swellbottle.com blogs

A S'well Trip to Australia!

katie — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:11:49 +0000

2013-04-17

S'well Team

Check out this photo collage a S'well team member's "mum" made on a recent trip to the South Coast of Australia! Could it be any cuter?!

S'well Fan Mail... Guy Pearce is S'well!

sarah — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:26:21 +0000

2013-03-29

From time to time, I’ll read an email or tweet from a S’well customer that just wants to say, “Hey, really love this bottle.” Or, “Thanks, my S’well is great.” Or even, “Can’t wait to tell everyone about S’well. Mine is awesome.”

And then, from out of the blue, the extraordinary appears in the inbox. This one I had to share. Just another S’well pal, who loves his bottle. Tells us his friends and crew are a bit envious of it. And even shared an Adventure picture with us...from his movie location [SFX: falling out of my chair] in the desert region of Southern Australia.

Somebody pick me up. I’m a bit starstruck at the sight of this picture of Guy Pearce on location with his S’well. I’m always delighted at the kind comments I receive, validating the work the S’well team is doing to spread the S’well word; because in the same breath, it’s a message to eliminate single use plastic bottles and bring awareness to the world water crisis.

Now I have to go look up the Guy Pearce fan mail address to send him some fan mail…

Caption:

Photo submitted by Guy Pearce, taking a break from The Rover filming. On location in Southern Australia with Jack (Camera assistant), Dave (Director), Guy Pearce,(Grotty looking actor -note, his words, not ours!) , David (Focus puller), Pete (Camera operator)

S'well & TED Have Joined Forces To Keep All TEDster's Stylishly Hydrated

katie — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 23:05:14 +0000

2013-02-25

S'well Team

S'well and TED have teamed up to stop plastic waste and to help all TEDster's stay stylishly hydrated during this year's TED Conference. The main inspiration behind the partnership is to bring awareness in how to eliminate plastic waste. This year's TEDster's will be able to use and re-use their TED edition S’well bottle in place of disposable plastic water bottles. S’well's mission is clear: to provide people with a S’well bottle by helping reduce waste from the daily use of plastic water bottles.

During the TED conference, some of the world's most inspiring people use the power of speech to inspire others in changing lives and manner of thinking. The TED conference offers free, shared knowledge and engaging ideas from a bright community of individuals. S'well will be gifting each participant with one complimentary bottle.

S’well's mission is clear: to provide TEDster's bright and curious souls with a unique and fashionable water bottle to help influence other people and bring awareness to how they use and dispose of plastic waste-- one S’well bottle at a time. Conference attendees can also learn more about S'well's charity partner, WaterAid, supporting the world's poorest communities in obtaining clean water. For more information, please visit www.swellbottle.com

Cycle for Survival is S'well

sarah — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 19:02:51 +0000

2013-02-10

Sarah

Hello S'well pals, well, my New Year's resolution of writing blog posts more often is clearly not going well so far! I do have a good excuse; it has been nice and busy over here at S'well so far in 2013. We are in the midst of tradeshow season and we are also preparing to launch some exciting new lines. Stay tuned!

I wanted to take some time to let you know about an amazing organization, Cycle for Survival, that S'well is so happy to help support. I encourage you to watch the video below about the special founder of this impactful organization, Jennifer Goodman Linn, who sadly passed away but her legacy lives on.

What is Cycle for Survival?

Cycle for Survival is a high-energy indoor team cycling event that provides a tangible way to help beat rare cancers.100% of funds raised by this organization go directly to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and are allocated within six months of each event. The donations raised from the event help fund the most promising research and clinical trials, and have led to better treatments for cancer patients worldwide. Jennifer Goodman Linn and her husband, Dave, founded Cycle for Survival in 2007. It started as one spin class in 2007, and now has grown to 10 cities with 13,000 participants with over $26M raised for cancer research to date that has funded 53 clinical trials. This year alone the organization has raised over $8M with events in Miami, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, New Jersey, Long Island, and D.C., and there are still events in NYC, L.A. and Connecticut events still coming up!

Why raising this money is important:

More than half of people diagnosed with cancer have a rare form of the disease. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a “rare cancer” is one with a prevalence of fewer than 200,000 affected individuals in the United States. Many rare cancers are drastically underfunded, leaving patients with limited treatment options. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), the nation's preeminent center for research and treatment, is committed to changing that. Rare cancers include brain, pancreatic, cervical, sarcoma, stomach, pediatric cancersand many others. Each year MSKCC treats more than 400 subtypes of cancer.

