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Introducing GO Box -Ultimate Reusable Take-out Box

A reusable take-out food container service. Together let's create zero-waste dining experiences!

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Introducing GO Box -Ultimate Reusable Take-out Box

Introducing GO Box -Ultimate Reusable Take-out Box

Introducing GO Box -Ultimate Reusable Take-out Box

Introducing GO Box -Ultimate Reusable Take-out Box

Introducing GO Box -Ultimate Reusable Take-out Box

A reusable take-out food container service. Together let's create zero-waste dining experiences!

A reusable take-out food container service. Together let's create zero-waste dining experiences!

A reusable take-out food container service. Together let's create zero-waste dining experiences!

A reusable take-out food container service. Together let's create zero-waste dining experiences!

Paul Liotsakis
Paul Liotsakis
Paul Liotsakis
Paul Liotsakis
1 Campaign |
San Francisco, United States
$15,305 USD by 116 backers
$15,055 USD by 112 backers on Jan 18, 2015

 


Introducing GO Box: 

GO Box is the first reusable take-out container system available to the public that makes it easier to avoid the single-use disposables we encounter on a daily basis.

 

As a GO Box member, you can ask for a GO Box at your favorite participating vendors all over San Francisco and select Bay Area cities. 

With GO Box, your meal is served in a BPA-free, durable, and reusable container that is dishwasher and microwave safe and will be recycled at the end of its life. Now, you can eat your lunch and love the planet too!

 


The containers can be returned at convenient drop-off locations and washed at commercial dishwashing facilities. A sparkling clean container will be waiting for you to use again the next time you visit your favorite restaurant!

We are partnering with local restaurants like the five-star Luce Restaurant to wash GO Boxes and with soup kitchens like St. Anthony's to wash the containers after-hours when their dishwashing equipment sits idle. By optimizing the use of their commercial dishwashers, we are creating new job opportunities and a new green service for our cities!

 

Why is GO Box Important?

The GO Box service aims to reduce waste at the source, which is the best and most sustainable solution to our trash problem. Reusing saves energy, prevents pollution, fights climate change and takes pressure off our already overflowing landfills. We need to chip away at throw-away culture and usher in the new paradigm of reuse. 

Single-use disposable products are a relatively recent phenomenon. In the mid-50s the plastic and chemical industries sold the American public on the convenience of the “throwaway” lifestyle.  Now, throw-away packaging from every industrial nation litters beaches and oceans world-wide, piles up in landfills and contributes vast amounts of methane to the atmosphere. To learn more, please visit http://www.cleanwateraction.org/ca/rethinkdisposable 

Furthermore, trash reduction is the law as cities are under pressure to reach their trash reduction mandates.  The plastic bag ban is one example, and we've been receiving steady inquiries from Bay Area cities to bring Go Box to them. 

This innovative program will PREVENT thousands of single-use food containers from ending up in the trash and help change the landscape of lunchtime waste generation at:

  • food vendors
  • favorite eating spots
  • the office
  • the landfill
  • in our streets and waterways
And you can have a ground-level role in making it happen!

Your backing of this project will be a vote of support. It will send a message that people like the idea of product reuse and stewardship. And thanks to crowd-funding platforms such as Indiegogo, people now have the power to vote with their dollars to help create bottom-up green initiatives instead of waiting passively for government to do so. 

Together, let's take a leadership role to create green jobs and needed new green services that didn't exist before! 

Success here means expansion to other cities and a vote for Reuse!


What We Need:

Crowd-funding will allow us to get the GO Box ball rolling by expanding this concept into a major American city. After that, the program should expand synergistically: As more vendors and members sign up, more income will be generated, more inventory will get purchased, and expansion at new locations will take place. Our biggest challenge is the ambitious goal of rolling this program out at multiple Bay Area cities. If the campaign does not reach its goal, the funds will be used to implement the program in a smaller geographic area as we continue to seek additional funding. But the first step is to get the genie out of the "GO Box"!

Here are the key elements needed to get the project off the ground:

Inventory ($5,000): We will need $5,000 to purchase an inventory of 1,000 containers. This will be enough to begin implementing the program in the downtown core and conduct pilots in select cities and corporate locations around the San Francisco Bay Area.

Drop Boxes ($1,000): These attractive, custom made drop-off boxes are made from sustainably harvested wood. The price also includes a liner made from non-porous durable nylon.

Operations ($5,000): At its core, GO Box will need to be an efficient pick up and delivery service. To make that happen in a cost-effective way, we're partnering with restaurants and soup kitchens with commercial dishwashing facilities to wash the containers. But we still need to hire staff and deal with logistics. We'll also be purchasing a fleet of bikes and and bike trailers for efficient and zero emission transporting of the containers. 

