Oh no...not another blog post about the horrors of plastic water bottles! Don't worry, I'm kind of sick of that topic, too. If you're into the green scene, then you're probably well aware of the toll that this integral part of our consumer culture has taken on our environment. There's no point in reviewing the obvious -- attitudes and lifestyles have simply got to change now. You've no doubt read articles extolling the virtues of bottled water alternatives such as TapIt's refilling service, returning to the humble cup or getting your eco-friendly water fix by chugging out paper cartons. As the debate soldiers on regarding what the best option really is, scientists and designers have been busy at work trying to come up with a globally acceptable replacement for the plastic bottles that have infiltrated every corner of our lives.

Corn plastic galloped onto the scene and everyone got excited because in theory, it sounded like it could become our environmental savior. Rather than using 17 million barrels of crude oil per year in the production of plastic bottles, we could instead use Momma Nature's own sweet golden grain...seriously, what CAN'T corn do? Brands like New Wave Enviro Products, Primo, Nature Works and Biota jumped in, cranking out a variety of corn-based polylactic acid (PLA) plastics and it all sounded really promising in theory. Veggie to plastic? Way to go!  And compostable, too? Hot damn! Then someone had to go and ruin it all by pointing out that conventional corn cultivation has made our environment go to hell in a handbasket. Wait a second...our beloved cereal, sweetener, barbecue treat, and alterni-fuel...embroiled in scandal? Blame it on genetically-tweaked frankenseeds, pesticides and high energy consumption -- America's exalted cash crop has long been guilty of crimes against ecology, we just didn't know it. Now, our love affair with the kernel is perhaps a little more bitter than sweet.

Inventor Jim Warner's 360 Bottle concept (via Brandimage) could change everything. Melding an intriguingly old innovation with a more eco-friendly twist, his new water bottle might require a fair amount of consumer cajoling and convincing, only because consumers have a tough time wrapping their brains around drinking water out of two sheets of paper. To be more precise, we're talking about chugging out of 100% fully renewable bamboo and/or palm leaves fused together with a highly degradable micro-thin layer of PLA (polylactic acid), rendering the paper container moisture and air resistant. Furthermore, the top of the 360 Bottle is made of the same renewable material and after snapping the lid off, it can be secured directly onto the side of the bottle via a built-in tab. With no need for six pack carriers or extraneous packaging, this eco-innovative concept is poised to entirely revamp the portable beverage market.  Currently in talks with several global distributors, Brandimage intends to sell the 360 Bottle concept to whomever maintains the integrity of their design and materials. I'll definitely drink to that!