Forget running to the store to buy bags of ice for your next summer cookout. A new cooler uses dirt to keep your drinks cool. That’s right, the earthy stuff under your feet.
Created by Demark-based eCool, the “earth cooler” is installed underground in your backyard and uses the deep soil under it to keep your favorite beverages chilled to perfection. No ice or electricity required.
Not exactly portable, the cooler requires you to dig a permanent hole in your yard or terrace where you want to put it. However, that doesn’t mean you’re going to have to tear up the whole garden. The circular cooler is just 9 inches in diameter and requires a hole a little under 4 feet deep, leaving plenty of room in the backyard for that tomato plant you bought at the farmer’s market last weekend.
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Here’s a video showing how it works:
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Installing the cooler is a job that the company says can be taken care of by a 22-inch garden drill if you happen to have one laying around, but could also likely be handled in a few hours with your average shovel.
Once it’s all set up, the $350 cooler can hold 24 of your favorite beverages. It’s insulated to help protect it from hot summer days a frosty winter nights, and has a crank on the side to both lower drinks down and bring beverages to the surface when you’re ready to enjoy them. Even better, the setup doesn’t require any electricity to operate, so you can grab a cold one even if the power’s out.
Drinks can be stored overnight and year round, so you could theoretically fill the cooler up with a case of Coke in January, drink a few, and pull out a cold one from the same case during a summer BBQ in July.
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