CWOCA » Uncategorized

Plastiki is Ready to Set Sail

Matthew-Harrison — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 04:00:16 +0000

This past Saturday the Plastiki crew christened their new sailing beauty with a traditional polynesian ceremony. This 12,000 plastic bottle 60 foot catamaran hopes to send a message as it sets off for Australia and ventures through the great pacific garbage patch.

You can follow the voyage with their tracking system on the Plastiki website. Also check out the main sponsor of the event Adventure Ecology created by the eco-celebrity David de Rothschild.

We wish them well on their voyage!

Over the Weekend- Oct 5, 2009

Derek-W-Chang — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:56:47 +0000

The LG GD510 touchscreen phone has a built-in solar panel on the back to help with charging and will be released mid-October in Europe. Why is the US often last to receive new technology? Via EcoFriend

A Field of shoelaces and ec0-friendly shoes by Dominic Wilcox as a part of London Design Week. More @designboom

Don’t think these chairs are for sittin’, more for listenin’. Mikal Hameed wants to bring people together with music. Via Inhabitat

Ahh Shark! Don’t worry, it’s just a Whale Shark made from flip-flops by Kenyan local artists to raise awareness about these hunted creatures. Via TreeHugger

Excerpts

“Imagine a future in which pointing a PDA at a product bar code returns an instant readout of product source and environmental footprint to inform the buyer’s decision. This future could be reality with SourceMap.” Via TreeHugger

“New Yorkers are still tossing out more than half the stuff they should be recycling, managing to go green only 42% of the time.” They blame confusion and lack of space.

“Enerkem, a green energy company based in Quebec, has developed an alternative approach to mining the carbon out of non-recyclable plastics, construction waste and other materials found in the municipal waste stream.” “This fall, the company started construction on a $65 million plant in Edmonton, Alberta, that will transform 110,000 tons of sorted municipal solid waste into about 9.5 million gallons of fuel-grade ethanol.” Via NY Times

8 Green Water Bottles

Derek-W-Chang — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:27:54 +0000

It’s summertime! That means go outside and enjoy the sun!

While we love being under the elements, it’s common sense to stay hydrated to keep your cool out there. Just in time, CWOCA is here to help you quench your thirst for green alternatives to buying plastic water bottles from the supermarket.

First some facts on bottled water:

-More than 47 million gallons of oil is needed to produce plastic water bottles for Americans every year.

-Less than 25% of plastic bottles were recycled in 2007 and as a result became litter. The percentage is rising slowly annually however.

-There is no guarantee that bottled water is safer than tap water.

Knowing these facts is extra incentive to carrying around stylish eco-friendly “water accessories”. (Note: All of the bottles listed below are BPA-free; a good thing because BPA has been known to have adverse effects on health)

The KOR ONE Hydration Vessel is as much a futuristic piece of art as it is a water bottle. It even has a “KOR Stone” in the cap for a personalized message. The hinged cap is designed not to hit your face and the bottle is made from a new material called Tritan which is basically recyclable. In addition, KOR is a member of 1% For the Planet and donates 1% of sales to participating environmental groups that focus on water-related issues.

Green Bottle offers a plethora of design and color choices in standard-looking 20oz and 25oz bottles.

We all know that the Swiss make quality products. Sigg is no different. With a simple clean design and being “virtually unbreakable”, the craftsmanship and 100 years of experience behind this bottle speaks for itself and should not disappoint. Sigg is also a member of 1% For the Planet.

You might know the name CamelBak, but maybe not in this design. Its called the Better Bottle. I guess better because it can be frozen or heated up and has no residual taste. CamelBak claims “People drank 24% more water with a CamelBak^® reusable water bottle than with other reusable and disposable bottles”. Like the KOR ONE, this bottle is also made out of Tritan.

The Klean Kanteen comes in many different sizes as you can see above. Well priced and a klean design (sorry I couldn’t resist) should make this bottle accessible for all who are eco-conscious.

Everyone has probably heard of or owned a Nalgene bottle. I always thought these bottles were the coolest looking except for the plastic taste and smell, but apparently they have upgraded their materials so now it shouldn’t have that anymore.

Skip the Brita step. EcoUsable has created “The world’s only Environmentally Safe Stainless Filtered Water Bottle”.

Finally, not really in the same category as the bottles above, I had to include these super funky bottles aimed at children as a low-calorie, vitamin-packed alternative to sugary drinks from Y Water. Conceived by Yves Béhar, these bottles can be linked together to form DNA-like structures as toys to teach kids about recycling, or be sent back to the company to be recycled.

Hope these bottles inspire you to stop buying the throw-away kind and to stay quenched in style this summer.

Some more facts about plastic and recycling.

Via Treehugger

Via Inhabitots

Via PlanetGreen

Via InteriorDesign