D i s cov e r i e s — G o G re e n
TA K E O U T U P G R A D E Like the koi fish his brand is named after, Bekko Box’s
To use, you download the Bekko app and pay a one-
founder Coleman Dressen swims against the current.
time, $1 fee. Scroll to find participating restaurants,
He moved to Fort Myers last year and launched his line
like Naples’ Bean to Cup Coffee Lounge and Café
of 95% biodegradable and BPA-free reusable food con-
Nutrients. When you order from these places, you log
tainers as an alternative to disposable to-go wares, which
into the app for a QR code to check out boxes for your
are linked to 44 percent of plastics found in the ocean.
takeout or leftovers. After, drop the box back at any Bekko partner or schedule a time to have it picked it up from your doorstep, so it can be sanitized and reused.
and Ziploc bags washing up on a quiet beach. “To see all
You can also purchase containers online to use at
that in such a remote place brought me to the realization
home. Limited-edition styles sport hand-painted,
that this needs to change,” he says. After returning to the
ocean-inspired designs by local artists, like Nick Rapp
U.S., he was researching alternatives when the pandemic
and Cath Branwood, that nod to Bekko’s water-focused
hit and takeout culture swelled. He moved fast to develop
origins. “Florida is such a thin state. It’s water under-
a collection of takeaway containers, with black matte
neath the ground,” Dressen says. “If we’re not careful
bowls made of bamboo fiber and corn, ramblers and
with how we treat that ground, who knows what can
drinkware made with lab beaker glass, and bamboo lids.
happen.” —J.B.
Kelly Jones
In 2019, Dressen was surfing in Australia, where he was on contract for a tech firm, when he saw six-pack rings
24 — H E A L T H Y L I F E
