Why pay for what you can get for free? Choosing a good-quality reusable water bottle can save you money - and save our environment, too. Americans consume an astounding 8 billion bottles of water each year-at a cost of more than $9 billion!

Using reusable bottles can easily save you $300 each year. Keep these simple points in mind:

• Each high-quality, safe reusable bottle costs $6-$20.
• Eliminating 2-3 bottled waters/week can save over $300.
• Got kids? Save even more - and 2.7 billion juice boxes from the landfills each year by buying concentrate and a kid-size reusable bottle.

Worst of all, Food & Water Watch reports that 40% of bottled water is simply tap water...in a plastic bottle that pollutes our environment, leaches chemicals and ends up in a landfill.

"This is an industry that takes a free liquid that falls from the sky and sells it for as much as four times what we pay for gas." - Richard Wilk PhD, Director Food Studies Program, University of Indiana

Build a sustainable lunch kit and save money in the process. Replacing disposable bags and single-serving lunch items can save an average family $300/year. Not to mention, bringing your lunch instead of going out cuts your food costs in half - whether at work or school. Click here to learn more...

Making a few small changes = saving a lot of money:

• Choose Wrap-N-Mats in place of plastic wraps and bags, and save $85/year.
• Don't throw away your money with brown paper lunch bags. Choose a safe and sturdy reusable lunch bag - our ACME Lunch Bags come with a lifetime guarantee.
• Make the switch to cloth napkins from paper napkins, and save $130/year.
• Plastic flatware is wasteful and expensive. Try reusable bamboo utensils or SIGG stainless steel cutlery instead, which last for years.

Can't kick the coffee or tea habit? Americans discard 130 billion paper cups every year - do your part by bringing or brewing your own. Fortunately, it's easy to get your daily fix, while saving money and natural resources in the process:

• Brew your own coffee, in place of that daily Starbucks cup, and save over $400 a year.
• Start a "coffee club" at the office - share the costs to buy coffee in bulk and use reusable mugs and thermoses to reduce waste.
• BYO cup & get a discount - If you're not ready to brew-your-own, bring your own cup to your favorite coffee and tea spot. Most stores offer a discount and you help the environment.

Check it Out! We've just added the innovative "I Am Not A Paper Cup" to our line of thermal, reusable mugs. This one-of-a-kind mug looks like the real thing - but eliminates wasteful consumption of paper and Styrofoam cups.

Reducing food waste is another place cut costs and curb wasteful consumption. The average family of 4 throws out whopping $590 a year in food, $43 billion in total, according to the University of Arizona Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology.

Produce savers extend the life of fruits and vegetables, helping you in two ways - you'll save money by keeping produce fresh longer & you'll also save on gas and transportation costs by taking fewer trips to the store.

One of our customers' favorites is ExtraLife Disks - they naturally neutralize excess ethylene gas that builds up as produce ripens. Lasts for 3 months. Avg customer review 4.6 out of 5 stars.

"Things seem to be staying fresh longer...with the cost of food right now it is nice to know I do not have to buy fresh produce every 5 days. Thank you." -Kim B.

We're excited to announce our first shipment of SIGG bottles in nearly 6 months! Due to ongoing availability shortages, SIGG has informed us this will be our last shipment of bottles for the year. So, if you see one you like, don't wait! (availability should get much better in '09)

Here's an overview of what's now in stock:

• Traveler/Sport Bottles in several solid colors & sizes.
• Lifestyle Bottles in limited edition graphic designs.
• Stainless Steel Bottles, including several new styles.
• Accessories in a wide array of SIGG caps (screw top, kids, sport, etc.), plus cleaning brushes & tablets, snack boxes and more

We also have more SIGG bottles arriving in 2009. If you see a specific style you like that is out of stock, sign up for "notify me" and we'll email you when our first shipment arrives.

Most cities are attempting to tackle the disposable bag problem with recycling. The reality is, it costs $4,000 to process and recycle 1 ton of plastic bags, which can be sold on the commodities market for $32, according to Jared Blumenfeld, Director of San Francisco's Department of the Environment.

Read our myth-busting article to see why this approach is seriously flawed.

More alarming news about BPA. Turns out canned foods may be the primary source of BPA entering our bodies, a fact that's gotten buried in the frenzy over BPA in plastic bottles.

Also, Canada moves to ban BPA, and Connecticut, New Jersey and Delaware follow suit in America. Read more...

Also:

• Dallas city council refuses to tax plastic bags - plastic bag industry strikes again. Read more...
• "Trash" as art - a powerful visual indictment of consumption from Indian artist Vivan Sundaram. Read more...
• Plastic-eating bugs?! Read more...

Visit our growing Newsroom blog - you'll find all the stories featured in this issue, and many, many more (including important video and audio clips). Plus, our comments and insights.

Want to stay in the know? Sign up for our Top Stories Newsletter - get the inside track on plastic bag news & related issues.

Most of us are aware that saying 'no' to disposables is the best way to reduce waste - a reusable lifestyle can also save you tons of money. It's one of the reasons we came up with our slogan reduce reuse and save™.

Nearly every paper lunch bag, plastic water bottle and zip-top plastic bag we toss out may as well be cash in the garbage can. We've compiled some of our favorite facts & money-saving tips to get you started. Read more...

Our founder, Vincent Cobb, talks to the Amy & Bryan Morning Show during Earth Day Week 2008. Listen to learn about the hidden costs of plastic bags and myth of biodegradable bags. Listen here...

Nathan Stainless Steel Bottles combine the convenience of a sports bottle, with the beauty and durability of stainless steel. The unique flip-straw allows for drinking without tilting the bottle or unscrewing the cap. Attach to your gym bag or backpack, and go.

Hundreds more customer testimonials

Dozens more press testimonials & endorsements