Otterbottle Stainless Steel Water Bottle
Otterbottle is a up and coming Canadian company that has designed a series of colorful and environmentally friendly stainless steel water bottles. Stainless steel water bottles like these can really help you avoid using plastic water bottles and living a greener lifestyle.
Otterbottle
History
After years of seeing landfills being overrun with plastic water bottles, Shannon Andrukow decided to develop an alternative. Using her passion for the environment as well as sense of style, the Otterbottle stainless steel bottle series was born in 2007 in Calgary, Canada. Her goal is to develop a stylish set of environmentally friendly stainless steel water bottles and at the same time not be harmful to drink from. Plastic water bottles, in particular Nalgene, contain harmful Bisphenol A (BPA) that is a hormone blocker. It can be extremely harmful to our health and has been connected to causing hormonal problems and even diffeerent types of cancer.
Why Buy?
Some of the really nice features of Otterbotle’s include:
- Stainless Steel: Made of high grade, quality 18/8 stainless steel and are BPA-free.
- Stylish Designs: They carry almost 20 designs to choose from. All paint is tested for lead to ensure bottles are completely safe.
- Lid: Each bottles comes with two lids, a sports sipper lid and a twist lid that are held together with a carabiner clip.
- Variety of Sizes: Comes in three sizes, 500ml, 750ml and 900ml.
- Donations: On top of building a quality bottle, they also donate a portion of their proceeds to the David Suzuki Foundation.
The thing that really sets Otterbottle apart is their style. They have designed a type of bottle for just about anybody.
David Suzuki Foundation
The David Suzuki foundation has been around for almost 20 years. The organizations goal is to find ways for our society to live more naturally with our environment and become a more sustainable society. There are four areas that this foundation focuses on: oceans and sustainable fishing, climate change and clean energy, sustainability, and the Nature Challenge. They seek out scientists, researchers and and the business world to help research a way that our economy can stay competitive while living in sync with nature.
Testing it Out
I actually have had the pleasure of owning an Otterbottle and have nothing but great things to say about it. The stainless steel it is made from is top quality. I have dropped it at least once already and I have yet to see a dent on it. It also has no aftertaste like plastic water bottles typically do. Cleaning has been really easy as all I do is wash it down with some soap and water or throw it in the dishwasher. I would highly recommend this water bottle to any of my Canadian readers.
Where to Buy
The Otterbottle is currently only sold in Canada and on several Canadian retail and online stores including their own store.
Be sure to check out my interview with great interview I had with Shannon Andrukow.
Interview with Otterbottle’s Shannon Andrukow
I got the great opportunity to do an interview with the creator of Canada’s Otterbottle Inc. Shannon Andrukow. She is a full-time mother and entrepreneur and it truly was a real honor to do this interview with her.
Otterbottle Inc. Questions
What is the most influential thing that inspired you to first produce the Otterbottle?
My kids. It is amazing how ultra health conscious and environmentally aware you become when you have children. I thought i was already there, but the kids took it one step further.
What differentiates the Otterbottle from other competitors like Klean Kanteen?
I wanted to fuse style with health and practicality. Otterbottle offers cool designs which allow people to personalize the bottles. The designs are unique.
Where did the name Otterbottle come from?
Otterbottle is very environmentally focused. our mission is to conserve the planet’s water. An otter is an animal that lives in water, which we want to preserve and it rhymes with water, so it is not easily forgotten.
Did you come up with all of the designs and if so do any have a special meaning?
My designer is one of my closest friends, so yes, every design has great meaning. I trust her and her talent implicitly. Most of the ideas come from friends and family and then she magically translates the concepts into incredible designs that appeal to everyone.
Currently Otterbottle is only sold in Canada. Do you have any plants to expand sales to other countries including America?
Yes, but we would likely explore counrties in Europe first…
I see that you use high grade 18/8 stainless steel to produce each Otterbottle. Are they made from recycled materials and if not has the idea come up?
Using recycled steel is a great idea and it is something we are currently exploring with the manufacturer.
