A SNAP survey among guzzler friends revealed that they preferred to drink their beer out of glass bottles and not cans.

Almost all agreed that beer in glass bottles did not only taste better but also stayed colder for longer and without the risk of frostbitten fingers.

Environmentalists have, however, praised bottled drinks for different reasons.

A green-living website states: "It takes about twice as much energy to make an aluminium can as it does to produce a glass bottle of equal size."

This becomes important because of the projected carbon footprint that will be left in South Africa during the Fifa World Cup.

Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Buyelwa Sonjica warned last year that the world soccer eventwould have the "largest carbon footprint of any major event with a goal to be climate neutral".

"Our World Cup's footprint will be six times the carbon footprint of the 2006 Fifa World Cup hosted in Germany," Sonjica said.

Insignificant as it may seem, a review of our drinking habits during the month of the soccer spectacle could play a vital role in ensuring a safer and greener environment.