We believe that buying long-lasting, high-quality stuff, repairing what you have and seeking out only what you truly need matters. And just like practicing yoga or committing to a fitness program, reducing waste and your footprint on the whole is definitely easier with a little practice and routine.
Read MoreWe believe that buying long-lasting, high-quality stuff, repairing what you have and seeking out only what you truly need matters. And just like practicing yoga or committing to a fitness program, reducing waste and your footprint on the whole is definitely easier with a little practice and routine.
Read MoreKids need the outdoors. They need wild places to run and pretend – where they can be, simply, kids. As parents, we know this – little children just aren’t meant to be cooped up inside all day. That’s why I love this new video from American Rivers, following eight-year old Parker as he counts down his favorite things about rivers (#21, time with mom. My favorite). I have two little boys, and outside time is important. Especially river time. Of course, a weekend on the North Umpqua or a float on the John Day isn’t always possible, because… work, laundry, groceries, diapers, naps, life. But we try. There are days we don’t get beyond the front yard, but sometimes exploring our old walnut tree, following bugs through the grass, and watching crows flying overhead is its own fantastic adventure. When we get outside, we’re all happier. When we’re outside, we get to bond as a family in new ways. My kids open my eyes to new perspectives. We’re away from screens and other distractions. My New Year’s resolutions centered around presence, patience and play. Being outside with my boys helps with all three. So here’s to getting outside with our kids every day, rain or shine, whether it’s a camping trip or a simple walk around the neighborhood. Here’s to letting our kids be kids, and to enjoying the magic and beauty of fresh air and clean water together. Klean Voice Contributor Amy Kober is the Senior Director of Communications at American Rivers, as well as the mother of two little boys. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
Read MoreGiving back is part of who we are at Klean. As a family-owned brand and a certified BCorp focused on the triple bottom line of People, Profit and Planet (not necessarily in that order), we believe it’s our responsibility to support the nonprofit organizations out doing the tough work for us. We choose partners like the Breast Cancer Fund who align with our company values and mission to provide safe, healthy reusable solutions. We aren’t interested in just cutting a check and showing up at the annual Gala. We seek real mutual relationships with our partners and find creative ways to share their story with our staff and community. I have the honor of having a full time position at Klean Kanteen dedicated to managing and nurturing these relationships. Pretty awesome. This past month, while at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, we hosted the Breast Cancer Fund in our booth for a Happy Hour one evening. We invited guests to “Pick their Poison” and poured cocktails into our new 10oz steel cups branded “Protect our Peaks” for a donation of $5. We held a rowdy raffle of fantastic prizes donated by several BCF supporters in the Outdoor Industry. My friend Jessica Smith from BCF flew in for the show and said a few words at the event. We were also thrilled to make a donation of $10,000 to our friends that evening on top of the monies raised by the crowd. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to raise awareness of this amazing organization focused on prevention and to get others involved in supporting their cause. For more information on Klean Kanteen's partnerships, please check out the Giving Back section of our website. We hope it inspires you to learn more about the nonprofit organizations that we support and to find one that share your passion for conservation, stewardship and the health of our people and planet. Klean Voice Contributor Caroleigh Pierce is the Nonprofit Outreach Manager at Klean Kanteen, and quite possibly the most naturally energetic human on the planet. Caroleigh is incredibly skilled at aligning Klean Kanteen with nonprofits that do incredible things, and her passion for fostering these relationships is simply beautiful.
