Even though it is still July, we here in the Atlanta area are getting ready for back to school. I know it sounds crazy to you Northerners, and it is!
This time of year always gets me on my green high horse. It’s estimated that the average family spends close to $600 on back-to-school purchases. It’s no wonder. The amount of supplies required (and then used little or not at all) boggles the mind–and unfortunately, fills the landfills. Teachers require specific binders, composition notebooks and spiral notebooks for some tasks that just don’t warrant it. I have so many composition notebooks that have only 10-15 pages used. To be green, I recycle the used papers and then either force my kids to use them again (writing MUSIC in permanent marker on the cover doesn’t help this cause), or I use them for business. I’ve gone to many a business meeting with a notebook that says “Ryan’s Poetry”!
So this year, take some time to sort out your current supplies (kids don’t need BRAND new colored pencils each year!), and shop wisely. If you have an older girl and younger boy, ban the pink purchases (binders, folders, staplers, book covers). I learned this the hard way. It’s hard to pass down a pink binder to a 10-yr old boy. This pre-planning is both good for your pocket book and the environment.
One easy way to be green this year is to not use disposable water bottles in the lunch box. Make sure you have enough reusable ones on hand that are easy to refill, like Reduce WaterWeek. So, in honor of back-to-school shopping, we’re offering $5 off all Reduce WaterWeek bottle sets until August 24. Type in SCHOOL at checkout. Be sure to visit our Facebook page to learn more. www.facebook.com/reduceeveryday.
Have fun shopping!
Rani Quirk
Marketing Manager, Base Brands
July 27th, 2010
Wow, it’s been a hot summer. And if you live in the Northeast, record-breaking. So it’s critical to stay hydrated at all times, because dehydration can sneak up on you. Try to keep a steady intake of water too, not just before you’re going for that long bike ride at 3pm. It’s important to drink lots of water the DAY before big a outdoor activity in the heat. So, if you’re playing in the company softball tournament on Saturday, drink tons on Friday.
Our WaterWeek 5-bottle set is a great solution to help you drink more throughout the week. You always have a cold one in the fridge ready to grab and go. No need to buy wasteful disposable plastic water bottles again! The folks at Good Housekeeping agree. We were recently chosen as the third best plastic water bottle, according to their testers. We’re in good company with some top brands too. Here’s a bit from their post.
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/product-testing/from-the-lab-blog/best-plastic-water-bottles
The Best Plastic Water Bottles
July 9, 2010 at 8:55 AM by Paul Hope | comment
Here in New York, we’re coming off one of the hottest weeks in years. While drinking plenty of water is good advice throughout the year, it’s never more important than when you’re baking in the summer heat. Here are three great picks for reusable, BPA-free water bottles to help you quench your thirst and beat the summer heat in style.
3. Base Brands Reduce Waterweek $19.99: It’s hard to beat the price of these bottles, which work out to just under $4 each. They’re sold in sets of five with a unique plastic holder that lets you store them on the door of your fridge, so you always have a cold bottle on hand. Available in 10 designs.
Happy hydration!
Rani Quirk
Marketing Manager, Base Brands
July 12th, 2010
We’re buzzing here at Base Brands because our Reduce Smash Can has won a coveted design award! The IDEA (International Design Excellence Award) competition is a well-respected competition that attracts top-notch companies, and start-ups too. Over 1691 products entered, and only 403 went on to win a Gold, Silver or Bronze award. The Smash Can won a Silver IDEA award for its unique problem solving ability and distinct design. There isn’t another trash compactor like it on the market. It compacts 2x the household garbage, using less bags and resources.
We create products to solve simple household problems and to help us all live a bit more “green”. Great design is important to us, but it has to be functional too. It’s rewarding and encouraging when the two come together and your product is recognized for being both functional and good-looking too. Check out the entire IDEA winner’s line-up at http://www.idsa.org/. We’re alongside some great company.
Ken Kreafle, CEO Base Brands
June 24th, 2010
We love working with “mommy” bloggers! There is no mystery. They are just average moms who have started up a blog to provide tips, product ideas, parenting help, you name it. They seem very honest and hardworking and truly are passionate about their blogs. Some of these blogs have really become popular and key mommy bloggers are sought after by the BIG packaged goods manufacturers! They’re on “mommy blogger” teams; they get sent to Disney World, and receive other kinds of ”perks”. The big marketers understand that this is an important group to get to know because they provide great insights to the mom market and have a lot of influence. We get that too, but we most of all really like the ease of working with them-they just seem real!
