999Bottles: The Water Bottle That Measures Your Environmental Impact

04/25/2012 02:29 pm ET

Americans buy nearly a billion bottles per week, according to some estimates. From the 51 billion total purchased per year, less than a quarter are recycled, while countless others are left in landfills where they may have unforeseen consequences on the environment and nearby wildlife. Similarly, many spend money on bottled water when tap water can be almost 2,000 percent less expensive and more healthy.

While these sobering facts have sparked the reusable bottle movement over the past few years, Ferd van Engelen and his colleagues at the Seattle based Artefact Group have taken it a step further, creating the 999Bottles water bottle, a 24 ounce reusable water bottle that allows its users to see exactly how abandoning disposable plastic bottles can help sustainability. They recently launched a Kickstarter campaign, where they are trying to raise $99,000 to make 999Bottles a reality.

The bottle keeps track of your conservation efforts via a dial at the bottom of the bottle that you turn every time you refill, maxing out at the 999th refill. The bottle's dial works with an accompanying iPhone app that calculates how much you're helping the environment -- through colorful, fun facts such as how many stories the plastic bottles you’ve gone without would stack up to and how far you could travel with the oil you’ve saved from ditching plastic.

Backers of $29 or more will receive a 999Bottle.

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