It is funny and disgusting at the same time to think that diapers are on a baby for only hours but will stay in our dumps and trash for years.  When choosing a diaper, I think most people look for comfort and reliability for their newborn. Eco-friendly diapers are not something you think about when you are shopping. With new products hitting the market, parents should start focusing on how to dispose their baby’s waste in a manner that is good for our environment. If you want to learn more about these diapers then read on.

 The California Clean Tech Open (CCTO) is a friendly competition held for three straight years and offers monetary rewards for individuals and groups who can invent new sustainable products that will have a positive impact on our environment. There are many different focuses but the one that is really different was won by a diaper producing company. There are many reasons why there was a need for sustainable diaper products and this company won.

 According to diaperraps.com, diapers can decompose over a period of 200 and 500 years. If Benjamin Franklin wore regular diapers, there is a good chance that they would still be on the earth today. Second, diapers are the third most abundant product to be found in landfills. Those two reasons alone should be incentive individuals to start researching new ways to cut back.

 This year the CCTO was able to select six new winners based on certain criteria. There was a lot at stake in this competition. The prize range varied anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000. It was important to get a product that not only worked well for the disposal but also for the baby as well.

 Most diapers are made of cotton and are not energy efficient. The company Over the Moon Diapers entered the competition with a strong sustainable product. There product is very marketable and helps the environment greatly. The average baby goes through hundreds of diapers during their early stage of their lives. What Over the Moon Diapers did was find an efficient way of making reusable diapers. The product itself is made from recycled material. With that, diaper waste now has the potential to be cut greatly and make our dump sites smaller.

 With this product, Over the Moon Diapers was able to capture first place in the “In the air, water and waste category”. Besides the cash prize, this company was able to take home numerous prizes from the San Jose Prize for Green Vision.

 Besides this category, there was also an energy efficient category won by Vidris Earth for improvements made on residential air. In the category of green building the winner was the company BottleStone. They developed a type of ceramic made of recyclable glass. In the category of renewable the winner was Focal Point Energy which developed a solar source for heating and cooling. In the category for smart power, Power Assure develop energy management programs. Lastly, ElectraDrive won the transportation category with their system of converting gas fleets into all electric. To all, congratulations and good luck on furthering developing your sustainable products.