Much has been written about bottled water over the past year or two; some of it has been by those proponents of bottled water who say that it is the best thing since sliced bread, and other articles by environmentalist who say that plastic water bottles are destroying the environment.

On the other side one also has to deal with the fact that many of the bottled water companies are either peddling nothing more than ordinary tap water, or are actually stripping natural water resources in many countries, forcing the locals to buy bottled water instead of being able to use their own natural resources.

In a nutshell, despite all of the advertising hype espousing the health benefits of bottled water, drinking bottled water is really not necessary, it is expensive, and bottled water companies are doing more harm than good.

In an effort to satisfy all sides, Skipping Rocks Lab, a company founded by three London-based design students, has launched a crowdfunding campaign in which it has raised in excess of £500,000, to manufacture the world’s first ‘edible water bottle’ named “Ooho”.

The ‘bottle’ comes in the shape of a ball, and is a biodegradable and natural membrane made from a seaweed extract and is tasteless, although flavours can be added to it. According to the team, Ooho can be fully swallowed and digested, as well as hydrating people in the same way as drinking water.

Ooho spheres are created by dipping frozen balls of liquid into an algae mixture that forms a membrane around the ice. The ice melts into liquid water and membrane, which is edible and biodegradable, forms a watertight seal around it. To consume the liquid you can either bite into the tasteless membrane and sip it out or just eat the entire ball, membrane and all.

According to the engineers:

“Our packaging is cheaper than plastic and can encapsulate any beverage including water, soft drinks, spirits, and even cosmetics.”

While this is a good idea and may work for festivals, marathons, and other outdoor events, it is doubtful that this single-gulp offering will take over from plastic water bottles; a better idea will be to just stop buying bottled water. Get a water cooler with a filter instead and a good refillable water bottle for the best-tasting, chilled drinking water ever!