Our "ask" and Call to Action:

S'well is helping to sponsor a team of 24 riders from Orange County, CA, who will be participating in the Los Angeles event on March 2. Their goal is to raise $30K as a team by March 2. We would love for you to learn more about this team and consider donating here: mskcc.convio.net/goto/ocspin

Kathleen and Guyan Randall, the team captains, are S'well pals and we are cheering them and their team on to victory. Here's to a day in the future where cancer is better understood and is eventually eliminated. Until then, how wonderful that organizations like this exist to support such an important cause. Thanks for helping to support this team and sharing this story! Even better — an anonymous benefactor is matching every dollar donated this week, so we can really make an impact this week by doubling up all donations.

Post Hurricane Sandy- The day of lines

katie — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 16:46:16 +0000

2012-11-07

Sarah Kauss

Thanks everyone for your well wishes post-hurricane Sandy. The S'well team is back up and running, and the office and all team members have power and water again.

We are lucky for sure, but some of our very near neighbors in New York and the Northeast Region are not so lucky. As of this morning, roughly 676,000 are still without power in the Northeast. This is a surely progress from from the peak of roughly 8.6 million in the dark just one week ago. However, there are many really hurting from the storm, still without the basic necessities of daily life such as food and a hot shower, power or the Internet. Many friends and neighbors still cannot return home, nor do they have an idea when their flooded or damaged buildings will be inhabitable again.

As the S'well team got back to work this week, we struggled with the survivors guilt that we were all just fine, when just a few blocks away normal life will be slow to return. As we sat huddled in our still-freezing downtown office, wearing our winter coats indoors, we wanted to give back to our friends still out in the cold. So we cleared our calendars, packed up all the S'well bottles we had in our office and headed to our local coffee shop, Think Coffee, which was kind enough to donate as much hot coffee as we could give away. We deployed our network of Swell pals and a new friend picked up the team and our bounty to drive us to the areas still in the dark. If your ever seen the (note: terrible) movie 'Escape From New York', that's what it still feels like in parts of the city- a second society that's now changed forever.

We drove until we arrived at the first shelter that was listed as a place in need of warn provisions and supplies. There was a long orderly line out the door patiently waiting in the freezing cold. To our heart's glee we discovered that those waiting were not homeless, or the "Refugees" as the displaced New Yorkers are calling themselves, but this long line was actuality made up of volunteers waiting to sign in an help bring supplies to those in need. (note: awesome) So we drove on to the next long line that we found, staffed by those helpful volunteers, we found a line of bundled masses waiting outside a distribution center to receive flashlights, batteries, warm blankets and anything else they could find to help ease their return to the dark of their homes just blocks away. I was struck by just how many kids were in line. As we passed out cases of S'wells full of piping hot coffee and tea, every recipient said a heartfelt thank you.

In talking with the volunteers, we learned that many of the delivery vehicles coming into the city with needed supplies have been delayed due to still-flooded tunnels, and in many cases, the needed supplies simply don't exist within driving distance, since so many of the outlying areas to the City are in even worse shape. Driving back to our office, we passed many more lines, some wrapping around full city blocks, with no end in sight. These final lines of the day were lines of voters for the Presidential election. It was odd to see so many uniformed police officers overseeing the queue, however these lines were silent and orderly. Hundreds of New Yorkers, uncharacteristically patient, waiting for hours out in the cold to vote. I only wished we had even more S'wells filled with hot drinks to share. Regardless of your views on the election results, it is great to see so many neighbors caring about the future of our country enough to line up for hours to cast their vote. If you are in the Northeast, you know that another major winter storm is expected to strike today. The S'well team wishes everyone in the path of this storm warm thoughts and safety.

If you are not in this affected part of the world, thank you for considering giving to the American Red Cross to help assist those in need. I can assure you that there are many New Yorkers that are really struggling still and would be so appreciative of your assistance. Sending warm thoughts to all, and so appreciative of all those helping out their neighbors in need.

Best, Sarah

Dutch Design Week

katie — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:36:25 +0000

2012-10-24

Sarah Kauss

Hello S’well pals, it’s Sarah, S’wells founder reporting in from the amazing Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. Being here for the design show has been like waking up as a kid on Christmas morning, and being in Disney world simultaneously. It’s that good. I have made wonderful new connections for S’well, found new design inspirations and sourced rare finds for our new S’well pop-up shop in Palm Beach, Florida this winter (more to come on that soon!).

In the meantime, I wanted to share a few pictures from one of my fav designers, Nacho Carbonell. (Maybe there is something about the name Nacho that grants such appeal, as some of you may know of my little crush on the talented polo player of the same first name!)

Anyhow, this Nacho is a Spanish born artist with his main studio in the Netherlands and is certainly someone we will see on the international art and design scene for decades to come. His organic forms are whimsical and full of texture and natural elements. I love the most the benches with the hidden cubbies, the modular desks, and pretty much everything with ladders leading every which way. I first learned of this artist at Rossana Orlandi’s magical gallery in Milan and was lucky enough to visit Nacho’s working studio in the Netherlands this week.