Check out another great mom blog review. Enter the contest through June 15th and you could win!
http://www.reviews.thecinnamonhollow.biz/2010/05/19/reduce-waterweek-bottles-review-and-giveaway/
I LOVE these bottles!!!!
Rani Quirk
Marketing Manager
May 27th, 2010
I’m a mom so I really appreciate Mother’s Day. Moms do so much for their families, with sometimes just a hug as thanks, but that’s enough right? This Mother’s Day, make sure the mom in your life feels special and honored. I know I don’t need expensive gifts, simple things work for me. A homemade card, a cute mug… But here’s a great and healthy idea: give mom a Reduce WaterWeek bottle set. It says: “Mom, I love you so much I want you to stay healthy. Here’s an easy and eco-friendly way to help you drink enough water, without destroying our environment.” Then throw in hug for good measure.
In honor of this Mother’s Day, we decided to give out WaterWeeks to some of Hollywood’s well-know moms. We were included in a Mother’s Day gift basket that will go to moms like Sarah Jessica Parker, Heidi Klum and Jennifer Hudson, to name a few. We hope they use them in style! Maybe they’ll show up at the playground sporting a WaterWeek bottle! If you do, snap a picture and send it to us.
Rani Quirk, Marketing Manager
May 7th, 2010
Drink Water Week may be a little unknown, but it’s aim is big. The purpose of this special week is to bring awareness to the importance of keeping our drinking water supply clean and accessible and to not take it for granted. According to the American Water Works, “a safe, reliable water supply is critical to the success of any community. It creates jobs, attracts industry and investment and provides for the health and welfare of citizens in ways ranging from disease prevention to fire prevention.” They have been promoting Drink Water Week for over 30 years as a way to bring together water professionals and the communities they serve to recognize the vital role that water plays in our lives.
Maybe there will be some water-related activities in your area to celebrate this week. Or maybe your child will do something fun and educational in school this week. Spread the word about taking care of our water supply. If you do something cool to celebrate, enter the video contest at http://www.awwa.org/ . I believe Drink Water Week will grow over the years. Look at Earth Day; it’s big business now, but wasn’t always.
This week only! Enjoy free shipping on all Reduce water bottles. Use code DRINK at check out through May 8. Stock up on water bottles to fill with safe, drinkable tap water. Enjoy!
Rani Quirk, Marketing Manager
May 3rd, 2010
This is the big green day! It’s important for us all to take the inspiration of Earth Day and begin to live greener, more sustainable lives every day, not just on April 22. So in honor of this most green day, we included WaterWeek in a Hollywood gift basket giveaway that went to some of Hollywood’s greenest stars, like Ellen DeGeneres, Courtney Cox and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, to name a few. Wouldn’t it be cool if you saw them walking down Rodeo Drive, surrounded by their entourages, carrying Reduce WaterWeek? We’ll be watching…. Check out the story at: http://lastheplace.com/2010/04/21/environmentally-conscious-stars-honored-for-earth-day-in-hollywood-care-of-distinctive-assets/.
But in all seriousness, these celebrities have a voice and they have chosen to further the cause of saving our environment. We thank them for spreading the message and hope they enjoy using WaterWeek bottles, instead of those nasty disposables, which I’m guessing they don’t use anyway.
We’ll keep you posted on sightings!
Rani Quirk, Marketing Manager
April 22nd, 2010
It’s been a while since I was pregnant (thank goodness), but some things don’t change. Yes, all kinds of advice has changed over the last 10 years, and today’s toys and accessories are a lot cooler than when I was in the market. But the advice to drink enough water when you’re pregnant has not changed; if anything, the word is getting stronger.
Why? We know that drinking water is good for our skin, organs and brain. But it plays an extra special role with mommies-to-be:
- Water helps carry nutrients through the body and to the baby. It helps the amniotic sack grow and replenishes the fluid when it is lost.
- Drinking ample amounts of water helps keep pregnant women hydrated, which is critical. Dehydration can lead to contractions and even pre-term labor. Not good.
- The more water you drink, the less water your body retains. When you deprive your body of water, it goes into crisis mode and begins to store more of it. Often the bloating and swelling common with pregnancy can be lessened or even eliminated by drinking enough water.
- Drinking water helps prevent bladder infections by flushing away harmful bacteria. Not fun to have, especially when pregnant!
