The Smartest Way to Drink Water
by Tess Cimino
There are so many reusable water bottle brands today, making it hard to pick just one. Nowadays, it feels like any reusable water bottle is a step in the right direction in comparison to the 1.4 billion plastic ones purchased each day. And with 80 percent of them ending up in the landfill, it is necessary to stop this bad habit especially when the solution is simple and smart… Kablo.
Kablo is our favorite new reusable, glass water bottle that is non-toxic, eco-friendly, and 100% made out of borosilicate glass. They are changing the game, creating smart and chic bottles that donate one percent of proceeds yearly to nonprofits working to tackle the plastic pollution epidemic.
Christina and her husband, the co-founders of Kablo, run the entire company. She left her full-time job to partner with her husband and pursue their passion for creating a brand encompassing their values of living sustainably, healthy and mindfully. That is where Kablo came into play. This sophisticated and minimalist bottle made out of premium glass, embodies everything they believe in and that love shines through in the quality of their products. The best part is that you can truly taste the difference. The water is crisp, clean and you look and feel good drinking it too… which is always a nice little bonus. We sat down with Christina in Culver City to discuss the importance of sustainable living, reducing plastic waste and Kablo’s mind-and-body wellness mission.
Are you an eco-conscious person? If so, what was the tipping point?
After moving to Venice Beach in 2013, my husband and I became involved with local beach and river cleanups, which exposed us first-hand to the effects of plastic pollution in a way that we had never experienced before – we had a heartbreaking experience finding the remains of a seal that was entangled in plastic and washed ashore. In 2014 we became vegan. In addition to the health benefits, becoming vegan is our way of acknowledging the serious environmental impacts of a meat and dairy diet, and doing what we can to avoid supporting these industries and their growth.
Why is it important for people to use a reusable water bottle?
There are so many reasons. To name a few, one million plastic water bottles are purchased around the world every minute. Studies show that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Microplastics are flooding our ocean and working their way up the food chain and into our meals. You simply can’t ignore these statistics. Plastic pollution is a complicated issue, but as consumers we can make the biggest impact by changing our consumption habits and investing in reusable products. Cutting down on plastic waste is really that simple, especially in a developed country such as the United States. We should not be drinking water out of single-use disposable plastic unless we’ve got a humanitarian crisis or environmental disaster where we cannot access clean water.
You talk about mind-and-body wellness as a part of Kablo’s mission. What’s your perspective on the relationship between wellness and sustainable living?
Environmental sustainability and the health of our species is tightly linked. It’s not a coincidence that the United States happens to be the second largest producer of non-CO2 emissions due to beef consumption and is also suffering an obesity epidemic (40 percent of adults are obese and over 10% are diabetic). The western diet – and its global influence – has produced a health crisis that is directly responsible for a significant portion of greenhouse gas driven climate change. Taking better care of our mind and body is an important step towards making the world a better place on many fronts. Ultimately, how we treat ourselves is how we treat our environment.
Where do you find your inspiration to stay motivated and authentic to your vision?
Nature. Whether we are camping, surfing or backpacking, we spend a lot of time outdoors. It’s how we recharge and keep ourselves centered. We’ve never walked out of the forest saying “meh, that was alright, I’ll never do that again.” It’s this shared passion for the environment that keeps us motivated to encourage others to live more sustainably. I’d really like to share the beauty of this planet with my kids and grandkids, and I’m sure that everyone else wants the same.
What is your favorite part about owning a company like Kablo?
One of the things I appreciate most is that Kablo connects us with so many like-minded individuals who are trying to do good, from people in the non-profit space and community leaders, to our customers (who are the ones we feel most accountable to). Nothing tops getting one-to-two--page emails from customers telling us how Kablo has changed their perspective on drinking water and how much better they feel because of it. People tell us all the time that they feel great owning a Kablo bottle and knowing that they are not contributing to plastic water bottle pollution. This really demonstrates how changing one small habit, in this case investing in a product, can be the catalyst for a more eco-conscious mindset. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing this happen in front of our eyes.