Aladdin "Do The Reuse Challenge"

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Aladdin. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever stopped to really think and calculate how much waste is created by "convenience"? Especially when it comes to eating and drinking on the go. Many of us use disposable bottles and containers on a daily basis to make our lives just a little bit easier. Please take a few moments to look at the following stats with me to see if we're truly making things "easier" and more "convenient" in the long run:

• Seven million barrels of oil are used to produce the disposable bottles Americans go through in one year.
• In the United States, 50 billion disposable water bottles are consumed per year; 137,000 per day; 1,585 per second.
• It costs about $165 a year to make drip coffee at home versus $636 to buy drip coffee at your local cafe.
• Unless we change our habits, 23 billion paper coffee cups will be thrown out in 2010.
• Nine dollars will generally cover a decent lunch out.  If you buy rather than pack a lunch five days a week, you shell out about $2,350 a year.

With statistics like those, it inspires me take a look around my own home to discover more ways that my family can "reuse" instead of dispose. Fortunately, my husband and I figured out long ago that it is much more affordable on our pocketbooks to carry around a reusable water bottle and coffee mug instead of constantly buying disposable ones. But I can't honestly say that we're as faithful when it comes to food containers. And that's the reason why my family will be participating in the Aladdin "Do the Reuse Challenge."

The "Do The Reuse Challenge" is a commitment to give up disposable cups, water bottles, or food containers for 30 days. Everyone is invited to accept one of the three challenges and encourage others around them to do so, as well. After signing up, Aladdin makes the challenge a bit easier by offering discounts and free shipping on selected products for all participants. It's a win-win situation if you ask me!

You can also find Aladdin on Facebook and share the Do The Reuse Challenge with your friends and family there.

What are you and I waiting for? Let's head on over to sign up for the challenge today and begin making an impact over our morning coffee, at the gym, in the car, at lunch... everywhere.