ColaLife

ColaLife uses a clever idea to deliver aid together with Coca-Cola bottles.

 In developing countries 1 in 9 children die before their 5th birthday from simple, preventable causes like dehydration from diarrhea. ColaLife, an independent non-profit, is working with Coca-Cola to carry 'social products' – oral rehydration salts and Zinc supplements – with the Coca-Cola bottle deliveries to save children's lives. Original idea was the ‘aidpod’ concept – a wedge-shaped pod that fits in the unused space between the necks of the bottles in a Coca-Cola crate.

In my previous blog about GiveDirectly's charity project I was using indexes and indicators such as United Nations Human Development Index and ecological footprint to evaluate the results from the sustainability point of view. Certainly this project would increase the well-being of the recipients while not simultaneously increasing the burden on the environment, a proof that solutions clever enough do not need a thorough analysis to be judged effective. Yet, we could still argue whether it is good for the children in the developing countries to have both Coca-Cola bottles and medical aid.