by mrgreengear on 10 October, 2010
Hello readers. I was searching the internet and found out that the folks over at Eco Canteen had kind of a rough week this week. Seems that all the claims that eco canteen have been making about water bottles being unhealthy are illegal and false. Since Eco Canteen has taken over as this blog’s primary source of traffic I figured it belonged here!
What do you think? Shady or not?
NC judge bars ads claiming harm from water bottles
By EMERY P. DALESIO (AP) – 4 days ago
RALEIGH, N.C. — A North Carolina company that touted its stainless steel water bottles on television and the Internet as a safer alternative to plastic water bottles has been ordered to stop making those claims.
The International Bottled Water Association sued Eco Canteen Inc. of Charlotte in federal court last year over what it said was a scare campaign to steer consumers away from plastic bottles.
U.S. District Judge Robert Conrad in Charlotte ordered Eco Canteen against distributing advertisements that claim or suggest plastic water bottles threaten public health.
Last year, Eco Canteen ran ads for months on dozens of national cable channels promoting its reusable metal bottles, contending plastic water containers contained bisphenol A. That chemical has been linked in certain animal studies to reproductive and neurological disorders.
“Why take a chance with your family’s health?” asked an actress in one commercial using a hospital emergency room entrance as background.
The company also established several Internet sites including http://www.stopdrinkingplastic.org that described what it said were the harmful health effects of drinking from plastic bottles.
Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin and Washington have restricted use of bisphenol A, or BPA. The Food and Drug Administration earlier this year ordered additional studies of the chemical and voiced “some concern” about possible effects on children and infants.
BPA isn’t used in the type of plastic used for single-use bottled water, though some reusable sports bottles have been made from plastic containing BPA. The association’s lawsuit claimed the ads sought to confuse consumers into thinking BPA was in the plastic used for bottled water.
“Eco Canteen was so quick to grab a controversy that they failed to pay attention to the facts,” association spokesman Tom Lauria said Tuesday.
Eco Canteen executives did not respond to e-mails seeking comment. Douglas Hall, listed in state incorporation documents as Eco Canteen’s sole owner, did not return a telephone message left at his home Tuesday by The Associated Press.
Conrad signed the order Sept. 17 without a trial after Eco Canteen quit communicating with its lawyers and didn’t request more time.
The judge refused the bottled water association’s request to force the company to pay damages or give up the profits collected with aid of its ad campaign.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
by mrgreengear on 14 May, 2010
Well, eco-loving ladies and gents! It is with a mix pride and sorrow that I’m today announcing that Green Gear will be going on an indefinite hiatus.
Over the past six months, regular readers of the blog (all two of them) would have noticed that my pace of reviews has slowed down to a trickle. This is not without reason. God only gives us 24 hours in a day and over the past months my desire to provide you with (sometimes-stupid / sometimes-dirty) quality reviews of green products has been dominated by my desire to become an Officer of Marines. So the time that I would have been spending evaluating showerheads, writing reviews, and shooting videos has largely been spent doing pullups, running, and reading books on Marine Corps history. After about a year of very hard work I received word that I was accepted into Officer Candidate School and am scheduled to report to Quantico, VA in early June.
I started Green Gear as a wordpress.com blog after seeing An Inconvenient Truth in late 2007. Seeing it made me want to do what I could to help myself and others waste less so we can pass on a better world to our children. Shortly after starting greengear.wordpress.com I moved to greengear.info and started Green Gear as an LLC. This gave me my first hands on experience at starting and running a business, albeit a small money losing one. Green Gear was a heck of a lot of fun and I’m so thankful to my wife for helping me with everything it involved and all the people who stumbled upon it and made it better. I will be leaving the site up as is so that people can still view the reviews I’ve done. Please take the time to click on one of our ads/sponsors to help us pay for the hosting.
The desire to make a better world that compelled me to create Green Gear is the same desire that now leads me to the Marine Corps. I love my nation and care so much for my countrymen. I’m hopeful for the future but fear that without an earnest and concerted effort by its people we might lose ground in a dynamic, changing, and dangerous world. I want to do my part.
Thank you all for your support of Green Gear!
God Bless You. Semper Fidelis.
by mrgreengear on 14 May, 2010
Here at green gear, we love Bricor. I am unashamed to say that while I have tested numerous showerheads over the past two years in duty to this site, the one I always keep going back to is my Bricor! Well, bricors actually. They are high-grade showerheads with great technology that produces a wonderful shower experience. They also have flow rates among the lowest I’ve encountered. So, what’s not to love?
Well, up until about a month ago the answer to that question would have been price. Bricors were expensive. VERY expensive, no matter where you fell on their product line. Sure, if you’re used to paying $50 to $100 it wouldn’t seem like much. But, to jo/jane schmo out there, who has never even changed a showerhead but wanted to be green, the price tag along would have kept them away.
Well, enter the Bricor. A wonderful 1.25GPM beauty that works like any other bricor I’ve used, but comes at the bargain price of $19.99. That’s fantastic. The main difference is that the body of the showerhead is made of PVC plastic instead of steel. When I first heard this I thought, “Well, there goes bricor making a low budget crap product to satisfy the masses.” But, when I screwed this puppy on the shower and got under it, it delivered the familiar bricor shower. Good job bricor!
The head is much lighter compared to the 1lb B100 I own. I was originally worried that they would not include all of the normal technology in the head, and just put in a flow restrictor, but the air intake is on the side and the vacuum technology is in effect.
I’ve been using this for about two months. It’s going to be our go to showerhead! Good job Bricor! Great product.
RATING: 4 out of 5 Gears for Quality, Price, Variable Eco-Benefit, and Being badass!
Become a Fan of Green Gear on Facebook!
Well, Green Gear is a little late to this party, but a few days ago we set up our very own facebook account. Facebook is a great way for me to communicate, discuss with, and keep track of people out there who love to see the latest skinny on green products. If you use facebook [...]