What were some of the main reasons for choosing the David Suzuki Foundation to provide a portion of your proceeds to?
I remember watching Dr. Suzuki on the nature of things as a child. I consider him the founder of the environmental movement in Canada and i have complete respect for him. if you ask a Canadian to name a person who makes them think of the environment, i would guess 9 out of 10 people would say “David Suzuki.” I am just as honored that the DSF would permit me to work with them – we share their goals and values.
Many people have become concerned about purchasing products made in China. Was there a reason you chose to have them made in China?
In 2007, 47% of the world’s steel came from china. as such the economics for sourcing steel and producing the bottles there is better than anywhere else. To our knowledge there are no stainless steel water bottles being produced in Canada. in all of our research all stainless steel bottles are being manufactured in china (including Klean Kanteen and Sigg stainless steel). As such, the manufacturing process in Asia is far more advanced than anywhere else in the world. This aligns with our objective to provide the consumer with a cost-effective, high quality, durable, and reusable product. Our bottles are metal tested in Canada for quality assurance purposes and we are very specific on our expectations for ethical practice and fair treatment to employees. our companies’ mission has a global perspective as opposed to a domestic focus. Our company promotes a plastic-free world for your health and your environment. In saying this, we are referring to the world, not one country. Reducing plastic and increasing environmental awareness is everyone’s responsibility.
Personal Questions
What are some of the things that you do in your daily life that help you live a more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle?
I have always been very conscious of the 3 r’s and in order – reducing (less consumerism), re-using (bottles, bags, mugs, etc) and recycling. I am a major proponent of educating others where i can in addition to making eco-friendly behavior just a way of life, which i have done for decades.
As a full-time mother, was it difficult ( and is it still difficult ) to have a good work-life balance?
Almost impossible. I work very late nights, very early mornings, spend the days with my kids. now that the business is up and running well, the objective is to delegate, delegate, delegate!
I just want to say thank you for taking your time to answer these questions. It has been a pleasure to be writing an article about your great company. Not only is Otterbottle Inc. trying to make a difference by producing reusable stainless steel water bottles, but you are also giving back to your community. Is there anything further you would like to tell my readers?
Thank you kindly for all of your support. Initiatives like yours and mine are what is going to make a difference on this planet.
Quick Savings Tip: Go Paperless
Whether it be at the office or in your household, paper is used excessively without concern to how much it could be harming the environment and taking a bite out of your wallet. In 2005 alone, close to 100 million tons of paper and paperboard were used in American. We as a country use way too much paper and need to begin making better decisions in terms of whether to print something or not and consider available paperless options.
Paperless Office Solutions
Our business offices are probably where a good majority of the paper we waste each year is coming from. I already wrote about some Environmentally Friendly Printing Tips that could help you reduce reducing the amount of paper you are using. Paperless solutions just make sense in office settings. With computers on most of the day, there are many e-solutions that can also help reduce the amount of paper you are using in your office:
Emailing
Next time you want to print out a document to have revised by a fellow coworker, email them it instead. This will not only ensure that you are providing them with the latest document, but it can make the process of getting a document far quicker. If they need to revise the document, comments can be added in modern word processing software applications. This will make it easier to read any changes that are necessary and not require multiple copies to be printed. It also allows a person to maintain a copy of the file much easier. Whenever I receive something in paper form, it usually gets thrown on my desk and more difficult to find. If you have it stores in an email or locally on your computer, it will be much easier to find when you need to reference it.
Meetings
Wasteful printing for meetings is one of the more frustrating things that I often encounter. On most occasions, people during the meeting rarely look at the document you given them, especially when something is projected on the screen. Why not save printing multiples copies of something by simply showing it on a projection. Papers received during meetings just end up being shredded or tossed in the trash immediately after it is over anyways. More irritating is when what is projected is the same as the paper document given. Why do I need to see it in two forms when I can just listen more carefully to what the presenter is saying and take notes on my own pad of paper? Documents can also be sent upon completion of the meeting in the form of an email if a copy is desired.
