We've been looking for reusable, durable stainless steel water bottles for kids - and adults - on the go. We think we've found a great one with CamelBak. 
A global leader in personal hydration gear, CamelBak has created a stainless steel water bottle with a unique Big Bite Valve mouthpiece which allows non-tip sipping and won't spill, even when open. The mouthpiece system features a stem tube (straw) and shut-off valve. The stem and valve is all in one detachable piece that's easy for to clean. On the kids' bottles, the cap is easy for small fingers to operate and the whole stem and straw system is child-safe.
A study conducted at California's Pepperdine University in 2009 revealed that participants drank up to 24% more water with CamelBak reusable water bottles than with other reusable and disposable bottles tested. This first-of-its-kind study tested the effects fo water bottle design on personal fluid consumption.
More study subjects preferred the CamelBak bottle, saying it was easier to use, easier to drink from, didn't spill even when open, and that teh bottle's Big Bite Valve mouthpiece was more fun to drink from. One participant noted, "The CamelBak is quick to open and easy to drink from without distracting myself from whatever else I'm doing."
Study subjects used each of the following four bottles for a two-week period:
- reusable screw-cap plastic bottle
- reusable screw-cap metal bottle
- reusable screw-cap PET bottle
- CamelBak Better Bottle with the Big Bite Valve mouthpiece.
With the CamelBak bottle, participants drank 24% more water than with the disposable bottle, 18% more water than with the reusable metal bottle and 15% more than with the reusable plastic bottle.
Dehydration is a significant health concern. The benefits of hydration include body temperature regulation, fat metabolism, cardiovascular support and improved focus, concentration and alertness. Even mild dehydration can affect physical and mental performance.
CamelBak stainless steel water bottles are exclusively available online in Canada at eco boutique Lavish & Lime. For boys, choose from pirate and dinosaur CamelBak designs. For girls there's mermaid CamelBak stainless steel bottles and butterfly water bottles.
We sat down with Vancouver elementary school teacher and school recycling program manager, Paula Stevens, and asked her if she had any advice for parents preparing their kids to go back to school. She came up with 10 great back to school suggestions covering everything from pencils to germs.
Here's one of our favourites: remember cutlery."Even on hot lunch days, be sure to send reusable cutlery with your child to avoid the unnecessary use of the non-biodegradable plastic utensils that most school kitchens have," says Stevens.Read all 10 tips from our expert inside the classroom here.Join us for a Live Back to School Facebook Forum tomorrow night, Wednesday, August 18, 7-8pm PST where you'll be able to ask questions directly to teacher Paula Stevens. There will also be loads of prizes to be won. RSVP now and you could win a reusable sandwich wrap.Visit eco boutique Lavish & Lime for a great selection of the latest in eco school gear, including litterless lunch bags, containers and bottles plus recycled pencils and notebooks. If you have any thoughts or ideas about back to school in general, please leave a comment below. We'd love to hear from you!
We sifted through all the great entries we received over the past month or so in our Eco-Tip Giveaway, chose 10 finalists (it wasn't easy) and after taking a vote on our Lavish & Lime Facebook page, the top eco-tip for the summer was chosen.It came from Alanna Teed and here is the winning eco-tip as chosen by our Lavish & Lime Facebook fans."I hang a bucket on the shower handle. When we take showers it fills up and I water the plants with it."
Alanna won a 5-pack Envirosax pouch of designer reusable shopping bags and runners up Dawn-Marie and Melerie won bags too. They each received 15 votes for their great tips.Dawn-Marie's Eco-Tip: "
Instead of using SOS pads and things with chemicals in it...when trying to clean a super messy frying pan, I put in some baking soda, some water and a little bit of eco friendly soap, and let the baking soda do all the work....works best when pan is still hot."
Melerie's Eco-Tip: "Two of us at work take turns taking the compost home - it took a week to get everyone used to putting compost-friendly items in bin but it works beautifully now - no more coffee grounds and wet garbage for the cleaners and we all feel like our office is doing its part for the environment."
Thank you to everyone who sent us their eco-tips and to all who voted for their favourite finalists on Facebook. Through sharing, hopefully we've all got a few more ideas about how to take easy, do-able steps towards living life a little greener.
For more ideas about greener living, please visit eco boutique Lavish & Lime. If you have any thoughts or ideas about this post or eco-tips generally, please leave a comment below. We'd love to hear from you!
