November 21, 2014
Our beloved stainless steel cup has just gotten a little more versatile. Now it comes in a size that's arguably ideal for adult beverages and kid-friendly juices alike, thanks to its slightly stunted size. The original 16-ounce pint cup always seems to call for a hoppy brew, whereas the 10-ounce stainless steel cup is ideally suited to a pour of red wine or a salt-rimmed margarita on a hot summer day. What's more, the brand-new, smaller cup is much easier for kids to get a handle on, making it ideal for backyard barbecues with the entire family. Of course, the best part about these is that they're unbreakable, which makes them the perfect dish-ware for kids at home, for camping or as a gift for someone who simply likes the stainless steel look.
The 10-ounce cups can be ordered individually, or in packs of four. Either way, get your hands on them today!
#BRINGYOUROWN #NewProduct
November 13, 2014
The Marine Conservation Institute puts it this way:
"People need air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, new medicines, a climate we can live in, beauty, inspiration and recreation. We need to know we belong to something bigger than ourselves. We want a better future for those we care about. Because the oceans are the largest ecosystems on Earth, they are the Earth’s largest life support systems. To survive and prosper, we all need healthy oceans. Oceans generate half of the oxygen people breathe. At any given moment, more than 97% of the world’s water resides in oceans. Oceans provide a sixth of the animal protein people eat. They’re the most promising source of new medicines to combat cancer, pain and bacterial diseases. Living oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reduce the impact of climate change."
Of course, if cuteness has any effect on you, this video of an orphaned sea otter pup being taken in and cared for by the incredible staff at the Shedd Aquarium might motivate you to consider that by protecting our oceans -- and doing our part to reduce the amount of plastic waste we throw into them -- we're in turn protecting the incredible (and heart-meltingly cute) creatures whose lives depend on it. Enjoy.
#BRINGYOUROWN
November 13, 2014
If you're someone who loyally carries around a reusable container, bottle or mug wherever you go -- we salute you. It's this small change, made by many people all over the world on a daily basis, that makes a difference in the amount of single-use waste that's generated far too much.
We want to inspire you to keep it up, and to become advocates for the #BringYourOwn movement, so we've created an opportunity for you to win a brand-new Klean Kanteen by showing off what you already do. Here's how it works:
2. Enter the contest by submitting a photo of your reusable container and captioning it: #BringYourOwn.
3. Ask your friends, family and fans to vote for your shot.
4. At the end of December, the 10 users who submitted the photos with the most votes will win a 12-ounce Vacuum Insulated Klean Kanteen in the color of their choice.
Enter today! And be sure to check out the #BringYourOwn films, ask questions and join the conversation at #BringYourOwn.
#BRINGYOUROWN
November 03, 2014
Klean Kanteen created the #BringYourOwn project to inspire a new conversation around eliminating single use and waste in the environment. Typically, the dialogue goes something like this; “YOU need to change the way you live to make the world better. Here’s a simple step that you can take to live ‘smarter.’ It’s not that hard.”
But research shows that ingrained habits, convenience, and public policies can make it really hard for people to make these personal changes. So we want to change that and meet them where they are.
#BringYourOwn starts a conversation around the policies and cultural ideas that promote a disposable lifestyle. Why is it easier to find a disposable bottle of water than finding a place to fill your reusable bottle? Why are there some places that will fill your reusable container and other places that have health codes against it? Why is bringing reusable options seen as so easy by some, but sort of hard for many?
There are reasons for all of these questions. And we want to talk about them. So join the conversation at #BringYourOwn.
Watch the films below to see what #BringYourOwn is all about.
Will You Fill? from Klean Kanteen on Vimeo.
Trashed Car from Klean Kanteen on Vimeo.
No To-Go from Klean Kanteen on Vimeo.
Time Lapse from Klean Kanteen on Vimeo.
Note: While waste stream reporting in the US is understandably complex, the numbers used in these films are based on widely used and accepted estimates throughout advocacy and academic work.
#BRINGYOUROWN
October 24, 2014
If you've ever pondered the question -- "How much of an impact does my morning to-go cup of coffee really make?" -- you're not alone. It's a good inquiry, and we're happy that people are mindfully considering the impact of their actions. All of that said, we believe most people are still not aware of just how much waste our nation generates. That leads us to also believe that it's incredibly important to impart this knowledge on those in the world who can spread the numbers and encourage others to bring their own containers.
