Boxed water; window film; fragrant roses

NEW PRODUCT: Boxed water

Here's a thirst-quenching option: Water on-the-go from a sturdy single-serving drink box instead of from a bottle or can.

The product is AQUA2GO, described as purified water sealed in aseptic 8.45-ounce containers that are 74 percent paper, a renewable resource. The drink boxes are said to resist extreme temperatures, need no special storage and have a shelf life of five years.

Stacey Griffin is founder of Esgee Enterprises LLC, based in New Orleans, producer of AQUA2GO. "The idea sprang from my little girl asking only for juice boxes and refusing water on the beach in Florida" last summer, Griffin said in an exchange of e-mails. Water boxes are not a new concept, but Griffin found she could not buy the handy form she wanted at local groceries.

The water AQUA2GO supplies is purified by reverse osmosis, a widely used kind of filtration process. The recyclable drink boxes are made by TetraPak Inc.; Griffin recommends checking their Web site to find out if your community has an aseptic recycling program. In the U.S., the recycled cartons are made primarily into tissue and paper towel products, Griffin said.

Production of AQUA2GO began late last year, and Esgee has just made a deal with Tree of Life, distributor of organic and specialty foods, to expand distribution to national merchants including Walmart, Whole Foods and Krogers.

Griffin envisions the water boxes used anywhere packaged water would be useful, she said, citing schools, hospitals/medical facilities, office buildings, disaster relief organizations, as well as personal occasions, exercising, picnics and parties. She said she's had inquiries from organizations, including the San Francisco mayor's office, looking for more environmentally friendly options to bottled water.

Griffin, a clinical social worker, lives in New Orleans, where she has reopened Milestones Mental Health Agency, the children's psychiatric facility she'd founded that was temporarily knocked out by Hurricane Katrina.

AQUA2GO is available in stores and online, about $2.89 per 8-pack.

http://www.wateronthego.com

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