Moms-to-be need to keep water bottles handy at all times. But don’t settle for wasteful disposable ones. Buy reusable of course. Reduce WaterWeek is ideal because it makes it easy-and fashionable, which is hard to accomplish when pregnant-to get your 64+ ounces of water per day. Cheers!
Rani Quirk
Marketing Manager
April 15th, 2010
In honor of World Water Day, March 22, it’s important for us to remember some important facts about water. In this country we tend to think we all have access to clean drinking water…but it’s not true–10% do not. Also, by 2030, the UN estimates that two-thirds of the world will not have access to clean drinking water. Many poor communities have to spend their limited funds on bottled water, which is a huge shame. Here in America, it’s up to all of us to treat our water usage as a precious resource and not needlessly waste water. We need to support and encourage our municipalities to clean up our water supplies so that all Americans has access to clean water.
This week, there is a lot of buzz about our water crisis and what we can do about it. One major thing we all can do is give up buying disposable water bottles. Only about 10% are recycled; the rest end up polluting our oceans. Plastics never bio-degrade; they just break up into tiny pieces that fish eventually mistake for plankton and eat. A new documentary worth checking out is Tapped (http://www.tappedthefilm.com/) about our water crisis. It also encourages all of us to stop using disposable water bottles. Reduce WaterWeek reusable water bottles were created for this exact reason-to make it easy to ditch the disposables.
The movie follows the water bottle industry and the problems and pitfalls associated with the privatization of this natural resource.
Another water-related cause is from UNICEF. The Tap Project, unites restaurants in the quest to raise money and awareness of clean water issues. During this week, member restaurants will charge $1 for tap water, with all funds going to UNICEF to provide lifesaving water and sanitation around the world. Go out to eat; spend and extra buck, and help provide water around the world. Visit http://www.tapproject.org/restaurants/ for more info.
And National Geographic is offering a free downloadable magazine called “Water: Our Thirsty World” (http://www.natgeofreshwater.com/?of=500204105&bd=1) this week. It highlights the challenges facing our most essential natural resource, water.
World Water Day, part of World Water Week, shines the spotlight on our water crisis, hopefully enough so that our behaviors change, not just for a day or week, but forever.
Ken Kreafle, CEO of Base Brands
March 23rd, 2010
We work with lots of bloggers, mostly “mommy bloggers” who are just moms who blog about a variety of topics-kids, dogs, food, clothing, life, cool products-you name it, there’s a blog for it. These bloggers are great to work with! We send them products that we think their readers might enjoy learning about-like Reduce WaterWeek-and the bloggers honestly use the product and write a review; we don’t pay for any reviews. If they don’t like the product, they most likely will let us know, include the comments in their post, or just declined the review. But that’s never happened to us! We haven’t met a blogger yet who doesn’t see the benefits of a product like Reduce WaterWeek.
Here is another review we thought you’d like to read: Rave and Review, http://raveandreview.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/03/waterweek-water-bottles-by-reduce-everyday-giveaway.html. You can also win a WaterWeek set as well. Check it out.
In our on-going journey through the land of blogs-we love “green” blogs as well-we are constantly amazed at what inventive, interesting and caring people are out there sharing their voice with others. There is so much to read and discover (and so little time), that it’s worth exploring. Find one you like, and then you’ll uncover the blogs they like, and before you know it, 2 hours have past by! But, if you’re like me, you’ve learned about a great new product for your kids, husband, dog, you, whatever; you’ve laughed a lot (there are some funny women out there); and you may feel a little more connected to others. Start your
discovery at places like http://www.cafemom/ or visit some of the blogs that have supported us over the last year. Have fun!
http://www.thedirtytshirt.com/
http://www.mommymandy.com/
http://www.couponqueenslaurelrun.blogspot.com/
http://www.outnumbered3-1.blogspot.com/
http://www.commonsensewithmoney.com/
http://www.wisewife.wordpress.com/
http://www.simplybeingmommy.com/
http://www.threetimesthegiggles.blogspot.com/
http://www.3garnets2sapphires.com/
http://www.shescribes.com/
http://www.mommygoggles.com/
http://www.productmommy.blogspot.com/
http://www.katieandscotts.blogspot.com/
http://www.smartandtrendymoms.com/
http://www.bluesuitmom.com/
http://www.raveandreview.com/
http://www.bargainfun.blogspot.com/
http://www.barefootmommies.com/
http://www.jamielz.blogspot.com/
http://www.www.greenmamaspad.com/
http://www.tapit.com/
http://www.greenmamaspad.com/
Rani Quirk
Marketing Manager
March 11th, 2010
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