Here are eight reasons to bring your own wherever you go, based on eight sets of numbers that reflect accepted estimates based on waste stream reporting throughout advocacy and academic work.
1. If we all stopped using to go cups, we would save 160 million paper cups every day.
2. Americans use 1,838 disposable cups every second.
3. The average American family throws away a car load of plastic every month.
4. The average American family throws away about 60 plastic water bottles a month.
5. The average American family throws away about 720 plastic water bottles a year.
6. The average American throws away about 170 plastic water bottles per year.
7. The average American throws away 4.5 pounds of trash per day.
8. Americans use more than 58 billion paper cups each year. That’s about 182 cups for every person in the country.
#plastic
October 23, 2014
Fall is here, and with it: a myriad of changing colors. Leaves are slowly shifting from bright greens to dusky oranges, and our bottles are making a marked transition as well, from vibrant hues with shine all around to matte-finished earth tones that practically beg for mitten-covered hands to hold them tight.
Whether fall in your region calls for mittens or not, you'll want to get your hands on the brand-new Fall 2014 Klean Kanteen lineup, which includes quite a few new items, in addition to those in striking new colors.
Our well-loved Stainless Steel cups now come in a brand-new smaller size: 10 ounces. That makes it perfect for handing out juice to your little ones, as well as for sipping fine wine out of on a crisp fall night amid friends. Another size adjustment will come in the form of the Classic bottle, which we're now offering up bigger than ever before, at a whopping 64 ounces.
The team here at Klean HQ is excited about the new product, especially the man behind the product, Director of Product Phil Notheis. We asked him to give us a bit of the inside scoop on everything new, and here's what he had to say:
"For Klean Kanteen loyalists, one of our brightly colored gleaming bottles is as essential as water itself! But sheen-free is the look we're feeling right now, and it's a great addition as we continue growing into new markets. While many people love our vibrant designs, some folks are after the "stealth look." We get it, and we love it. Anything but dull, the new finishes give our clean, classic and timeless bottle shapes a raw, edgy look that emphasizes design elements such as our curvy shoulders and clean surfaces. So pure."
Take a moment to browse the site and find your favorite look. Whether subdued Shale Black or bright Glacial Glass is your style, you'll find what you're after.
October 20, 2014
When filmmaker
Ben Sturgulewksi set out for a few summer weeks in his home turf of Alaska during solstice, he decided to do what he does best, what comes naturally to him: to capture some of it on film. The final product quickly drew the attention of fellow filmmakers, adventure junkies and the staff of Vimeo, who snatched it up as a Staff Pick in no time. We can't help but agree with the general consensus: this short film is stunning. It captures Alaska in a way that few of us would ever be able to see with our own two eyes, and the film does so with a crispness, speed and elegance that only a filmmaker like Ben could master. We took a few minutes to talk to Ben about how he caught this all on film, and what it was like during the process of filming. Here's what he had to say:
Ben: All of the footage was captured using the DJI Phantom 2. It's a small quadcopter that can easily fit down into a pack, with a stabilized camera mount (gimbal) that holds a GoPro. I love going on hikes while I'm up in Alaska, so I'd usually just throw it in the pack and march out to somewhere cool, and start flying! Before buying the Phantom, I had trained on a small $35 throwaway drone, the Syma X1. It has the same controls and everything, so it's a great learning tool. But putting a camera on it totally changes the game, and requires you to fly in a very delicate and controlled way. When I got to Alaska I had just picked up the Phantom, and was still largely learning the ropes, trying to line shots up through the video monitor (attached to the remote controller) and figure out what looks good, finding the right speed to fly at to get a desired effect, things like that. So I tried to experiment with a lot of different locations and camera moves, to see what looks good in the end. A whole lot looked terrible and was thrown away, and the stuff that ended up in Solstice were those that I thought worked out well. For me the allure of the drone in favor of a full-size helicopter (outside of the astronomical price difference, of course), is the drone's ability to get shots that helicopters can't. Flying through tight obstacles or very close to the ground, for example, where a helicopter's propwash would destroy everything. This opens up a whole new world of shot possibilities, and for me is perfect for my filming style. I like to get in tight with the subject. It just feels a bit more intimate. Drones, especially these smaller ones, allow you to do that in a way never seen before, and it's really exciting to explore all of the possibilities that opens up.
