pimg alt=”” src=”http://www.core77.com/blog/images/2010/04/betacup-live.jpg” width=”468″ height=”250″ class=”mt-image-none” style=”” //p
pAfter three weeks, the a href=”http://www.thebetacup.com/”Betacup Challenge/a is approaching the halfway point and going strong with over 152 ideas, 348 revisions, 941 comments, 1195 votes and over 1500 pending submissions. The challenge is asking designers to invent a means to dramatically reduce the wastage resulting from unrecyclable paper coffee cups, with a $20,000 prize to the two winners./p
pThe competition will continue to accept entries until early June. Register a href=”http://bit.ly/bBEKJL”here/a to submit an idea, or simply to browse and rate./p
pSo far, entries have mostly gone one of two ways: either directly addressing the problem of the cup or suggesting ways to change consumer behavior through new corporate policies and structures. Last time we discussed a few of the non-cup solutions. But, as many competition entrants have pointed out, behavioral change is often slow, and a better, less wasteful cup is worth looking into./p
div style=”align: right;”img src=”http://www.core77.com/blog/images/2010/04/bc-une.jpg” width=”468″ height=”430″ alt=”bc-une.jpg”//div
div style=”align: right;”img src=”http://www.core77.com/blog/images/2010/04/bc-une2.jpg” width=”468″ height=”246″ alt=”bc-une2.jpg”//div
pOf all the cup-based ideas so far, the a href=”http://www.jovoto.com/contests/drink-sustainably/ideas/4795″Une Coffee Cup/a, submitted by Tom Fereday, is one of the most convincing. It doesn’t attempt to do anything beyond being a recyclable coffee cupmdash;this is what makes it good. The cup is 100% recyclable, made as one component, in one mold with one material, black polypropylene. The lid hinges, and plastic ribs around the cup’s circumference create a cool outer surface. /p
div style=”align: right;”img src=”http://www.core77.com/blog/images/2010/04/bc-noside1.jpg” width=”468″ height=”468″ alt=”bc-noside1.jpg”//div
div style=”align: right;”img src=”http://www.core77.com/blog/images/2010/04/bx-noside.jpg” width=”468″ height=”385″ alt=”bx-noside.jpg”//div
pWe also like a href=”http://www.jovoto.com/contests/drink-sustainably/ideas/4778″No-Side/a, by Mac Funamizu. Instead of designing a collapsible cup, the portable system includes only a lid and a bottom, with an elastic band to hold a disposable cup body, provided by the coffee vendor. These cup bodies pack flat, expanding into a cylinder that fits on the base of the No-Side cup system. This paper element can be collected for a discount on your next coffee or easily recycled on the go./p
div style=”align: right;”img src=”http://www.core77.com/blog/images/2010/04/bc-coffee.jpg” width=”468″ height=”450″ alt=”bc-coffee.jpg”//div
div style=”align: right;”img src=”http://www.core77.com/blog/images/2010/04/bc-coffee2.jpg” width=”468″ height=”357″ alt=”bc-coffee2.jpg”//div
pFinally, Manueldr’s a href=”http://www.jovoto.com/contests/drink-sustainably/ideas/4587″Coffee Cup/a is made from coffee grounds, pressed into a vessel by a special machine on the spot. Soy wax, a biodegradable material, would hold it together and provide a waterproof seal. Afterwards, the cup can biodegrades and can be added to a compost pile. /p
pa href=”http://www.jovoto.com/contests/drink-sustainably/landing”img alt=”” src=”http://www.core77.com/blog/images/2010/04/betacup-button.jpg” width=”270″ height=”74″ class=”mt-image-none” style=”” //a/pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/competition/betacup_showcase_going_strong_at_three_weeks__16466.asp”(more…)/a
pa href=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/6tzvPKz83whf7qBIKOugiS-GHNg/0/da”img src=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/6tzvPKz83whf7qBIKOugiS-GHNg/0/di” border=”0″ ismap=”true”/img/abr/
a href=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/6tzvPKz83whf7qBIKOugiS-GHNg/1/da”img src=”http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/6tzvPKz83whf7qBIKOugiS-GHNg/1/di” border=”0″ ismap=”true”/img/a/p
“It’s an American misconception that everything should be big and in numbers. I went to Crate & Barrel and wanted some stuff for my new apartment, and everything was too big. Every bowl was like a salad bowl, every mug like a vase, every wineglass like a pitcher. It’s unappealing. Also, if America wants to solve its economic and electricity problems, you should just stop serving ice in everything. Your drink gets watered down. It’s not really good for your brain. It’s just a habit. Americans should go in rehab for all these habits. That would do it.”
