Water filtration company Soma recently unveiled the world’s first entirely compostable water filter. Soma replaced conventional plastic casing filters with a food-based PLA composite that incorporates Malaysian coconut shells and vegan silk. The filter removes chlorine, heavy metals and other contaminants from tap water, producing clean water with a crisp taste. The sleek hour glass carafe combines great design with sustainability, and it looks better than a Brita filter to boot.

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Post tags: Bottled Water, Brita, clean water, coconut shell filter, compostable water filter, David Beeman, Mike Del Ponte, purified water, San Francisco, soma, Soma filter, tap water, vegan materials, water carafe, water filter

With bottled water and potable tap water both so readily available in developed countries, it’s easy to take clean drinking water for granted. But when natural disasters strike, one of the first things to sell out on store shelves is bottled water, and running water may be either turned off or compromised by pollutants. Domestic water purifying pitchers and faucet filters are perfectly fine for every day use, but most of them simply weren’t designed to filter untreated water like the kind you may need to drink in emergency situations. Unlike those other off-the-shelf, refrigerator-sized water filters, Big Berkey water filters were actually made to purify water from untreated sources like remote lakes, streams and stagnant ponds and are used by relief organizations such as UNICEF, the Peace Corps, and the Red Cross. They use a much more powerful filtration system that removes harmful pathogenic bacteria, cysts, parasites, and unhealthy chemical contaminants such as chlorine to levels higher than 99.99%, a capability that would be invaluable to your family in a disaster situation where you were unable to secure clean water. Big Berkey water filters can be a lifesaver in emergencies, but they’re also a smart, elegant and beautiful green product to use in your home on an everyday basis (as a great alternative to bottled water or a refrigerator water filter) because they filter water so powerfully, and the high-tech filters last for 3-5 years as opposed to a few months.

Read the rest of Berkey Water Filters Provide Clean, Fresh Drinking Water At Home and In Disaster Relief

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Post tags: berkey, berkey light, berkey water filter, big berkey, clean water, drinking water, emergency drinking water, emergency water filtration, potable water, purify water, royal berkey, water filter, water filter system, water filtration, water filtration system, water purification, water purifier

EcoCool is a system designed by Ardavan Mirhosseini to filter and reuse the greywater produced in showers and sinks (but not toilets). The water passes through two separate filters and can also be used to cool and moisturize the space. After the water makes its way through this system it is now clean enough to grow plants and vegetables. EcoCool consists of two filters; the first filter is hidden while the second filter is a series of wall tiles that are full of channels filled with sand and marble allowing water to pass through. These wall tiles separate the water into small enough droplets that they can be vaporized into the air, cooling the air and the system in the process. In addition to cooling hot air, EcoCool moisturizes dry air through the process of vaporization.

+ Ardavan Mirhosseini

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Post tags: Ardavan Mirhosseini, Eco-cool, ecocool, ecocool water filter, gray water, grey water, greywater filter, greywater treatment, water filter

Read the rest of 10 Eco-Friendly Back to School Essentials

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Post tags: Aladdin lunch box, Aladdin lunch set, Asha Handcrafts Association, backpacks, bobble, book bags, BPA Free, Canon, canon calculator, cardboard binder, composition notebook, eco-friendly binder, eco-friendly lunch set, eco-friendly stapler, Fair Trade, filter water bottle, Freitag, green binder, made by humans, madebyhumans, naked binder, New Leaf, New Leaf notebook, newspaper pencils, pencil case, pencils, portable solar cell, recycled calculator, recycled lenses calculator, recycled newspaper, recycled notebook, recycled paper, recycled pencils, recycled rubber, recycled tarps backpacks, recycled tire pencil case, recycled truck tarps, school binder, Solar Backpack, solar bag, Staple-free Stapler, Sustain Lunch set, TreeSmart, Treesmart pencils, Voltaic, Voltaic Backpack, water bottle, water filter

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Post tags: "sustainable development", BPA, carbon emissions, coffee, eco-tourism, eco-travel, Fair Trade, green design, green materials, green products, sustainable design, sustainable travel, Travel, water filter, water issues

We’re big fans of the colorful and quirky Bobble water bottle, so when we found out that there was a jug-sized version available, we had to get our hands on it and try it for ourselves. Just like its smaller cousin, the Bobble jug is made from recycled, BPA-free plastic and encourages us to kick the bottled water habit by making purifying water fast, convenient and easy on the eyes. If you’ve been thinking about picking up one of these curvaceous and refined receptacles, read on for our full review.

