Biodegradable Coffee Cups for the Navy and Army
by on 03.10.05
Green military technology always leaves us in a social-consciousness dilemma, but a biodegradable cup isn’t exactly a killing machine. The U.S. Navy wanted a cup that could be tossed off the side of a ship without damaging the marine environment—oh, and one that won’t burn sailors’ hands, while you’re at it. Clovernook Center for the Blind (which employs visually impaired people to manufacture various paper products) joined up with International Paper and came up with a cup that delivered. The Army quickly jumped in line for the next batch, which they wanted in brown so the cups would be invisible to spy satellites while decomposing. We’d love to tell you what makes the paper cup’s coating do its thing, but the scientists (or rather, the marketing guys) are keeping their lips sealed. But we will say that we kinda think the little fish icon has a graphic appeal all its own. Via The Cincinnati Enquirer ::Clovernook ::International Paper [by KK]
mostly rhetorical question, but if they plan to throw the cups into the sea (i.e. not on soil), why brown?
brown is probably the natural unbleached color.
talk about a paper trail ;]
Radar or false color infrared satellite imagery picks up different bands that the human eye would, designed to work through fog and clouds to some degree even. I'm guessing the brown is coincidental to the property sought
It's about albedo from satellite... i.e. refraction. Brown doesn't reflect light the way white does, it absorbs it... blends in with the background, in sand, in dirt... Nice to see Connecticut is doing something nice for a change... International Paper has always tried to paint its throw away mentality green... why can't people carry fold away cups like soldiers did in WW2? IP is responsible for more old growth forest being decimated in the Pacific Northwest... they are the Kings of greenwash... They've built an entire globocorp on encouraging folks to chuck their product once they're done. Kind of gimme the eco-jeebies.