By Keri Algar

SYDNEY, NSW: Conservationists can ‘Get busy with the fizzy’, adding a sparkle to their drink whilst cutting down on the use of plastic bottles.

SodaStream machines are associated with nostalgia for the 1970s and 1980s – the children of that era are today’s generation of environmentally conscious consumers.

The new Crystal model aims to entice these consumers with its ‘Earth friendly’ status, offering an alternative to the pollution and waste caused by the manufacturing, transportation and disposal of billions of plastic bottles each year.

The Crystal ticks off function, fashion and eco-friendliness. It can turn tap water to sparkling in 10 seconds flat, its aesthetics are described by SodaStream as “a symphony of elegance and class”, and it promotes less packaging waste from cans and bottles.

The pop machine was made all the more relevant with last week’s arrival into Sydney harbour of the Plastiki, a boat made of 12,500 plastic bottles that sailed across the Pacific Ocean.

The much publicised voyage has served to raise awareness of the ecological disaster referred to as the great Pacific garbage patch – an area twice the size of England made up of 3.5 million tons of plastic.