I will leave you with a few pictures. For more about Nacho Carbonell and his work, www.NachoCarbonell.com

Ciao for now, more to come on the #DDW soon, Sarah

What is the life cycle of a stainless steel water bottle?

katie — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:15:21 +0000

2012-10-12

This is a great article that was in the New York Times a few years ago talking about how a stainless steel water bottle is produced and each of its environmental impacts along the way. It goes through Extraction, Processing, Manufacturing, Distribution, Use, and Disposal. The conclusion at the end of the article talks about how after multiple uses the stainless steel water bottle is far better for the environment, even though it is more energy and resource intensive initially.

NY Times article

Is there a Clean Water Crisis around the world?

katie — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 15:19:57 +0000

2012-10-04

I wanted to take the time to share with you all some crazy facts that I have been learning about the clean water crisis around the world.

In many parts of the world, the lack of clean water is a devastating problem. 1.2 billion people globally lack safe water to consume and 2.6 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation. Most women and children have to walk 3 – 6 miles every day just to get water, so they miss out on pursuing an education, maintaining their households and the opportunity to earn additional income. About 4,000 children die every day, one every 8 seconds, because of the effects of unclean water. That means that at least 2 million people, mostly children, die every year from water-borne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, hepatitis and malaria. In most cases, these diseases would be preventable by having access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation. Over half of the hospital beds in the developing world are occupied by people suffering from preventable diseases caused by unclean water and inadequate sanitation. Dirty water poses a greater threat to human life than war or terrorism.

Bet you didn’t know this one:

Just one toilet flush in the West uses more water than most Africans have to perform an entire day’s drinking, cooking, washing and cleaning.

And finally:

Meeting the UN goal of reducing by half the percentage of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015 would cost about $4 billion a year for 10 years. That amount represents just one month’s spending on bottled mineral water in Europe and the US.

We want to take the time to thank each and every one of you who has bought a S’well bottle for your contribution to start ending this global clean water crisis.

Direct from the S’well Helpful Team files

katie — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 01:18:45 +0000

2012-08-01

Helpful S'well

This is a brand new blog category where Helpful S'well brings us into her myserious life of customer service. Some emails we have to share. Some emails we should ignore. Here are some emails that are right on the bubble. Let's start with this one:

If I would lay down the swell bottle will it leak?”

How we wanted to reply:

"Um, well, can we ask you a question first before we answer that? Is your cap on or off? And did you tighten the cap? That would be good to know. One last thing: Is there a liquid of some kind in the bottle? Because if it's empty, it won't leak. Knowing the answers to our questions will help us answer your question correctly. And your grammar is all wrong. It's not “if I would.” Rather you should phrase the question, "When I lay down ..." or "After I lay down ..."" It's more direct and shows that, indeed, you intend to lay down the S'well bottle, empty or full we don't know. With the cap on or off, we don't know either. But you intend to lay down the bottle."

What we said instead:

"Thanks for the S'well question. You'll be happy to know that the seal on the cap when tightened properly prevents leaking. So go ahead and lay down with your S'well bottle. And should you ever lose your cap, rest assured you can purchase a replacement on our online store."

Happy to Help,
— S'well Helpful Team

helpful@swellbottle.com

USA Field Hockey and S'well

katie — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 02:18:33 +0000

2012-07-24

Sarah Kocmond, Manager of S’well Helpful Team

My heart just skips a beat every time I see an order come through for one of these beauties. Can’t wait for the games to begin. And for the first time in history (really? first time?) all the USA Field Hockey games will be televised. Here’s the link to the schedule: http://www2.teamusa.org/USA-Field-Hockey/Features/2012/July/20/NBC-announces-Olympic-field-hockey-schedule.aspx I am so proud of this new partnership between S’well Bottle and USA Women’s Field Hockey. I was a National Team Hopeful at one time...now I’m a S’well Team Helpful.

You will LOVE these Dogs who LOVE water

katie — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:06:53 +0000

2012-07-24

Katie

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/14-amazing-photos-of-dogs-shaking-off-water

With the heat wave that's going on in New York, we thought we'd share a fun way to keep your dogs cool!

Water Lovers Unite!

cara — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:22:03 +0000

2012-02-22

Cara Lipshe

We think people who treasure water are just S’well. So when we heard Lucien Cousteau — ocean environmentalist and grandson of celebrated ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau — speak at a recent conference here in NYC about how social media can help save our oceans, we were in awe.

When Mr. Cousteau saw us swilling from our S’well and said, “Oh, those bottles are all over my office,” well, we were in love.

Cousteau heads a nonprofit called Plant a Fish <http://www.plantafish.org> that supports local communities as they work to protect their marine environment. A project in New York City is repopulating the Hudson River’s oyster population.