Outreach for Membership and Partnerships ($2,000): For the program to succeed and expand, we will need to recruit more users and reach out to municipalities and companies for partnership and support. This will take time and expenses but these relationships and stream of income is the backbone of the business, so it's an important one!

Technology ($2,000): We can run the program using tokens, but wouldn't it be better if we had Android and iOs smartphone apps and SmartCard technology for optimum check-out and return of the containers? Continuous improvement on user experience is critical to our success!

What You Get:

We've got many reusable food-related items and unique perks for contributing to GOBox. All are great for the holidays and can make your stocking stuffers more sustainable! Here are some examples with photos of our perks in our Gallery (click Gallery tab on the top of page). 

  • Sustainable & Compact Utensils from our friends at Bambu
  • Reusable Cutlery from our friends at To-Go Ware
  • Metal mason jar drinking lids from EcoJarz
  •  Unbreakable silicone half-pint glasses from SiliPint
  • Bamboo Straws and Toothbrushes from our friends at Brush with Bamboo 
  • Beautiful reusable cloth napkins from our friends at Love for Earth
  • Delicious fair-trade chocolate truffles with compostable wrappers from AlterEco
  • Personalized Thank You videos from GO Box staff + family + pets 
  • Discounted GO Box memberships + GO Boxes for contributors not in San Francisco
  • Google Hangout with a member of WildLife Works + Awesome Eco Shirt!
  • Your very own GO Box namesake program in the Bay Area!

Keep an eye out on our updates- we will be introducing new perks as the campaign rolls on and have exclusive gifts for #GivingTuesday! 

Meet the Founder of GO Box SF, 

Paul Liotsakis:


When I was 9 years old my family moved from an suburban American town to a village in the island of Crete, Greece. I returned back to the U.S when I was 16 to finish high school and attend college. Spending my formative years in a small village gave me insight into ways other people see the world and live their lives. Most importantly, I was able to see (and be drawn to) the beautiful diversity our planet in terms of people and the environment. I'm passionate about work that makes a difference in the world and I take pride in seeing my projects reach their full potential. I don't like wasting opportunities or resources as I know how valuable they are. 

Since graduating college and subsequently getting my green MBA from the Presidio School of Management, I've worked on bringing once marginal environmental concepts into the mainstream. As an Americorps volunteer, I worked on urban gardening and greening and created a food business using products grown by youth in urban gardens. As the Associate Director for an environmental non-profit in the energy sector, I created and managed a program in peak power management (Demand-Response), a marketplace now worth over 1.3 billion dollars. With GO Box, I look forward to continue playing a role in ushering in new products and services that improve our world.

Waste reduction is synergistic with the energy conservation work I've been doing with small businesses and  property management firms. The people I speak with to implement energy saving initiatives are the same people I will need to talk to about implementing this waste reduction initiative. These companies along with the their sustainability-minded workers will be our customers. 

So far, everyone I have spoken to wholeheartedly embraces the idea AND can't wait to get started!!

Frequently Asked Questions: 

Are the containers clean and safe? The cleaning and sanitizing standards used are the same as those required of restaurants. GO Box containers are cleaned using commercial dishwashing equipment in a health department certified facility. After washing, the containers are also inspected by GO Box staff.

Can I bring my own clean container to the restaurant and ask them to serve my food in it? FDA rules prohibit restaurants from serving food in a container brought in to the establishment by a customer (beverage containers, like coffee mugs, are exempt from this rule). GO Box has solved this problem by delivering professionally-sanitized containers directly to the vendors. You are allowed, however, to take leftovers from your plate and put them in a container you brought in. 

Where will I be able to pick up food in a GO Box container once I sign up for the program? You will be able to take food to-go in any GO Box participating restaurant. Our goal is to get as many restaurants on board as possible, as soon as possible.

What if people don’t return their GOBox containers? Only GO Box members (either by having a token or the GoBox app showing current membership) will be allowed to take food in the reusable container. Membership will be verified by participating vendors. Upon return of your container at the drop site you will receive a token or scan your card allowing continued use of the system. Depending on technology capability, we may hold a deposit allowing you to continue using GO Box while having others unreturned.  The deposit will incentivize people to bring their containers back!

Won’t the collection bins get smelly and attract pests? The GO Box program in Portland has drop boxes in locations ranging from office lobbies to gyms and this have never been an issue in two years of operation. The sturdy and secure collection box along with the washable non-porous liner makes this not a problem.  The liner is changed at every pick up several times a week.

What about recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable containers? Aren’t those enough? Good question. Every time a reusable takeout container is used, that’s one less single-use container manufactured for just one meal. Each of those disposables needs to be manufactured, shipped a long way, and cared for at its end-of-life, leading to significant environmental impacts. Secondly, given today’s infrastructure and consumer behavior, most disposable containers still end up in the landfill, regardless of whether or not they could be recycled or composted. And finally, reusable takeout containers enable more economic activity to happen locally. We pay people to collect, clean, and redistribute the containers locally rather than paying manufacturers and distributors to make and ship containers a long distance.