Klean: Is piloting a drone through tight places as tough as it looks?
Ben: Piloting the drone through tight spaces is actually pretty easy, but it takes a lot of confidence in both yourself and the ship. Usually I'll just line myself up at one end of the 'corridor' I'm flying through, and make sure the 'line goes', I guess, by seeing that there is a good line of sight path down it. Then I know that if I just throttle the drone forward and don't go side to side, it shouldn't hit anything. Of course this is all in theory, and I did take out some foliage for sure, but in the end it really is incredible how stable and controlled these crafts are, and it's surprisingly simple and easy to pilot it out again. Line of sight is the key though, and its not like you can be standing anywhere. If you were to try to pilot through the same scene from a profile perspective, you'd have zero depth of field and would immediately crash into something.
Klean: What was your inspiration for filming all of this footage?
Ben: I had just picked up the Phantom and was going on a June trip to Alaska, and thought I'd fly it around and learn how to use it. Ultimately the goal was to get lots of practice and be dialed in time for a ski-filming trip to South America I had in August. But over the month I was in AK, I guess I became obsessed with going out and trying to get all these different shots I had in mind... I was constantly thinking about things that might look cool, and exploring the system's possibilities, trying to get cool shots just to see what it was capable of. When I started to get some of the footage back in the computer and fiddle with it to make it look good, I realized that, whoa, this little thing can actually make some pretty impressive images. That only fueled the fire more, as I wanted to see how much I could really pull out of the machine. By the time I left, I had a big library of cool 'test footage', some of which I thought people would think was pretty cool, and it seemed like a shame not to do anything with it. So I started editing, and Solstice came together... the name inspired by the many hikes I took through the high northern June light that ended up being the basis for the video.
Klean: What was your favorite part of making Solstice?
Ben: Definitely my favorite part of making the piece was all the awesome places that it took me. I really became inspired to try to seek out the most beautiful locations I could, in the finest light, and show them in a unique way. It was an awesome excuse to get out and find yourself in an incredible place during magic hour. I'm addicted to sunsets and sunrises, and I found myself in a ton of them during the making of this. Ultimately these days I find that film has a wonderful way of getting me outside and doing some really fun things, whereas I might otherwise be inclined to sit inside and drink a beer and watch a movie, or sleep in. Having that drive to see and capture wonderful images has really made my life so much more satisfying, and while sometimes that drive can become a bit obsessive and ridiculous, I'm very happy I have it. At the end of the day, even if you miss the shot entirely, you're out there and doing it and internalizing it, and that, for me, is way more important than the end video product. But if other people can enjoy it after the fact in a well put together video, that's a great bonus!
Klean: What other film projects are you currently working on currently with STURGEFILM?
Ben: I've currently got several projects in the pipe. The biggest at the moment is a four-part skiing short film series in association with DPS Skis, Outdoor Research, and Gore-Tex, called
The Shadow Campaign. They were shot in Mount Baker, Argentina, Chile and Baldface up in British Columbia. They're launching this fall, so I'm deep in the editing cave finishing them up, but we're hopefully going to be starting up a season two that should bring me to some more awesome locations. That was primarily shot on Red, but next season the drone will be in tow, and now that my skills are a little more dialed, I hope to incorporate it into the program quite a bit. Capturing ski action and a quickly moving subject is a whole new challenge that should be fun to explore. Otherwise, I'm involved in a bunch of freelance shooting and editing work. I'm currently involved in a really cool project with Rush Sturge's production company River Roots, which is working on extreme adventure sports films for the Mexican Ministry of Tourism. So getting some great experience there shooting a huge array of sports. A ton of fun! Lots more in the pipe as well, and I'm really looking forward to getting back up to my home state of Alaska to make some more projects happen up there.
#WILDERNESS
October 20, 2014
The spirit of adventure drives the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival for nine epic days every fall, and this year will surely be no exception. If you're not yet familiar with Banff, here's the quick and dirty rundown of the Fest, from the Banff website:
"The world’s best mountain films, books, and speakers take the spotlight for nine days each fall in Banff. Experience the adventure of climbing, mountain expeditions, remote cultures, and the world’s last great wild places – all brought to life at The Banff Centre. The Festival offers a diverse range of experiences for the thousands of people who visit Banff to attend this world-class event. From armchair adventurers to weekend warriors, to the international mountain community – our enthusiastic audience brings the energy to this event!"