Read MoreBreast Cancer Fund works tirelessly year after year to help eliminate the environmental toxins that lead to breast cancer. As a proud partner of the organization, we do our part every day to support these efforts in any way we can. Of course, we do this by making products that the general public can trust; all Klean Kanteen bottles are entirely BPA, BPS and liner-free, which provides consumers with a toxin-free solution to BPA-laden water bottles, to-go coffee cups and plastic food containers. Additionally, we participate in Breast Cancer fundraising whenever possible. This year, our very own Michelle Kalberer, co-owner of Klean Kanteen, is going to Climb Against the Odds. Between now and June, she'll be training to climb 14,179-foot Mt. Shasta in Northern California, all the while fundraising in support of Breast Cancer Fund. We asked Michelle why this particular effort is near and dear to her heart, and here's what she told us: "I’ve held my mom’s hand -- and recently the hand of my best friend -- through breast cancer. I am saddened, scared and frustrated that only half of those diagnosed with breast cancer experience the disease as a result of genetics; the other half of breast cancer diagnoses can be linked to toxins in our environment. That’s one of the reasons it’s so special to me to support the Breast Cancer Fund. They connect the dots for consumers around what we can do to lessen our exposure, and they go to bat for us to make real change happen. Conquering Mount Shasta is just icing on the cake! I’ve got my boots, I love a good challenge and I will summit that mountain with determination.” Unfortunately, we live in a time when stories of personal connection to the battle against breast cancer are incredibly common. Fortunately, organizations such as Breast Cancer Fund are doing their part to make all of this a part of our history, not our future. If you'd like to donate to Michelle's Climb Against the Odds, please visit her fundraising page and do just that: here. We'll be sharing updates about Michelle's training and her climb up through June right here on the Klean Blog, so stay tuned!
Read MoreIn 2007, the world's first and only competition for handbag designers, the Independent Handbag Designer Awards (IHDA), launched. In the eight years since, IHDA has grown immensely, to the point where it now receives around 1,500 applications per year. What hasn't changed is that the IHDA offers designers from around the globe with varied levels of experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to present their work in front of a panel of some of the most renowned designers, buyers and influencers in the industry. IHDA is a unique platform that effectively puts talented new designers on the map in a big way. So this year, Klean Kanteen decided to support the platform, get involved and do our part to encourage sustainable design efforts. Emily Blumenthal, founder of Handbag Designer 101 and the Independent Handbag Designer Awards sums our collaboration up this way: "We are always looking for innovative brands to partner for the Handbag Awards. Klean Kanteen is a stand-out brand for their original designs and unique approach to eco-products which made them a perfect fit for our Best Green Handbag category." The 2015 Independent Handbag Designer Awards created a specific entry category for designers called The Klean Kanteen Best Green Handbag. In order to enter into this category, handbags must meet the following qualifications: Made from entirely raw materials (100% cotton, hemp, bamboo or cork) Made from recycled materials (fabric, PET bottles, vinyl, etc.) Made from sustainable fibers (corn based, cotton, linen, ramie, seaweed, silk, soy, etc.) Made with recycled or reused material components (e.g. metal zippers, buttons or clasps) Handbag should be completely recyclable at the end of its life Any dyed fabric should be done with non-toxic dye that doesn't use fixing agents The winner of the Klean Kanteen Best Green Handbag will have the opportunity to work with Klean Kanteen, receive a year-long membership to the Accessories Council and will be part of the IHDA feature in the September issue of InStyle Magazine! Think you've got what it takes or know a designer who does? Apply today.
Read MoreThis year, a dynamic event broke ground in the world of professional snowboarding. Community Cup became the first snowboarding competition to alter its entire infrastructure to cater more mindfully to its riders -- and to care for the planet every step of the way. The documentary film about the event allows us to listen to 16 Olympians about the art of snowboarding and competing, while giving us a unique perspective on why snowboarding events (both big and small) are due for some serious change. “The reason why I chose to participate and co-create this event is because I think it’s important for women’s snowboarding to have a competition where the course is specially designed for them, and the intention is all on the women. I believe we will see the most progression and style out of that,” says Co-Founder and four time Norwegian Olympian Kjersti Buaas. “If you want a good contest and you want the riders to do well, the riders are gonna do well if they are riding a course that they like and have input on. The competition format was a true representation of how you were snowboarding that day. That’s laid the foundation for a good competition,” states 2014 Community Cup Winner, Christy Prior. “To see that you can work with weather and have an actual say -- that was the best. I just love snowboarding, I don’t care what I do with snowboarding; I am a freestyle snowboarder, you can put any obstacle in front of me and I will try to make the best out of it,” former World Champion and two time Dutch Olympian, Cheryl Maas. “It was such a rider friendly event. No stress and so much progression,” USA Olympian Ty Walker. “This is not just about snowboarding. This is about Community. This is about caring about the world and where we are evolving. Not doing one thing while polluting another. We don’t want to just take, we want to give in that process,” says Community Cup Founder and professional snowboarder Chanelle Sladics. Take a look at the Community Cup trailer above. The film is now available for purchase on iTunes for $5.99, and would make the perfect gift for the snowboarder in your life. Check it out!