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Post tags: bobble, Bobble Bottle, bobble jug review, bobble review, bobble water bottle, bobble water jug, eco design, green design, is the bobble jug good, Karim Rashid, recyclable plastic, Recycled Plastic, sustainable design, water filter, water purifier, Yves Béhar

Read the rest of Floating Pool Could Clean the Water in Prague’s Vltava River

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Post tags: + pool, andrea kubna, eco design, Floating Houses, Floating Pool, green design, ondrej libepnsky, plus pool, Prague, recreation, sustainable design, vltava river, water filter, water filtering pool, water issues

The well loved Bobble water bottle now comes in a colorful jug size for your home! Keeping the bottle’s modern and fun design style in mind, the new jug filters your water with ease and is even made from recycled, BPA-free plastic. Available in a variety of candy colors, the popular water filter can slip right into your refrigerator door for fresh, pure water anytime.


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Post tags: bobble, Bobble Bottle, bobble water bottle, bobble water jug, eco design, green design, Karim Rashid, recyclable plastic, Recycled Plastic, sustainable design, water filter, water purifier, Yves Béhar

Read the rest of Eliodomestico: Solar Terracotta Water Filter Distills 5 Liters of Water a Day

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Post tags: Design for Health, drinking water, eco design, eliodomestico, gabriele diamanti, green design, humanitarian design, potable water, solar powered water filter, solar still, water filter, water issues, water still

Read the rest of Water Purifying Floating + Pool Cleans New York’s Rivers

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", + pool, cleaner water, eco design, Floating Pool, green architecture, green design, new york city, plus pool, public pool, water filter, water issues

In a study funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, researchers have found that the process of layering nanoparticles could be used to provide safe and affordable water filters to the developing world. The process is called “atomic layer deposition” and involves layering nanoparticles onto a metal or a ceramic to create a thin film of cells. The layer can be applied to the particles used in water filtration devices. The metal or ceramic filtration particles would remove large impurities and the film would neutralize bacteria.

Read the rest of Nanoparticle Science Helps Create Low-Cost Water Purification Systems

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Post tags: atom, atomic layer deposition, atomic particles, biology, cells, chemistry, developing world, drinking water, nanoparticle, particles, safe drinking water, social design, water filter, water filtration

Every once in awhile, the billions of dollars dedicated towards U.S. military spending do some actual good. Case in point: this new bacteria-based water treatment unit, developed by researchers at Sam Houston State University and sponsored by Department of Defense cash. The filtration system is portable (it can be transported via truck) and purifies water in less than 24 hours — a marked improvement over standard waste-water treatment processes that can take nearly a month.

Read the rest of “Revolutionary” Bacteria-Based Water Filter is Super Efficient, Portable

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Post tags: afghanistan, bacteria water filter, department of defense, design for disaster, dod, green design, haiti, humanitarian design, sustainable design, water filter

In answer to the ever-intensifying global water crisis, industrial designer Talia Radford has created the AquaIris, an elegant, portable water purifier for developing countries with tropical climates that is simple to use and requires no electricity! How does it work? Contaminated water enters the AquaIris, passes over a removable/re-usable filter, then travels under a layer of ‘converter crystals’ where germicidal UVC rays purify the water molecules as they pass by.

Read the rest of Stunning ‘AquaIris’ Water Purifier by Talia Radford

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Post tags: AquaIris, green design, industrial design, Talia Radford, water filter, water purifier

Design firm Aquaovo have created a whole new reason for water cooler talk with the OVOPUR, an environmentally-friendly water filter. Shaped like a sleek egg, the OVOPUR uses an Aquacristal filter, made of activated carbon, quartz, copper and zinc. The filter last four months and can clean about 530 gallons of water. The oval dispenser holds 3 gallons at a time and is made of white lead-free glazed porcelain and recyclable and non-toxic parts like silicone and polypropylene. The unit can also be used without the filter as a simple drink dispenser — and is sure to be a conversation starter on any occasion.

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Post tags: industrial design, modern water filter, sustainable design, water filter