A project in Florida is revitalizing Mangroves to protect the shoreline from storms and erosion. Another project in the Maldives and Florida Keys is working hard to save our coral reefs, the tropical forests of the sea.

Tweet that! By Cara Lipshe, Water Lover and S’well Empire Builder

S’well- taking the world by storm!

sarah — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:35:16 +0000

2012-01-19

One of my new year’s resolutions was to update this blog more frequently. So far this year, I haven’t been making stellar progress! Things have been busy this year so far, with many requests for new custom engraved S’well bottles, meetings with new retailers large and small and rolling out new products and new colors, coming very soon. On top of all this, it is trade show season again, and I once again find myself crisscrossing this great nation to attend gift shows with our amazing, energetic sales reps.

However, in the midst of all the flurry of activity, I wanted to take some time to update our S’well pals on some of our exciting international activity. Just this week, we have had some news from the far corners of the world that I find most exciting. So, in no particular order, here are a few recent examples of S’well bottles, taking the world by storm…. One bottle at a time!

The Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, is now going green and using his S’well bottle to tote coffee to hockey games and curling matches! He vows to give up plastic bottles this year and we are happy to share this picture of him with his Ocean Blue.

S’well bottles made quite a stir at the Danish design and gift show last week. Check out this great picture of the show in Herning, Denmark. This warm welcome from the Danish design community is especially exciting, given the value placed on both beauty and function by Scandinavian designers. We are expecting just as much excitement at Maison & Objet, Europe’s largest show next week in Paris.

I am just as thrilled about our first entry into the Australia and New Zealand market! We have recently partnered with Until, and S’well has received top billing in the Australian Gift Industry newsletter. I do certainly hope to take a field trip to visit our new partners in the land downunder just as soon as I can.

Rounding out the interesting international news this week, we received the following picture from one of our stores, a unique tea shop in the mountains of Taiwan. This S’well retailer wished us a “Kong Si Fa Tsai! ” or a very prosperous and happy Chinese New Year. Wishing this same greeting to each and every S’well pal.

Okay, it is back to work for me. With any luck, I should be updating this blog again very soon…
Sarah

A Wintertime S’well Favorite beverage!

sarah — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:20:06 +0000

2011-12-27

Here at S’well, we just don’t want the holidays to be over! So, here’s a little recipe to keep you toasty and warm all winter long… while letting the spirit of the holidays fill your senses (and your S’well!). This recipe for Gla’Cløgg (which means Happy Glogg of course), is a hot spiced wine & liquor drink. Fill your house with the scent and your S’well bottle with the taste. Simply substitute apple cider to serve a designated-driver version of the same. And make this the authentic way--don’t bother with measurements.

Two pinches of cardamon seeds
Handful slivered almonds
1 or 2 cinnamon sticks (sticks, not the ground stuff please)
6 figs (no, not prunes, figs. try the produce section, near other weird fruit)
crystalized ginger slices (just a little)
orange peel (sure, peel an orange or clementine and throw it in!)
two handfuls raisins or craisins
1 bottle burgundy wine
equal parts orange juice & pineapple juice
brandy (pour out and say “glugg, glugg, glugg” and you’re done)
1 bottle port wine
sweet vermouth (more “glugg, glugg, glugg”)

Best to start this the day before you plan to serve. Crush cardamom seeds in a large pot. Combine with rest of nuts and fruit. Pour enough wine over the fruit to cover it by about an inch. Bring this to a rolling boil. Cover and cool. Let stand for a few hours. Actually a day. Make that two days.
Return pot to the stovetop about 2 hours before serving. Add the fruit juices, brandy, remainder of burgundy wine (oh, we forgot to tell you, don’t drink the rest of the bottle!), port, and sweet vermouth. Heat on low, DO NOT BOIL, and it will be nicely warmed when guests arrive.

Enjoy!

S’well After Hours

sarah — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 01:12:11 +0000

2011-09-08

When the group at S’well wants to relax after a hard day of work we go… to a conference. I know, we really know how to let loose and get wild.

But this was a short conference — just two hours — and it was on a topic that’s near and dear to our hearts: pro-social initiatives in media. Speakers from NBC Green Is Universal, MTV Networks International, BET and Lifebeat talked about the programs they’re spearheading to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS, human trafficking, domestic violence, bullying, ecology and women’s health issues. This wasn’t a case of big media trying to earn brownie points. We were all struck by how committed, authentic and informed the panelists were.

Not only were S’well staffers in attendance. Each panelist got a S’well bottle to sip from during the panel.

Through the great contacts we met at this event, we’re working to get a documentary on-air about WaterAid and the worldwide water crisis. We’re all incredibly excited by this opportunity and promise to keep you in the loop with updates.

-Submitted by Cara Lipshie, S’well Creative Director