Direct Debit
Instead of receiving paychecks every pay period, try switching over to direct debit. Not only will you save gas by not having to take it to get cashed, but you will be reducing paper usage. Why not just ask for all of your work related documents to be given electronic instead of having them sent to your house. Luckily my company stores most of my paperwork on the web so I can easily access them. If you company does not have electronic versions, you can try to ask them to switch over. You can even present ideas on how they could save money in the long term by switching.
Bills and Statements
Getting bills and statements in the mail is another huge waste of paper and an unnecessary one at that. Many companies are switching over to electronic solutions for paying and receiving your bills and viewing your statements. I have even heard of some banks and similar institutions giving better interest rates to consumers who go paperless. By switching over, you can also save 6.6 pounds of paper, reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted to produce the paper and save around 4.5 gallons of gas need to mail bills and payments.
If you haven’t already pursued it with any companies you get bills or statements from, you should ask if they have a paperless option. Many companies are already pushing many customers to save money on their end. Jump on the opportunity to take this option as it could help make you life easier as well as reduce the amount of paper required to produce those documents.
Declutter
With no more bills or statements being sent to you, you can dramatically reduce the amount of clutter you have in your house. All your documents can be stored on your computer by downloading the documents off of the companies website or leave maintaining them up to the company. Regardless, the documents are not being kept in a file cabinet taking up more space than necessary.
Easier Tax Time
After just mentioning various green tax credits, going paperless can make your tax time a lot easier as with getting those deductions. Your bills, statements and receipts can all be stored on your computer and help make finding them much easier. It will also reduce any chance that you will lose any of these documents.
No More Checks
By paying bills online, it can save you money since checks are no longer necessary and you will not need to purchase another check book. On top of that, it will save you time. Bills can be paid in minutes. You can even reduce more time by setting up automatic payments. No more trips to the post office or stamps to mail your payments.
2009 Top Green Tax Credits and Deductions
Tax time is always crazy and this year is no exception. The government has several large bills and it’s often hard to keep track of the ways we can be back as much of our taxes as possible. The good thing is that the government is providing us with more “green” tax credit and deductions than ever before.
Tax Credit vs. Tax Deduction
Before going too far into the various green tax credits and deductions available, I just want to make sure everybody knows the difference between the two because it is extremely important. A tax credit is a one-for-one dollar reduction in your total tax bill. Think of it as the government literally giving you a credit for a particular amount of money off of your tax bill. A tax deduction on the other hand reduces your taxable income. Once you have all of your deductions taken off of your total income, this amount is then the amount of money you will be taxed against. The difference is a large one in that a tax credit is much more beneficial than a deduction, but both are useful in reducing your tax bill.
Now that I’ve discussed the difference, lets go through some of the top incentives that the government is providing to those who are making their lives a little more green:
Heating and Air Conditioning
By upgrading your heating and air conditioning system to an Energy Star rated system, you could qualify to get a tax credit of 30% of the purchase price with a $1,500 cap. The types of systems include electric, natural gas, propane and oil. There are various minimum efficiency requirements depending for each type of system, so be sure to check the the system before putting this credit on taxes. With energy companies always raising their rates, I consider this an extremely important tax credit. Heating systems are essential and even having it at a low temperature can still cost a fortune. I have heard of people in Maryland getting energy bills of $500+ while only having the temperature at around 65°. By upgrading your system you can not only save on your monthly energy bills, but also get up to a $1,500 incentive to do so.
Renewable Energy System
Renewable energy was really given a large boost during the 2008 Economic Stimulus package including huge tax benefits if you have installed one this past year.
Geothermal Heat Pumps
Geothermal energy has really become popular of late especially in terms of a heat pumps. They allow you to transfer heat from the ground and use it throughout your house with the use of minimal electricity. Many consider a geothermal system one of the most efficient heating systems on the market. The only problem is that they can not be installed everywhere and existing duct work may need to be replaced in order to install one in your home. What’s nice about a geothermal heating system is that it can provide a 30% tax credit with no cap like a traditional heating/cooling system. On top of having huge savings on your energy bill, you could get 30% off the total cost of the system. Be sure to
Solar and Wind Energy Systems
Just as with the geothermal system, both wind and solar systems provide a 30% tax credit with no upper limit. Whether it be solar panels, a solar heating system or a small wind generator, all qualify for the tax credit. There are some qualifications on the solar heating system as it must generate heating for more than 50% of the household. If you are planning on buying a system in the near future, this tax credit is available all the way through 2016.