Do containers get stained or fall apart if they’re used too many times? The containers have been tested in hundreds of places by thousands of customers and typically last for more than 400 uses and they don’t stain. Additionally they get inspected before going our and problem ones get removed from circulation.

Can I put GO Box containers in my own dishwasher or microwave? Yes, they are microwave and dishwasher safe.

How clean does the GO Box container need to be before I put it in the drop box? Do I need to wash it?
You do not need to wash or rinse the container before returning it to the drop box, but please make sure it’s as free of food and liquid as possible. If you have the ability to easily give it a quick rinse, that’s great, but not necessary.

Do you have any handouts I can email to coworkers and friends or print out for my office?
Yes we do! Please contact us. We also offer:
Green Box Lunch Presentations– Invite GO Box out for a free presentation!
Corporate Program – Get a Drop Box for your office!

Can I buy more than one subscription?
If you want to have a couple or several containers in circulation, no problem. You can buy as many subscriptions as you like. GO Box subscriptions also make great gifts!

What if I lose my container or my token?
Please email us at info@goboxsfbay.com if you lost your container or token.


Welcome Reuse Pioneers and ...


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Choose your Perk

featured

Not in San Fran? No Problem!

$50 USD
Your very own Regular Size GO Box container + Bambu Spork with Cork Cover + Bamboo Straw + AlterEco Chocolate Truffles
Estimated Shipping
February 2015
9 out of 25 of claimed

Reuse Pioneer

$15 USD
Discounted GO Box 1-year membership and Personalized Thank You Video for being one of the first supporters of GO Box San Francisco. Member of the GoBox Team / extended love ones will send you a video personally thanking you!
7 claimed

#GivingTuesday Special!

$25 USD
We will send you a card that reads: "A generous donation was given in your honor to help jumpstart the Reuse Movement and get us closer to Zero Waste living." You can choose a paper or electronic card & the contribution can be given in honor of a friend, family member, or yourself! :) We want to personally thank you for giving on this global day of generosity!
Estimated Shipping
December 2014
1 claimed

Community Supporter!

$25 USD
Reusable metal water bottle courtesy of San Francisco Community Power + Bamboo Straw!
Estimated Shipping
February 2015
3 out of 95 of claimed

The GOOD to GO Plan

$35 USD
1/2 size GO Box of your own filled with AlterEco chocolate truffles. The candies have compostable wrappers!
Estimated Shipping
February 2015
1 out of 50 of claimed

The San Francisco Treat

$50 USD
1 year GO Box membership + 2 Bamboo Straws + AlterEco Chocolate Truffles
Estimated Shipping
February 2015
11 out of 100 of claimed

Exclusive Wildlife Works Perk

$75 USD
Exclusive Wildlife Works T-Shirt + Participation in a Google Hangout with Wildlife Works Creative Director + an Unbreakable Half-Pint Glass from SiliPint!
3 out of 50 of claimed

Date Night Special

$100 USD
2 GO Boxes or 2 GO Box Memberships + 2 To-Go Ware Reusable Cutlery Sets + 2 Cloth napkins + 2 Bamboo Straws + 2 AlterEco ChocolateTruffles
Estimated Shipping
February 2015
6 out of 80 of claimed

Spread the GO Box Love

$200 USD
4 GO Boxes or 4 1-yr. GO Box memberships for friends/family in SF + Your name on the Founding Members Page + 4 Bamboo Straws + 4 Mason Jar Drinking Lids + AlterEco Chocolate Truffles
Estimated Shipping
February 2015
5 out of 36 of claimed

Founders' Special

$500 USD
A plaque made from recycled materials recognizing your influence in helping bring the first reusable to-go container program to California + 1 year GO Box Membership or Container + Cloth Napkin + Bamboo Straw + Unbreakable Silipint Half-pint Glass + AlterEco Truffles + Your name on the Founding Members' Page
Estimated Shipping
February 2015
6 out of 30 of claimed

Reuse Rock Star!

$1,000 USD
A plaque made from recycled materials recognizing your influence in helping bring the first reusable to-go container program to California + 4 1-year GO Box Memberships or 4 GO Box Containers + 4 Cloth Napkins + 4 Bamboo Straws + 4 Bambu Sporks + AlterEco Chocolate Truffles + Your name on the Founding Members' Page
Estimated Shipping
February 2015
0 out of 20 of claimed

Build Your Own GO Box Program!

$15,000 USD
We will implement GO Box in a Bay Area City of your choosing and name the program after you. This will include meetings with program founders to discuss expansion strategy.
0 out of 2 of claimed

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