Read MoreDuring the first week of December, Klean Kanteen participated in two events: The International Music Festival Convention ( IMFCON) and the International Film Festival Summit (IFFS). Our very own Field Marketing Manager, Melissa McClary, was there to represent the brand, and was asked to speak on the Sustainability Panel as a representative of Klean's capacity to be an agent for change in festival activations. Naturally, we couldn't be more proud of her! We asked Melissa to share what it was like to participate in these events, and here's what she had to say: Over a period of three days earlier this month, I had the great pleasure of representing Klean Kanteen at IFFS and IMFCON in Austin, Texas. You might ask: What exactly is Klean Kanteen doing at a convention for people who plan music and film festivals? Well, we are leading the charge in changing the way these events think about sustainability, as well as aiding them in considering the impacts that they leave on the individuals, communities and landscapes where these events are held. Anyone who has ever attended a music festival has seen the huge amount of plastic cup and bottle waste that's produced by attendees in just a few days. It's this huge amount of single-use waste that has started the conversation at Klean Kanteen about the need to create a solution for reducing waste at these events. What's more, it's what has brought around the birth of the iconic Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Pint. The pint itself has changed the face of sustainability at festivals, and it's due to this notable impact in the festival community that I was invited to speak. During the Sustainability Panel, we had lively conversation and great interaction with the audience who came to hear us talk. It was a true pleasure to learn more about how festivals and events are evolving their environmental policies. Of course, it was also amazing to hear some epic success stories and some serious setbacks these festivals and events have faced. For me, festivals are amazing micro-communities where people are drawn together by a mutual love of culture, film, art, music or sport. In a time when we all spend so much time isolated from community in our day-today lives (sitting behind computers, driving alone in cars to and from work, watching tv and communicating most through online platforms), when we gather together around an event, an amazing thing happens: we CONNECT, we CELEBRATE! It’s this connection the creates conversation, creates new ideas and creates the momentum for change. It’s so exciting to be a part of the change toward sustainable celebration in these festival communities. Check our Events Calendar to see where we’ll be in 2015, and where you can join us. We hope to see you at any one of them! Until then, happy sustainable celebrations to you all this holiday season.
Read MoreWords of Wilderness: 1836 - Present from Pete McBride on Vimeo. This year, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Wilderness Act, which defined, once and for all, wilderness as “an area where the Earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor and does not remain.” This monumental recognition and powerful legislation is just as useful today as it was in 1964 because it allows Congress to protect some of our nation’s most precious wild lands, again and again. We love our public lands, the recreation opportunities they offer and the solitude and soul-feeding beauty they offer all of us. So it’s important that we protect as much land as possible. Adding to that, 2014 is a unique and potentially opportune year because lawmakers of the 113th Congress currently have the momentum necessary to some of these wilderness bills across the finish line. As a nation, we also have the momentum of the 50th Anniversary of The Wilderness Act to build upon by protecting more wildernesses for decades to come. So, what can you do? Historically, wilderness protection comes from those who experience the natural beauty of their own backyards and then feel moved to fight for their protection. You can help protect the wilderness in your own neck of the woods by exercising your civic rights and speaking up! Email your Senator to tell them that you love these wild places and that you – and your community – want them to stay wild. Join us in a movement along with many local communities in urging Congress to pass wilderness protection. We'll close this out with words from filmmaker Pete McBride, who created the film above. In a recent National Geographic post, he writes: "That said, there one fundamental distinction we cannot forget: unlike farms and gardens, wilderness areas cannot change, nor are they allowed to be changed. No permanent buildings, no roads, no wheeled traffic. Their management plans might have adjusted over the last 50 years, but their undeveloped landscapes have not. A few trails may have appeared; a few trees may have sprouted skyward, crashed to earth, or even burned. Yet, what someone saw in 1964 is roughly the same today."
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