Insulating Your Home
If you bought new doors, windows, insulation or roofing that provide better insulation for you house, you can get a 30% tax credit of a value up to $1,500. All of these changes can help keep your house warmer/colder depending on the season and you can also get part of the cost funded by the government. The general requirement for many of these items is that they are Energy Star rated or meet a particular quality requirements. If you plan on insulating your house, these tax credits are available for products purchased through the end of 2009.
Cars
If you bought a hybrid, battery electric or alternate fuel vehicle, be sure to take advantage of this tax credit. The tax reduction depends on the particular vehicle you purchase and how efficient the vehicle is. The amount can range anywhere from $250-$7,500 depending on the particular vehicle. There are some restrictions including a vehicle limit of 60,000 per year with tax credits for Toyota and Honda already being used up. Be sure to check with out FuelEconomy.gov or a tax consultant to find out more information on what types of tax breaks are available for different types of vehicles and further requirements.
I covered the major tax breaks available that can help reduce your tax bill whether it be this year’s taxes or next years. With many of the incentives I mentioned above, you not only will be getting a break through you tax bill, but also through your monthly energy bills. As I stated above, if you are not clear of all of the details, be sure to check with a tax professional so you don’t get audited.
Additional Tax Incentives?
If there are any additional incentives that I failed to mention or you are utilizing any of the above that I mentioned, please share them with us.
February Contest Winner!!!
I just want to announce a winner for this contest. Congratulations Jackie from http://twinjackienurse.blogspot.com/ won the contest. Thanks to everybody who participated. I will hosting more contests in the near future. Please be sure to sign up for my RSS feed to keep up with all of my latest articles and any contests I will be hosting.
Last Day for February Giveaway
This is the last day for my February Giveaway. Be sure to comment or subscribe to my email subscription to sign up. I will be tallying up everybody votes and using a randon number generator to select a person. I will email the person immediately after I pick a winner and be posting something.
I will also be hosting further contests this month, so be sure to check back soon.
Wind Turbines Designed for Your House
Homeowners in the UK have the benefit of having custom micro wind generators built just for houses. Windsave is the company behind making micro wind turbines built specifically for each homeowner to maximize their energy benefit as well as the most cost effective solution. What makes Windsave’s solution so unique is that they use Solidworks CAD software to design wind turbines, thus reducing their carbon foot print while saving money.
WindSave
Windsave was started in 2002 in Glasgow, Scotland to provide micro renewable energy solutions for individuals and businesses. They currently have the WindSave system that was developed to generate energy from small amounts of wind. These solutions can really help reduce a household’s need to tap into the electric grid by providing a portion from wind energy. They would like individuals and small businesses to take their energy needs into their own hands instead of continuing to rely on large energy companies.
Solidworks
If you are not already familiar with Computer aided Design or CAD software, it allows many professions to represent a 3 dimensional object into a 2 dimensional drawing. Architects and a variety of engineers rely heavily on CAD software to allow them to draft up drawings much more quickly than anything in the past. Solidworks is currently one of the more popular types of CAD software available on the market today. Windsave utilizes their software to be able to model their wind turbines in a timely manner to cut out a lot of cost, while saving time if a redesign is necessary. They have also been able to make their micro wind generator much more aerodynamic and efficient because of the CAD software tool at a fraction of the cost of using traditional methods.
It seems like there are more companies sprouting up in other countries to help consumers help lower their reliance from monopolizing energy companies and do so by using a renewable energy source like wind energy. Hopefully a company like Windsave starts up in America as it would allowing individuals to choose another renewable energy sources besides solar. Even though it will not solve all of our energy needs, it could move us in the right direction and maybe put some pressure on our greedy energy companies.
