Flip Off with New Lifefactory Glass Bottles

We've been anxiously waiting and now they've arrived! Glass bottle maker Lifefactory has introduced a new flip cap lid that makes on-the-go much easier, and drier. The bottle itself is made of the same non-leaching, 100% recyclable glass as is the original Lifefactory glass water bottle, but now the wide mouth screw cap features a silicone spout with its own flip off cap for drinking. The ultra funky and colourful silicone cover still hugs the outside of the BPA-free bottle to help protect from breakage but now you have your choice of a hexagonal or circular design. These new flip cap glass water bottles come in two sizes: 650ml and 450ml plus loads of great colours from pale pink to chocolate brown and everything in between. Don't get us wrong, we still love the Lifefactory original bottles with the wide mouth screw caps -- they're just sitting on our desks now, instead of being taken out and about. For more and a drop demo video, click here.

Campbell's Soup to Phase Out BPA Cans

Campbell's Soup has announced it will phase out the use of the potentially harmful chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) in the lining of its cans. There's been so much talk about the potential risks around BPA in everything from water and baby bottles to cash register receipts, it's welcome news that the world's largest soup maker is finally committing to change. Recent reports from the Breast Cancer Fund which found BPA in some of Campbell's most popular products marketed to children together with the Cans not Cancer Campaign created significant pressure on Campbell's to rid their products of BPA. In an interview with the Milkwaukee Journal Sentinel, Campbell's Soup Company spokesman Anthony Sanzio said Monday the company has been working on alternatives for five years and will make the transition as soon as "feasible alternatives are available." Interestingly, the US Food and Drug Administration is due to decide by the end of March whether to ban BPA in all food packaging. We know BPA-free food cans are out there, Eden Organic already offers them. While anything that reduces risk is a step in the right direction, we hope that Campbell's will step up their research and produce a timeline to prove themselves a true industry leader, living up to the strong iconic brand they've created with their red and white cans.

Top 10 Reasons to Drink from a Laken Water Bottle

It’s summer. It’s hot – hopefully. You’re out and about and desperate for a drink so you pick up a bottle of water at, say, a gas station. You take a sip and suddenly feel like you’re doing something horribly wrong. Why? First, you're drinking from plastic. Second, it’s not aluminum.

Here are 10 reasons why it makes sense to drink from an aluminum water bottle, preferably one made by Laken, a worldwide leader that’s been at it since 1912.

10. If you drink from a plastic water bottle, you may feel like you’re one of the only ones left doing so and well, you actually might be. In fact, there’s considerable talk of banning plastic water bottles – at Vancouver City Hall, in Waterloo schools and San Francisco and Philadelphia municipal offices have already done so.

9. There’s no chance of the ‘steely’ after taste some people have reportedly experienced with stainless steel bottles.

8. They look good - whether in solid brights (pink, green, red, orange) or with cool designs (monsters, skull & cross-bones, flowers). Laken bottles are also available in a screw cap or easy twist spout style. The twist spout features an extra twist locking mechanism to prevent leaks. Both styles are easy to clean and dishwasher safe.

7. At .65mm, the outer walls of Laken bottles are 30% thicker than all other aluminum bottles, making it the most dent-resistant aluminum bottle around.

6. Laken bottles are made in Spain, not China.

5. Aluminum is more lightweight than stainless steel.

4. Using a Laken instead of plastic water bottles means you won’t be adding to landfill waste. Laken bottles are made from 100% recyclable aluminum. According to the American Recycling Institute, only 14% of plastic water bottles are recycled. Those that are recycled are really being ‘down-cycled’, converted to a lower form of plastic, much of which goes unused.

3. Even if you fill it with juice, or other sweet, acidic liquids, a Laken will not rust as has been rumored to happen with some stainless steel bottles. Its inner coating is an epoxi-phenolic material recognized and approved by all major health authorities (Canada, US and Europe). It is guaranteed not to flake or crack like competitors’ enamel coatings. Laken’s inner coating is the same lining used in many pharmaceutical applications and is the safest protection known today.

2. Laken coats the entire inner surface of its bottles, including below the thread line. This is an important (and distinguishing) feature for Laken as it ensures that no liquid comes into contact with the aluminum.

1. Reduce the risks associated with bisphenol A (BPA), a potentially harmful and controversial chemical found in polycarbonate plastic, which is the material most plastic water bottles are made from. Recent research has shown the chemical, which mimics estrogen and is a known developmental, neural and reproductive toxicant, can leach from bottles into the contents. After a draft report from Health Canada found BPA to be potentially dangerous to infants and the environment, the federal government is moving to ban baby bottles containing BPA later this year. Our Laken water bottles a completely BPA-free.

Check out our selection of Laken bottles for adults, teens and kids at Lavish & Lime.

Eco-friendly Trends: 6 Smart Ways to Greener Living

Green is definitely the new black.

The Eco trend looks set to continue through 2008 and beyond and it’s just as much about materials as it is attitude.

Here are six smart ways to greener living that have risen to the top of the heap.

1. Safer Sipping: Take your next drink from aluminum, stainless steel, glass or plastic drinking bottles made without bisphenol A, a potentially harmful and increasingly controversial chemical found in polycarbonate plastic. Recent research has shown the chemical, which mimics estrogen and is a known developmental, neural and reproductive toxicant, can leach from bottles and sippy cups into the contents. Try Laken's lightweight aluminum water bottles made in Spain with one of the thickest, dent-resistant exteriors around and the BPA-free sippy cup from innovative designers Boon.

2. Green Toys: At this year’s toy fairs, eco-friendly products have been front and centre. Toys can be made ‘green’ in a number of ways, including using natural products such as cotton or wood with fewer harmful chemicals, reducing waste with less packaging and using recycled materials. With recent recalls for toys made in China, many toy buyers were keen on toys made in Europe. Go green for the little ones with organic cotton stuffies from Germany - luxuriously soft, super cuddly and simply adorable-looking.

3. Pass on Plastic Bags: Paper or plastic? Make it neither by toting your own reusable grocery bag and help reduce landfill waste. Lightweight and waterproof, the stylish eco-basket (pictured) collapses to fit in your purse or backpack. If this is too big of a commitment for every shop, find a second use for the plastic bags you do take home – line a small trash can, pick up after your dog or cushion those holiday postal packages.

4. Go Paraben Free: Increasing concern for the safety of the wide use of parabens – synthetic preservatives – in cosmetics and lotions has made natural products more popular than ever. Potential links have been reported between parabens, which research has shown can mimic the action of the female hormone estrogen, and cancer. As a healthy alternative, try 100% paraben-free natural body butter made in Canmore, Alberta or a great outdoors gift pack containing five different paraben-free body care products. And for the little ones, choose paraben-free body wash/shampoo and natural baby bum spray.

5. Become a Flexitarian: Swap one meat dish a week for a veggie plate. Why? Because raising produce is ‘cheaper’, in terms of energy consumption, than raising animals. Click here for a huge selection of tasty, meatless recipes.

6. Be Produce Picky: Make informed choices on your next shop for produce. Download the Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce from the Environmental Working Group. The wallet-sized list distinguishes between the fruit and veg that tend to be higher in pesticides (ie. apples, spinach) from the produce with a lower count (ie. bananas, peas).

Visit Lavish & Lime for a great selection of eco-friendly gifts for him, for her and the little ones. Many of these products are also Canadian-made.