From War To Peace may have created the coolest bottle opener out there. Made from recycled nuclear weapon systems, these beer openers proudly suggest you choose “Beers Not Bombs.”
This eco-friendly company recycles everything they use: the packaging is recycled materials, the inks are all soy-based, and any plastic used is plant-based and biodegradable. But perhaps the most unique recycled material is the copper, salvaged from the mechanisms that transmitted launch signals to the deadly Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Nuclear Missiles. The Minuteman-I was originally introduced in 1962 as a deterrent to Soviet nuclear aggression; the Air Force modified them in 1965, creating the Minuteman-II to improve accuracy which would allow it to decimate targeted sites, like a Soviet missile silo. The Minuteman-III, from which the company takes its copper, appeared in the 1970s, and is three separate warheads instead of one, which made it far trickier for an enemy to take out with an anti-ballistic missile. The Minuteman-III has a yield (meaning the amount of energy released when detonated) of 300-500 kilotons. Just for reference, “Little Boy,” the bomb dropped on Hiroshima had 13-18 kiloton yield and “Fat Man” dropped on Nagasaki had 20-22 kiloton yield. The Minuteman missiles are freaking huge.
Thanks to the START treaties and great strides in disarmament, the number of Minuteman-III missiles has been reduced. As a result, From War To Peace has taken the copper from the transmission mechanisms that would’ve sent launch signals to these deadly rockets and transformed it into what they call Peace Bronze. All of the copper was initially mined in Montana then refined in Illinois before being put into use in the nuclear arsenal house in North Dakota. Once salvaged from the nuclear missile site, it’s sent to Iowa where it’s made into a “Silicon Bronze” alloy made up of 95% copper and 5% Manganese and Silicon. Worried about radiation? Don’t be. Three sources guarantee the metal is delightfully radiation free: the US Government, the Iowan metal recyclers, and finally by the company itself in their own labs.
From War to Peace has a number of bottle openers to choose from. The designs feel like a modern take on a World War II-era aesthetic. Most of them are pocket key chain bottle openers, but they also offer a fantastically cool wall mounted opener that explains it’s entirely made in the United States and made from nuclear weapon systems so you don’t have to launch into the whole spiel every time someone uses it. Though you just might want to. Every element of the openers is designed and made in the United States, creating jobs and opportunities. Ranging in price from $14.95 to $69.95 for the wall mount, they’re a steal.
But the folks at From War To Peace put their money where their mouth is: 20% of their profits are given to various organizations promoting peace and social justice like Doctors Without Borders, Homeboy Industries, Fellowship of Reconciliation, and, of course, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
