Reusable water bottles: the hottest thing in eco friendly living.
We often investigate the connection between eco friendly living and the Metro Cheapo lifestyle. It’s what we do. For example, Shannon and I attended the recent Go Green Expo in Manhattan (with discounted tickets, of course – thanks Groupon!) Wandering through the numerous product displays and picking up swag from green businesses, several items for eco friendly living caught my eye:
Vapur 16 oz. foldable water bottles ($8.95) are made of BPA-free flexible plastic that stand up when full and roll up when empty, saving space in your purse or reusable tote bag. Water bottles — a must for eco friendly living — were a big presence at the Go Green Expo, with most made of stainless steel and costing more than $15. Vapur’s bottles come with a sport spout and cap as well as a D-ring so it can be attached to your bag or belt loop — a great idea for hikers and ultra-light backpackers.
KABS electric bicycles ($800) are ultra-handy for zipping around the city streets. While definitely not as cheap as your average beater bike, these rides can be operated manually or electrically, require no gas and need no license or registration. They can go up to 20 miles an hour and 40 miles on a full charge. Other features include a passenger seat that looks like it can double as a cargo bay, front and rear lights and turn signals. Best of all, KABS bikes cost significantly less than Schwinn electrics or other top brands.
TerraPac food containers look like plastic but are actually made from sustainable, biodegradable corn. Nothing irks me more than having to throw out yogurt cups or butter tubs, knowing that they’ll end up in a landfill because New York City’s recycling program doesn’t accept them. In contrast, TerraPac is fully compostable (yay!) and comes in sizes ranging from 12 oz. to 64 oz. with attachable lids. It’s unclear whether these containers will be sold to consumers or just to the food service industry, but imagine how much compost a million New Yorkers getting lunch at the corner salad bar would make. Remember the old days, before eco friendly living, when we just threw it all away? Those days might soon return!
Build It Green! NYC, based in Astoria, resells donated building materials and fixtures for green remodeling. They’ll even deconstruct a property for you and take away the reusable items for resale at a big discount. Proceeds fund environmental education while keeping tons of construction waste out of landfills. They’ll take cabinetry, kitchen appliances, doors, windows, lumber, tiles, bathroom fixtures, HVAC materials and much more. If you’re into green remodeling or just want some cheap plywood, call BIG!NYC first.
Eco Nation makes cute electronic accessories out of recycled materials like snack bags, paper and wood. Amp your iPod with the collapsible cardboard speakers made from candy bar boxes (mmm, Snickers) or download data with the universal 55-in-1 card reader that was once a pile plastic shopping bags. I though the most stylish item was a minimalist sleeve for an iPhone made from flexible, cushioning cork.
While I enjoyed the Go Green Expo’s snapshot of the 21st century lifestyle, I realized the problem with all green, sustainable products is that they cost more than non-green products. I suspect that the current higher cost of products for eco friendly living comes from green businesses’ smaller scale of manufacturing.
Based on the innovations at the Go Green Expo, we’ve got the technology to reduce, reuse and recycle waste material into products for eco friendly living; but the production scale will only grow if consumers demonstrate a preference for green products. And I believe consumers will make the switch to green products en masse only when their cost is more in line with mass-produced items.
But who knows: If enough people would rather buy organic, sustainable granola over the regular stuff, we’ll be on our way to eco friendly living on the cheap.
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