Vote for your favourite eco tip and you'll be helping choose the winner of our Lavish & Lime Eco Tip Envirosax Giveaway.
A big thanks to all of you who sent us your tips for living life a little greener. There were so many great ideas and suggestions. It was incredibly tough, but we narrowed the 60 tips we received down to 10 finalists and posted them below, as well as on our Lavish & Lime Facebook page.
Now it's your turn to vote for the winner! Leave a comment below telling us which is your favourite tip or go to our Facebook page and place your vote by clicking the thumbs up 'like' icon on the tip you like best. Don't be shy, you're more than welcome to vote for yourself - and get your friends to vote too! The person with the tip that receives the most votes between this blog post and our Facebook page will win a 5-pack pouch of Envirosax shopping bags. Voting will close August 15th and we'll announce the winner on the 16th.
Best of luck to our finalists (their tips are listed below in no particular order) - and thanks again to all who entered. Happy voting!
Eco Tip Finalist #1 Dawn Marie Duncan: Instead of using SOS pads and things with chemicals in it...when trying to clean a super messy frying pan, I put in some baking soda, some water and a little bit of eco friendly soap, and let the baking soda do all the work....works best when pan is still hot.
Eco Tip Finalist #2 Loralee Moore Johnson: My eco tip is to place your water bottle on your shoes or in your purse at the door so that you don't forget to take it with you (before I used to forget and then buy a plastic bottle of water many times while out).
Eco Tip Finalist #3 Nic Carpenter: My best tip would be to unplug, not just turn off, electronics that you are not using.
Eco Tip Finalist #4 Jen Peebles: My eco-tip is to teach our children everything that we know. For it's our children that are going carry on the lessons that we teach them and they are the ones that will ensure the safety of our lovely planet. It's evident since my four year old (and my ten year old too) knows what is recycling, compostable, and what is full of bad chemicals that aren't good for us or our animals. It's so cute and satisfying hearing him give someone a lecture when they litter!!
Eco Tip Finalist #5 Nava Jojo Jay: Before chucking plastic shopping bags (if you're still using them) into the recycling bin, open one up and flatten it out to catch the vegetable scraps as you peel. When done, simply gather up the bag and slide the mound of peels off into your compost heap or garbage pail. Makes cleanup MUCH easier!
Eco Tip Finalist #6 Cindy Jensen: My eco tip is to always keep at least one reusable bag in the car – if you leave it in the house, you’ll forget about it – but if it’s in the car, it’s always there even for spur of the moment shopping.Eco Tip Finalist #7 Shelley Alexander: I try to live my life a little greener with the following tip. Do I need it or do I just want it…trying to live a little simpler makes decision making about ‘stuff’ a little easier.Eco Tip Finalist #8 Alanna Teed: I hang a bucket on the shower handle. When we take showers it fills up and I water the plants with it.
Eco Tip Finalist #9 Melerie Ingram: Two of us at work take turns taking the compost home - it took a week to get everyone used to putting compost-friendly items in bin but it works beautifully now - no more coffee grounds and wet garbage for the cleaners and we all feel like our office is doing its part for the environment.
Eco Tip Finalist #10 Kyla Larson: Make your own condiments. The internet is brimming with recipes for mayo, mustard , ketchup, fermented veggies and salad dressings. They are much better for you, as you are in control and can exclude GMO's and other shoddy ingredients. You're also reducing the amount of packagin you bring into your home. Kyla has kindly shared one of her favourite recipes with us - enjoy!
Simple Salad Dressing
Place the following ingredients in a small jar and shake.1 tsp celtic (or any unprocessed) salt1 tsp unpasteurized honey (or maple syrup or sucanat)
1 tsp dry mustard (or dijon)
1/2 tsp ground pepper1 clove garlic, crushed2 tbsp vinegar (rice, balsamic, lemon or lime juice, or red or white wine)6 tbsp olive oil (or a mix of equal parts olive, expeller pressed sesame, and melted coconut oil) optional: add a tsp-tbsp fresh herbs such as dill, cilantro, parsley, chivesWe look forward to receiving your vote below or on our official Lavish & Lime Facebook page. Please stop by our eco boutique Lavish & Lime for more green living ideas - we'd love to see you there!
