month, or try reusing water bottles only before adding coffee mugs. See how easy or challenging it is and up the ante as you go.

Rally the troops. Enlist one of the kids to be responsible for filling everyone's water bottle at night, or ask them to help you remember your reusable when you leave the house. Have a coworker join you in the challenge to help keep one another accountable and share ideas.

Do like the Boy Scouts and "be prepared." Keep a water bottle and coffee mug in the car, so if you get a caffeine craving or are suddenly parched you aren't caught without your reusable.

These tips and others, and more information about starting doing your own reuse challenge can be found at www.dothereusechallenge.com.

About Aladdin®

About PMI®

SOURCE Aladdin(R), a brand of PMI