Bicycle Enthusiasts Were the Original Greens. Now They Move to BioGreen Bottles

Dec. 9, 2008 - PRLog -- Before there was a national move towards ecologically friendly products in the USA.  Even before the Green Party became a part of the mainstream in Europe, cyclists have been Ecology minded.  It should be no surprise then, that they want nothing to do with disposable bottles and are snapping up the newest craze, BioGreen bottles.

The year was 1971.  Alan Goldsmith had recently graduated from UCLA law and begun his practice, but he saw an intriguing potential in the bicycle business.  The beginning of the fascination with saving the planet from overuse and destructive pollutants had a very strong voice in the bicycle business.  He opened his first store in West Los Angeles under the name Bikecology.  

Cyclists considered themselves to be part of the solution.  If enough folks would get out of their cars and bike to work, the impact on scarce carbon resources and benefits to the atmosphere would be immense.  Besides, as Americans became sedentary in front of their TV screens, they needed a way to get rid of excess calories and improve their hearts.  And bicycles, earlier relegated primarily to the under 16 crowd, became a huge success among the 20 somethings.  

Fast forward to 2008.  The bicycle has once again seen a rise in its popularity.  Bike shops across the US were filled to the rafters this past Summer with 10 year old Treks, 20 year old Raleighs, and 30 year-old schwinns that had been pulled out of the basement or off the garage wall to get new tires and cables.  With gas at $4.00 a gallon, and the green movement in full bloom, you weren't part of the "Current" crowd if you didn't have a working bike available.

But cycling creates thirst, and the industry has always had numerous methods for slacking that need.  For over 50 years "bicycle style" water bottles, the kind you can squeeze, have been the mainstay.  So popular are these types of bottles that the advertising specialty industry started using them for major promotions as early as the early 90's.   The largest manufacturer of these bottles in the world is Cal Springs , LLC.  The president, Steve Finch, explained it this way:  "Everyone from Bank of America to Curves to State Farm has used our bottles to promote their products or services.  They know that consumer consider these bottles to be the best type of portable beverage container on the market.  And they have a great billboard for advertising.

But there was one little rub.  Even though the bottles are made from LDPE which carries the recycle symbol #4, in this day and age cyclists want nothing to do with plastic if there is any way to avoid it.  Finch realized "we had our work cut out for us.  The BPA scare was hurting all bottles.  Even those, like our LDPE bottles, that had nothing to do with BPA."

The company needed a solution that would make their plastic bottles seem totally defensible to every cyclist in the world.  They put on a major search for ways to improve on an already safe, already earth-friendly product.  And the found it.  BioBatch™ was making an additive that would truly be a game changer.

"BioBatch™ turns our BioGreen bottles into soil nutrient within 1-5 years of being deposited in landfill, says Finch.  Sure, we prefer folks to recycle them, but we know there will always be those which end up in the trash.  Now, unlike the bottles of all of our competitors, unlike the one-use bottles found by the millions in grocery stores, the BioGreen bottle completely biodegrades in the landfill."

The old saw says that if you invent a better mousetrap, the world will beat a pathway to your door.  And that is exactly what has been happening.  Company marketing director, Terry Brown, couldn't take orders fast enough at the recent Interbike trade show, the largest bike show in North America.  "We have been selling bottles in the bicycle industry for 20 years.  We never have seen such a response.  Bike shops that had previously felt they "needed" to carry the bike brand of bottles, now switched in order to be earth-responsible."

BioGreen Bottles with BioBatch™ are available at bike shops across America.  For more information, visit the company website at www.BiogreenBottles.com or www.CaliforniaBikeGear.com

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Cal Springs, LLC is the premier manufacturer and printer of bicycle style sports water bottles in the US. Their customers range from Pat's 605 Cyclery in Norwalk CA, to Amazon.com and Google. Most of their production goes to the promotional products market. The company is able to print 4 color process on the bottles, and can do as few as 150 to as many as 100,000 in 3 weeks time. They are known throughout the bicycle industry and the advertising specialty business for having leading edge products such as the BioGreen Bottles described in this article. They are also known for precision printing.