Think Green®

It all started with an empty plastic water bottle. Which so often ends up being thrown away. Which inspired one person to think of a way to give empty bottles immortality.

In 2007, an environmentalist named Anthony Zolezzi wondered, Is there a way to reincarnate plastic bottles in their original form, to create a "cradle-to-cradle" recycling chain? Four like-minded companies collaborated to make that idea a reality: Waste Management, Nestlé Waters North America, Whole Foods and McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry.

That collaboration led to a new brand of natural spring water from Nestlé, called re-source^®, available now at Whole Foods Markets. The re-source bottle is made with recycled PET plastic (or Code 1, as shown on the bottom of the bottle) and can be recycled endlessly.

Consumers can take the re-source bottle to a new, high-tech "on the go" capture system developed by Waste Management, called the Greenopolis Tracking Station. The station integrates our Greenopolis website, a rewards program, product tracking, and a collection system into a single, easy-to-use system.

Here's how it works. Customers first register at Greenopolis.com. Then, they take their recyclables to a Greenopolis Tracking Station and scan them prior to depositing them in the container. After each transaction, the station prints out coupons redeemable at that Whole Foods location. Customers can go on line to view their Greenopolis accounts and see how many rewards they've accumulated.

A pilot program is now underway at selected Whole Foods Markets to encourage people to recycle all plastic (not just re-source), as well as aluminum and glass beverage containers. For every re-source beverage container recycled, Nestlé will donate five cents to Keep America Beautiful. The program plans to donate up to $200,000 through Earth Day 2010 to support local recycling programs across the country.

And that's how one inspired thought is helping change the world for the better.