Sustainable Lifestyle: the Waterboy, Rethink Clothing, and the Bobble Bottle

With Earth Hour just concluded, living a sustainable lifestyle is top of mind. As a very physically active person I need to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. I try to stay away from using one-use plastic bottles by drinking filtered water out of reusable bottles instead of bottled water. (I’m glad Lightwater comes in 650ml bottles but would love larger, refillable bottles.)

I’ve recently come across three products that could help curb the amount of plastic waste we put into landfills. 

The Waterboy

Most of our water comes from groundwater sources like rivers, springs, or wells. Fresh water makes up only 1 percent of Earth’s total volume of water, and we use it both to drink and clean with. And it’s not just humans that rely on fresh water; plants and animals need it too! So fresh water is a finite and precious resource we really ought to conserve.

I attended the blogger briefing for the Waterboy machine a few weeks ago. The Waterboy (distributed by GreenFocus, Inc. in the Philippines) recovers moisture from the atmosphere via condensation to create drinking water. You know the moisture that forms on the back of airconditioners and refrigerators? Yep, just like that.

On average, it can dispense 18-22 liters of water a day, enough to support two average-sized Filipino households. In certain atmospheric conditions (34 degrees C at 80% humidity), the Waterboy can create as much as 30 liters of water a day.

Waterboy machine

Even though the water’s already pure from being harvested from the air (no groundwater pollutants), it also runs through a 4-stage filtration system to scrub any remaining pollutants from it. So, it’s even cleaner than bottled water.

Using the Waterboy instead of purchasing bottled water for the household can keep about 11,000 plastic bottles from entering landfills, which significantly reduces nonbiodegradable waste.

As for energy cost, it’s equivalent to a refrigerator’s power consumption if plugged into an electrical outlet. There are other Waterboy models that run on waste oil (like used frying oil) which can be used in far-flung areas with no access to power or clean groundwater.

Rethink Clothing

Sometimes you can’t avoid buying drinks in plastic bottles, so what can be done to recycle them? GreenFocus, Inc. also distributes Rethink clothing from the US, made 100% from plastic bottles. Each shirt uses about 12 bottles’ worth of plastic.

Rethink Shirts from GreenFocus, Inc.

Nope, that’s not Jeremy Renner. (inside joke)

For more information about Waterboy and Rethink, check out GreenFocus, Inc.’s website.

Bobble Bottle

Does anyone remember my Christmas contest? In it, I gave away a Bobble bottle, which was one of many I received during the launch of the Bobble in November.

Bobble bottle

Did you know most water from taps in Metro Manila is potable (due to the added chlorine that kills harmful bacteria)? That’s the reason in my house we’re able to make drinking water by passing tap water through a carbon filter. Mall food courts and gyms also offer drinking fountains, which people drink from with no ill effects.

With the Bobble, you can filter water on the go with its replaceable and recyclable carbon filter that forms part of the bottle spout. This also eliminates organic contaminants and chlorine (which is known to upset stomachs, ironically). The Bobble was introduced to the market in 2010 and since then has won numerous awards for its design and eco-friendliness. You can check out the bobble Facebook page for more information.

A sustainable lifestyle means making choices to reduce waste and use our planet’s resources more prudently. I hope that as more people start “going green” costs for green technology and green products can go down significantly.