Who’s Who in Green: Jason Graham-Nye
September 12, 2008 · Print This Article
Disposable diapers are a huge tax on the environment. They’re the third-largest contributor to landfills in the world, yet only 5% of the world’s population actually uses them. Just one disposable diaper takes up to 500 years to decompose. Learning these facts was what led Jason Graham-Nye, who was expecting a baby with his wife at the time, to research alternatives. The Graham-Nyes did the math: they’d be using around 60 diapers a week until toilet-training age, per child. It seemed outrageous, and they thought for sure there was a better way.
Living in drought-plagued Australia, the Graham-Nyes didn’t want to go the cloth route, since washing them uses so much water, so they came up with a compromise: flushable diapers. A company in nearby Tasmania was making them, so they ordered some and loved them. They decided to share their discovery with customers in the U.S., buying the worldwide rights, and gDiapers was born.
gDiapers are easy to use and good for the environment. They consist of a washable cotton outer ‘little g’ pant and a plastic-free flushable diaper refill. The breathable material keeps baby dry and leads to fewer diaper rashes. Wet diapers can be composted – they break down in 50-150 days. A starter gDiapers kit retails for $24.99 and includes two washable fabric pants, 20 flushable inserts, two liners and a swish stick to aid with flushing.
gDiapers even has a YouTube channel, filled with convenient videos like flushing tips, fit tips and even a slideshow of photos showing an actual soil breakdown trial of gDiapers versus disposables. View that one below:
This revolution in baby diapering has caught on fast, becoming a big hit with eco-conscious parents who also want to reduce the exposure their babies get to the kinds of harsh chemicals used in conventional disposable diapers. They’re an especially convenient choice for people who don’t have easy access to washers and dryers for cloth diapering, but still want to stay away from disposables.
gDiapers’ U.S. launch was held in the Graham-Nyes’ new home of Portland, Oregon. Since then, the company has grown rapidly, and gDiapers will undoubtedly only grow more popular as millions of people across the world begin to understand the benefits of ‘going green’. We wish Jason and Kimberley much luck and success in the future!
Check out Jason’s thoughts on everything from politics and yoga to childrearing and his business at his blog, gDiapers.typepad.com.
Jason Graham-Nye’s Green Score: 21,872
- Green City Planner
- Be Part of the Solution Lindsey Graham
- Green Guerrillas Youth Media Tech Collective: VOTE for Green Guerrillas!
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I used to work at a local child care center, and I always cringed at the massive amount of diapers thrown away each day. We were instructed to change each child’s diaper every two hours, which amounts to almost 60 diapers a week for a child there from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. My mother used cloth diapers for my brother and I when we were babies, and it’s good to know that now there’s an even better alternative. Hopefully the idea will gain momentum now that we’re experiencing such a huge environmental crisis.