The fiber obtained from the husk of a coconut is often used in making ropes, mats and other accessories. One wouldn’t have in wildest dreams imagined this husk to be used in making a cooler sustainable and better alternative than the existing options. This unique project of transforming coconut husk into a Nutshell Cooler has now been brought to reality by designer and behavioral biologist duo of David Cutler and Tamara Mekler respectively.
Usually considered worthless, the coconut husk was processed into sheets of insulating material. The duo teamed with the design firm Box Clever to create an eco-friendly, collapsible, soft-sided Nutshell Cooler. Paving a way for a sustainable future of portable cooling, this cooler could be a great help in reducing carbon footprint as well.
While investigating, Cutler and Mekler found that Coconut husk fibers are hollow and contain tons of tiny trapped air pockets. These husk fibers share a resemblance with the same exact structure that plastic foam insulation uses to reduce heat transfer. The duo also claims, there is hardly any difference between coconut fiber and plastic foam insulation and yet companies prefer plastic foam over the former.
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In a long list of tests that were done, Nutshell Cooler kept ice frozen for more than 48 hours, “outperforming the Yeti Hopper Two, Coleman Excursion, Styrofoam, and several other coolers in identical conditions.” The makers tout that ice can last for a longer duration of time in your Nutshell when compared with other cooler plastic alternatives.
This cooler is perfect for camping trips, picnics and can easily be carried anywhere. It can collapse and pack flat to half its width for ease of storage. The Nutshell Cooler is currently being crowd-funded on Kickstarter and can be pre-ordered for a minimum of $169.
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