Have you ever wished there was a more attractive, less plastic version of the Brita water filter? One that didn't use a lot of chemicals or make you cringe every time you tossed the used plastic filter into the garbage? Have you ever lost track of when to change the filter, or keep forgetting to buy new ones? The people at Soma hear you and they've come up with a water filter that's beautiful, made of glass, and comes with a filter subscription service that delivers your new filter to your door every two months. Oh, and that old filter? You can compost it.
The new filter is still in its Kickstarter phase but clearly has been well thought out and researched. The developers have created a sleek, hourglass design that's reminiscent of the Chemix coffee pot with a beveled edge for drip-free pouring and a specially designed grip to fit nicely in your hand. There's no lid to fly off as you pour either. The carafe is attractive enough to leave on your dining room table.
The compostable filter is made from Malaysian coconut shells, vegan silk, and starch-based PLA plastic. It was designed by water-filtration expert David Beeman who created the water formulas for Starbucks, Peet's, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and others. At $15 each, it's considerably more expensive than Brita but perhaps the price will come down in time.
Check out Soma's Kickstarter campaign which has a many more details about their product and a nice video with endorsements from Eric Ryan, the co-founder of Method, and 4-hour guru Tim Ferris.
→ Read more: Soma on Kickstarter
Related: Friendly Reminder: Refill Your Filtered Water Pitcher Before You Pour a Glass
(Image: Soma)
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Seems fine for the sure-gripped among us. I am a butterfingers and regardless of the specially designed grip would probably drop the pitcher in the first week.
Brita filters are recyclable. Whole Foods have bins for that purpose. Or you can mail them to Preserve Gimme 5, 823 NYS Rte 13, Cortland, NY 13045. The instructions are on www.brita.com/your-brita/recycle-your-filter/
If you just toss them into the garbage, all the heavy metals you filtered will end up in the landfills, polluting your water sources even more. If you compost those Soma filters, wouldn't the harmful chemicals pollute the soil you grow your veggies in?
What is vegan silk? And do you know how much water the container holds?
I've resisted buying a filter for just the reasons cited --- and I hate anything plastic. Maybe this is the one. On the other hand, maybe tap water is just fine.
HI catherineap:
the water container holds 5-8oz glasses of water.
the vegan silk must be some kind of material that isn't made using silkworms.
I wonder how many folks who read this blog live where the water isn't potable.
Vegan silk is still made by silk worms but the caterpillars aren't killed in the process and are somehow allowed to become moths without damaging the silk thread.
The container definitely looks smaller than 5x8oz! Brita came out with a glass pitcher a few years ago in the UK but it wasn't available in North America at all. I tried to get one shipped over with no luck. Even so, not everyone has access to a) Whole Foods or b)anywhere that recycles things like this. I can't even recycle plastics where I live now. The recycling depot doesn't even take glass, I have to take it elsewhere... so sad.
Thank you SO much for posting this. One of the big reasons to buy a water filter, for the doubters, is that most tap water in this country is chlorinated - something that is good for killing nasty things in the water, but that can increase your risk of cancer in the long term. A good filter will remove the chlorine. Plus, the tap water in lots of places doesn't taste so great, and filtering it can fix that.
And while it's great that Brita is finally recycling its filters, compostable things will pretty much always be greener than recyclable plastic things.
Kudos to the product developers! I can't wait to get my Soma in the mail.
This makes me think you could just use a chemex and a coffee filter (add a little bit of charcoal for extra filtration).
If anyone figures out how to use a Chemex and Binchotan charcoal for filtration, let me know!
I live in SF, so I drink my National Park tap water straight, but, if I was in the need of a water filter, this would be the one I would go for. It's from DWR and uses activated charcoal loose in the center of the pitcher. Nothing to toss but the loose pieces of activated charcoal.
This new one is nice, but it seems overly complicated when activated charcoal does the job fine.
This looks great. Just a reminder, though - if you already have a Brita filter you're not doing the environment any favors by throwing it out and buying something like this instead. :) I'll probably wait until my current Brita wears out and then look for something like this. I totally support the concept.
I second that comment, don't toss your old filter for a new one. Plastic can't be recycled, it can only be downcycled into cheaper plastic junk. Also remember to educate yourself; do these truly filter out what you think it does? From what I understand, they can't filter out metals and other human-caused chemicals. I'd want to see a list from the producer. Bottom line, go ahead and get a filter but it's also good to demand your water company give you good drinking water. Our water is so great the damned bottled water companies are trying to steal the supply.