It’s scientifically proven, sustainability is cool

OH, what you can do with a bottle of coke and a packet of Mentos.

It’s backyard science 101, but for some reason setting off a jet of liquid sky high in the air thanks to a sugary drink and a handful of lollies is too much fun.

I have read if you exchange the Coke with tonic water, the geyser you create glows blue under a black light.

Assuming you are a member of the uninitiated: take a two-litre bottle of any carbonated drink (preferably not in a plastic bottle), open it and place a flat card of any sort over the opening. Make a tube out of a piece of paper, big enough to stack six Mentos inside.

Align your lolly-filled paper tube over the bottle neck and when you’re ready, remove the card to allow the Mentos to drop quickly into the bottle. Step back as the physics is pretty instantaneous. Raincoats recommended. Because Mentos are heavy they will drop to the bottom of your bottle where bubbles form on the surface of the lollies, trapping the gas in its sticky coating, the result is foam.

The pressure builds rapidly and hey presto you will have yourself a home-made geyser.

Make the bottle neck even narrower and the higher it will go.

Do try this at home, but for Mum’s sake and hence your own safety do it outside.

If someone you know under the age of 14 doesn’t think it’s EPIC, then test them out by sending them to the Dubbo Sustainable City Expo and Science Festival on Saturday, September 2, between 10am and 2pm, at the Western Plains Cultural Centre, and challenge them to be bored.

There will be a live show with Fizzics Education, native animal encounters, sustainable living exhibits with tips on how to reduce energy and water bills (well okay, that one’s for those of us with all the responsibility).

Learn how to create less waste and live in harmony with the environment.

Discover and taste local produce and get involved in hands on science exhibits. There are plenty of kids’ activities and competitions to enter.

Life is increasingly about how we entertain ourselves and science is unlimited in ways it can help us discover, experience and create new things but the more serious side to the expo is taking care of our planet and the limited resources it has.

There is nothing stopping Dubbo from banning plastic cutlery for example, like Canada and most recently Seattle, leading the way to sustainability. What are you waiting for? Go get those Mentos.