Environment

BottlesUp Joins Green Chamber of the South

Member, Green Chamber of the South Our award-winning reusable glass water bottles enjoy descriptions such as the “clean side of green” and “art you can use.” As a company, we’re dedicated to building a company that’s good for your health, our planet all while creating a sustainable and successful company. This week, we joined the Green Chamber of the South, a nonprofit dedicated to the growth and success of sustainable business in the Southeast.

The Green Chamber of the South offers us the opportunity to connect with other like-minded businesses dedicated to building sustainable businesses in and around the Southeast. Founded in 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia, the organization supports the growth and success of sustainable business and encourages innovation and adoption of clean technology. It’s a non-profit organization working to make the Southeast the center of sustainable business in the United States.

So how do we fit in this group? From the very beginning, our every effort – from design, to sourcing, to production, to packaging – has been focused on creating the lowest carbon footprint possible. The result? Our sturdy 22-ounce glass water bottle is 100% sourced in North America and has the lowest carbon footprint in the industry. Each bottle is created from recycled glass (up to 75% recycled and sourced on-site) using ancient techniques in a modern glass-making facility in Mexico. The bottles are enhanced by food-grade silicone caps and grippers made in Maine. BottlesUp’s bottles are free of known toxins including Bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), and polycarbonates that research has shown can compromise human health. There is zero plastic in the product or packaging. It takes more time to do it right, but we’re committed to living, breathing, and building a truly green company.

We hope to learn, and to inspire, our fellow Green Chamber members for the betterment of health, environment and business. And if you’re a part of a company in the Southeast, considering joining the Green Chamber or even taking one small step to make your business greener – your employees, customers and business will benefit.

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Pavisa Glass, Our Partner in Beauty and Sustainable, Green Practices

One of the questions we frequently get is why we don’t have our glass water bottles made in the United States.  Here’s the short answer: we made every effort to find a glass company that could meet our green standards, our capactiy needs, and our quality demands. After a search of 2 years they weren’t to be found in the U.S. – it was frustrating for us, but also a reflection of current challenges in manufacturing here in the States.  From that point, we expanded our search to our closest neighbors. After additional review and considerations, we partnered with Pavisa in Mexico City, a company known for their conservation and green efforts along with incredibly skilled glass artisans. We also liked that they are a major glass company with their own curbside recycling program, further reducing the carbon footprint of our glass water bottles.

The glass artisans, blowers, and employees at Pavisa are committed to sustainable and green efforts along with creating beautiful, functional glass products.

  • They save more than 30% on energy consumption by using recycled glass which they source from their own curbside recycling program.
  • They have an in-house water recycling program
  • They have sophisticated dust collectors to prevent environmental pollution
  • Using recycled glass reduces air pollution by 20% and water pollution by 40%

In addition to their green efforts, the artisans at Pavisa make beautiful glass. You can see their work with our reusable glass water bottles, but they also manufacture glass for other companies. Another beautiful example? The beautifuul hand-crafted bottles for Patrón Tequila bottles. 

We’re proud to partner with Pavisa – a company committed to beauty and the environment – just like us.

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Earth Day Experiment: My Plastic Inventory

For Earth Day next week, I decided to do a personal inventory of the amount of plastic in my daily life. I l kept it simple and didn’t include things related to having two young children (it’d seriously skew the number). I only counted plastic containers, products or pieces of plastic I consumed or touched as part of my day. I kept a Daily Plastic Tally for 5 whole days. And the results? It isn’t pretty – on an average day I touch 53 plastic products (the range went from 34 to 76). Here’s my average list of things:

  1. Alarm clock
  2. Shampoo bottle
  3. Soap holder
  4. Razor
  5. Moisturizer
  6. Sunscreen
  7. Deodorant
  8. Toothbrush
  9. Toothpaste
  10. Dental floss container
  11. Trashcan
  12. Hairdryer
  13. Hair products
  14. Medicine container
  15. Make up pods
  16. Lip balm
  17. Cereal liner
  18. Milk carton
  19. Toaster (plastic lever)
  20. Yogurt cup
  21. Dried fruit container
  22. Hot water kettle (for tea)
  23. iPhone case
  24. iPhone charger (wires are coated in plastic and the charging base is plastic)
  25. Credit cards (made of plastic)
  26. Car (so many parts are made of PVCs and other plastics)
  27. Hand sanitizer
  28. Tissue soft pack
  29. Desktop screen
  30. Keyboard
  31. Desk phone
  32. Pen
  33. Presentation remote
  34. Elevator button
  35. Bread bag
  36. Deli meat container
  37. Condiment jar
  38. Refrigerator
  39. Snack zip-top bag
  40. Frozen vegetable bags
  41. Food packaging
  42. Radio/CD player
  43. Light switches
  44. DVD case
  45. TV Remote control
  46. TV
  47. Camera (I take pictures nearly every day with a digital SLR, but the body is mostly plastic)
  48. Various gym equipment (this could get long – think treadmill, bike helmet, swim goggles, push up bar, etc)
  49. Random kitchen tools like spatulas, measuring cups
  50. Dishwashing soap
  51. Sponge scrubber
  52. Dish drying rack
  53. Laundry soap and measuring cap

 

To be fair, plastic is unavoidable in certain things and in some ways it can reduce the weight of products or increase the convenience. But as I kept tallying – day after day – I kept realizing I could make better choices and cut down on the plastic in my life.  For the last 36 days, I’ve been tweeting the 1 green thing (see #my1greenthing) and challenging myself to make an effort to be better for my health and the environment. Thankfully my water bottle is glass with silicone grippers and cap and I switched to glass food storage containers. Small changes add up.

So what do you think? Or better still send me your Daily Plastics Number and any tips you have to cut down on the plastic.

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New Study Confirms Everyday Plastics Leach Chemicals

Should we all be surprised?  A new study from the researchers at Environmental Health Perspectives confirms that plastics – from plastic sippy cups to plastic water bottles to plastic wrap – release chemicals that mimic the sex hormone estrogen. 

The researchers bought more than 450 products that come in contact with food or beverage from your everyday stores like Whole Foods and Walmart.  In lab testing, which isn’t as volatile as the real-world where we get hot sun, cold refrigeration, microwaves and freezers, more than 70% of the products leached estrogenic chemicals.

This chemical release even happens from BPA-free plastic, long thought to be the only plastic chemical culprit to potentially affect our health. In the study, researchers took plastic water bottles and plastic baby bottles that are BPA-free and 100% of them leached estrogenic chemicals.

You can read the full study here and decide for yourself. For our team at BottlesUp, you can understand why we’re committed to zero plastics in our products and our packaging.  Join in and take a vow now to minimize plastic and when you can – go glass.

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Yellow Pages Offers an Option to Opt Out

Yellow Pages now allows you to opt out.

If you’re like me, you’re one of the more than 70% of Americans who rarely or never look at the Yellow Pages – the behemoth book of business listings that comes unannounced to our doorsteps. I live in an area where I get not just one, but four different of these kinds of books every year.  Four! And while, I faithfully recycle these books, but the damage is done. They were already printed, transported and delivered wasting precious resources on a product few of us use in our homes.

Now, however, we can opt out of receiving any of the Yellow Pages that litter our doorsteps, thanks to the trade association that manages Yellow Pages.  To opt out, click over to www.yellowpagesoptout.com and register. You have to enter your address and phone number, but a note from the trade association on the page promises that this information won’t be used for any purpose other than the opt out

It’s not just by recycling plastic and using resuable glass water bottles that can help your health and the environment, you can stop paper waste from showing up at your doorstep with one easy click.

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