This year has been full of beautiful filmmaking, and for many of us, Banff presents the first opportunity to see the full-length version of the most anticipated adventure and eco-films we've only seen glimpses of thus far. Spend a few days -- or the entire week and a half -- sitting amid filmmakers, artists, environmental advocates, epic explorers and hardcore adventurers and you'll leave a little more than excited. Banff is a breeding ground for inspiration, and it has a habit of bringing even the most devout desk-workers to feel compelled to ditch their nine-to-five schedule in favor of living a life like the one they see in one of many films at Banff. There are so many incredible filmmakers who submit their work to Banff every year, and for 2014, there's an impressive list of films, which you can view here.
We've got our eyes on a few favorites, some of which you can watch the trailers for below.
DREAM
DREAM from NRS Films on Vimeo.
"When a newbie kayaker goes paddling, he discovers a posse of pros on the river and wonders whether someday he could be that cool. A daydream in the eddy transforms the purple-helmeted rookie into a whitewater Adonis."
DamNation
DamNation | Trailer from FELT SOUL MEDIA on Vimeo.
"This powerful film odyssey across America explores the sea change in our national attitude from pride in big dams as engineering wonders to the growing awareness that our own future is bound to the life and health of our rivers."
Our Canyon Lands
Our Canyon Lands Trailer from Our Canyon Lands on Vimeo.
"In Southeastern Utah, one of the last vast wild places in the lower 48 sits teetering on a precipice of rampant industrial development. Home to the most stunning desert landscapes in the world, the Greater Canyonlands Region has become the playground of adventurous souls who love and appreciate the wonder of wild places."
Nobody's River
NOBODY'S RIVER - TRAILER from NRS Films on Vimeo.
"The journey planned is rarely the journey taken. The Nobody’s River expedition team had no idea how true this would be as they prepared to leave for a two month expedition in Mongolia and Russia."
When Dogs Fly
When Dogs Fly: World's First Wingsuit BASE Jumping Dog from Dean S. Potter on Vimeo.
One lucky dog get to make the biggest jump ever.
#EVENTS #WILDERNESS
October 14, 2014
"Throughout our years, building relationships has always been more important to us than creating a catchy sales pitch. Relationships are what hold us together, and they are the connection that allows us to thrive individually, and to learn from one another. Having conversations, making new friends, growing, listening, learning and sharing ourselves is who we are. We hope that our friends, new and old, will join us in celebrating relationships, telling new stories, and having fun along the way." - Co-Owner Michelle Kalberer
Klean Kanteen has spent a decade building connections that we hold near and dear, and we've spent the last year celebrating our 10 year anniversary with all of you. Part of celebrating so many years together has included sharing stories of change: "Back in 2004, there were no stainless steel water bottles for personal hydration, and the health and environmental issues linked to plastic use were not widely known." It has also included reflecting on how much has remained the same; "We treat our customers like good neighbors and our partners like dear friends. We have stakeholders, not shareholders, an our bottom line is simple: to provide affordable, safe, healthy, high quality products and accessories and to promote and encourage health, sustainability and environmental awareness."
Today, Klean Kanteen is proud to unveil a new way of connecting and storytelling that bridges the gap between old and new, which just so happens to be a representation of what Klean Kanteen has become. With big smiles all around, the entire Klean Kanteen team would like to welcome you to the brand-new website, along with some beautiful new product and, as you see here, a new Blog for sharing stories, information, news, happenings and general updates. We believe this venue will serve as a resource for sharing tales, both ones we want to tell and ones we need to share with the world, while remaining true to the values -- of family, community, health, fun and the environment -- that the company itself is deeply rooted in.
Co-Owner Jeff Cresswell (who, if you didn't know, is Michelle's brother) wraps it all up with these words:
"Over the past 10 years we have listened to a lot of really great stories, many that included Klean Kanteen and many that didn’t. We've listened to stories that were about adventures, about our natural world and some that were simply just about living life. We have shared some of our own stories and have lived vicariously through others. However you look at it, whether it's your own storytelling or you living through someone else’s story, it's these narratives that bring us together, that help us understand each other, that connect us to people and place. We created this blog to share some stories from ourselves and from our friends. We invite you to enjoy, to live, to learn, and to have fun."
