This new way of drinking water can save our planet

A start-up company based in London is working hard to make our planet green again and fight the plastic waste problem we are facing with a simple yet genius solution.

They introduced the Ooho water ball—a new and a smart way to consume water, which will make all the environmentalists ditch their water bottles and switch to this new eco-friendly alternative.

The Ooho ball is basically water encased inside an edible container made out of plant and seaweed extracts. You can consume it by poking a hole in the surface and drink the inside of it, or better yet, pop the entire ball into your mouth. The jelly-like membrane is totally edible and it doesn’t have any taste, but if you prefer not to digest it and just throw it away, it can decompose in a few weeks.

Skipping Rocks, the company behind this idea, is currently producing up to 2,000 water balls per day, but are hoping that the demand for this innovative product will increase since they are working on extending the shelf life and improving the membrane for even better resistance.  

Rodrigo García González, Pierre Paslier, and Guillaume Couche have been working on the design since 2014 and explained the process of producing the Ooho ball. First, a frozen ball of water is dipped into a calcium chloride solution that helps form a gelatinous layer. After that, the ball is submerged in brown algae extract infusion that forms the second layer and prevent the water from leaking. The packaging is very cheap and it only costs 2 cents to be produced.

This new revolutionary way of drinking water can significantly decrease the use of plastic bottles that are taking hundreds of years to decompose and are harmful to our environment. According to some statistics, 80% of the 50 million plastic bottles that are being used in the US are ending up in the landfills every year.

The creators have already raised over 1 million dollars from a crowdfunding campaign and are currently working on bringing the water bottles into the market for everyday use. Besides the plain water, the company is producing flavored Ooho balls and encapsulated alcohol drinks for the perfect shot.