Thanks to Brynn Evans for sharing this wonderful video with us.  Totally random, but we’re seriously considering this as the betacup theme tune.

As you are probably aware, we’re on a deadline here.  As the headline of this blog clearly states, unless we reach our goal of $20,000 in pledges by December 31st we will not be successful in funding the betacup prize fund.

So far we have raised $3.5k in pledges, which is 17.5% towards our target, however we only have 28 days left before the deadline.

Here are a few ways you can help us reach our goal:

1. Tweet about the campaign and share the following link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tobyd/fund-the-betacup-prize

2. Add the following to your email signature:

Hate disposable cups? Be part of the solution:
http://www.thebetacup.com/fund-the-prize/

3. Copy and past the following embed code and add the campaign widget to your site:

<a href=’http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tobyd/fund-the-betacup-prize’><img border=’0′ src=’http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tobyd/fund-the-betacup-prize/widget/card.jpg’ /></a>

4. Write a blog post about the campaign:

Our friends at Tiny Choices very kindly posted a great article about the betacup and our campaign here:

http://tinychoices.com/2009/12/02/betacup-for-a-better-cup/

5. Help us expand our network:

Who else should we be talking to?  Are there sites that we should approach or brands that would be interested in supporting our initiative?

6. Make your personal pledge:

Finally and most importantly we would love for you or your company to make a contribution to the campaign.  $20 or more will get you a commemorative betacup and $200 will secure your place at the awards ceremony in New York City in 2010.  If you pledge $2,000 you will be listed as an official sponsor and also be invited to join the judging panel for the design contest.

Here’s the link again, in case you need it:  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tobyd/fund-the-betacup-prize

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this and thanks in advance for your ongoing support!

P.S My colleagues at betacup tell me that if we don’t reach our goal by December 31st then I will lose control of my Facebook status for the whole of January 1st.  As you can imagine this could have dire consequences for me and my squeeky clean image!

Things are moving along nicely, but we have still have a very long way to go. Securing the prize for the design contest is crucial, especially if we want to attract the best design teams from around the world to help us find a solution to the paper cup problem.

From now on we’re going to ask each of you to help support the initiative by doing one simple thing to help bring awareness to the project.

Today, we’d love for you to add the following copy and link to your email signatures, to drive awareness and to encourage your friends and coworkers to get involved.

Hate disposable cups? Be part of the solution:
http://www.thebetacup.com/fund-the-prize/

Thanks so much for you support!

Toby & the betacup team

“‘I’m curious to know what your thoughts are of the “I am not a paper cup” design by DCI.

While interesting because it visually mimicks the cup that you are trying to replace, it still doesn’t seem to be as functional as one might like. I used to work in a store that sold these items, and we got frequent complaints that they leaked. [Spillage is NO FUN.] But I think more importantly, these cups are also ceramic, which doesn’t make it very durable for folks constantly on the move.”

Our view is that the “I Am Not A Paper Cup” is an interesting concept. If nothing else it raises awareness around the problem, and that’s a good thing. But it doesn’t solve the bigger issue that we are looking to address, and that our Kickstarter friend also points out.  Designing something that is both practical and convenient as well as desirable in the consumers mind is what we really need to focus on.

What do you think?  What other parameters should we be thinking about when creating the design brief?

For starters, this is super cute!

Then I learned that it’s from the Green Cafe Network, originally started in San Francisco to green-ify coffee shops. They believe that “coffee shops have a tremendous impact on the planet and they influence a huge number of Americans each day.”

In their mission statement, the describe their approach further:

First, we work with independently owned coffeehouses to actively reduce their ecological impacts and become certified green businesses;

Second, we educate and inspire the staff and communities of these neighborhood cafes so they can transfer green business practices to their personal lives.

This aligns with what the betacup team believes, too … perhaps we’ve got a partnership in the making

We were told about Vapur via a good friend and advisor to the betacup, Ryan Fix and we absolutely love it.

According to their website Vapur is the most portable refillable water bottle on the planet. And by making tap water more portable, they hope to make bottled water obsolete.

What we like about their approach is that they have created a product that is both sexy and desirable, as well as functional and convenient.

From their website:

“Unlike rigid water bottles, Vapur is completely collapsible. This means it goes more places and fits in tighter spaces than any other bottle. Whether you are hiking the trails, passing through airport security or visiting the museum with your family, Vapur makes water infinitely portable.”

What do you think?  What would the coffee carrying equivalent look like?

Hopefully when we enter into the design phase of the betacup, we’ll see ideas as innovative and exciting as Vapur.

These wooden bowls are usually made of birch, hand carved, treated and cured, and then carried by the belt throughout the day…and throughout people’s lifetimes. They were used for drinking everything: milk, water, tea, coffee. And a well-made cup would last forever.

It’s interesting that these simple, yet unique, drinking vessels became so intimately connected to the people who created them. Perhaps a bond is created when you produce an object with your own hands? (You can make one yourself, even: how to craft a classic kuksa cup.) Perhaps the simplicity of the design and the practice of attaching the cup to your belt made them a necessary part of the everyday culture?

Either way, the betacup team can learn a lot from the kuksa. We hope to create a modern kuksa, but for city-dwellers with fast-paced lifestyles. We want coffee drinkers to feel a personal connection to their betacup; and we want the betacup to become their cup for life.

the betacup team has been invited to present at “The Kitchen” which is part of the Feast Conference in NYC on October 2nd.

The Kitchen is an intimate event, where 10 startups are given a chance to share their ideas for how they are making the world a better place.

We’ll each get five minutes to pitch our ideas in front of 3 judges and an audience full of investors, entrepreneurs, and press.

The organizers plan to turn up the heat even more with a grand prize for the best overall startup in show, so we need you support!

Here are the details if you’d like to attend:

8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Tribeca Grand Hotel
2 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY

Register:
http://feastongood.com/conference/kitchen/

I was particularly interested in the responses from the last couple when they were asked about using reusable cups.  Both expressed a preference for using a reusable cup whenever possible, but while the gentleman remembered his because he carries it around in his backpack, the woman was actually drinking out of a paper cup because she had left her reusable at her class.

What is your coffee routine? from the betacup on Vimeo.

We’d love to collect more of these examples.  What is your routine?  Do you use a reusable cup or do you prefer disposable paper cups?

You can either share yours with us through a video response or fill out our survey at http://thebetacup.com/about/survey/