New York, Sept. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- S’well has partnered with the New York City Mayor’s Office of Sustainability (MOS) to help launch BRING IT, a City-led multi-channel campaign focused on helping New York City public school students and the community reduce waste through advocacy and action. Through this initiative, over 320,000 high school students across all five boroughs will receive a S’well or S’ip by S’well reusable bottle with the goal to displace more than 54 million single-use plastic bottles in New York City.
The year-long partnership launches today – in conjunction with Climate Week NYC and in support of New York City’s Zero Waste goal – with the official unveiling of BRING IT, a movement challenging students to adopt habits that minimize waste, such as using a reusable water bottle. The campaign will be supported with a wide range of programs and events that foster knowledge around sustainability, cultivate mentorship opportunities and encourage people to take action.
“I am so proud to be a part of a program that is creating real impact for New York City, S’well’s home,” said Sarah Kauss, founder and CEO, S’well. “Together, we are developing a platform for change, offering today's youth and tomorrow’s leaders the knowledge, resources and inspiration to address the global challenges posed by waste and single-use plastic bottles through meaningful actions.”
“To reach our goal of sending zero waste to landfills by 2030, we have to upend our whole way of doing things. The BRING IT campaign will help create a cleaner, fairer city for all by empowering youth to lead the way. We’re proud to partner with a New York City company, S’well, to get this off the ground,” said Mayor de Blasio.
To celebrate the launch, S’well and NYC MOS are launching a five-day challenge that offers a daily call-to-action for students in NYC, empowering them to take simple steps to help create big change. Programming also includes the chance for public school students in elementary to high school to participate in designing S’well’s 2019 Earth Day Collection and participate in activities that promote storytelling and design for sustainable change.
Over the course of the year, S’well will continue to collaborate with DOE and MOS to support a variety of existing sustainability programs. This includes supporting engagement with school sustainability coordinators, teachers and administrators who help develop green initiatives in each school, as well as the Borough Student Advisory Council and Chancellor’s Student Advisory Council.
“We cannot simply leave young people to inherit and then solve our environmental crisis tomorrow, we must equip them with the resources to take action and make different choices today,” said Mark Chambers, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. “We are honored to partner with S’well, our students, and our schools to end single-use plastic waste and transform how we live, work, and play in our city.”
Single-use plastic is a major source of preventable waste in New York City, as well as for our country and globe. Nationally, Americans throw away enough plastic water bottles to fill the Empire State building one and a half times a month. That’s plastic that never goes away but seeps into our water and ultimately our food, impacting our health. Engaging New Yorkers to adopt waste-reducing behaviors, like bringing reusable water bottles, is critical to achieve the City’s Zero Waste goal by 2030 and enables New Yorkers to save money. Using national averages, each student with a reusable bottle will be able to displace 167 water plastic bottles from NYC’s trash and save $250 in buying plastic bottles this year.
The partnership and Bring It campaign complements S’well’s ongoing sustainability efforts and commitment to amplifying the simple ways individuals and organizations can create change. It extends S’well’s Million Bottle Project – a sustainability program that promotes minimizing single-use plastic bottle consumption – with the goal to help displace 100 million plastic bottles by 2020.
To learn more, stay up-to-date on BRING IT initiatives and get involved, visit BRINGIT.NYC and www.swellbottle.com/bringitnyc or follow @GreeNYC and @swellbottle.
About S'well
S’well, headquartered in NYC, is a global manufacturer, wholesaler and online retailer of upscale, insulated reusable beverage containers that look great and do good. Both S’well and S’ip by S’well brands offer products that are beautifully crafted and composed of BPA-free, 18/8 gauge, stainless steel. Most S’well products keep drinks cold for up to 24 hours and hot for up to 12. On a mission to rid the world of plastic bottles and help communities in need, S’well gives back with each bottle sold. It is a partner of organizations such as UNICEF, Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) and (RED). Recently, S’well was named to the 2017 Inc. 500 List of fastest-growing, privately-held companies (#99). In addition, S’well was named #1 Fastest-Growing, Women-Led Company by The Women Presidents’ Organization and also included on Crain’s New York Business’ 2017 “Fast 50” (#10). S’well products are currently sold in 65 countries worldwide. Visit www.swellbottle.com and www.sipbyswell.com to learn more.
About the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability
The New York City Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is a team of architects, data scientists, engineers, policy advisors, and city planners working to create a city where the air is clean, the streets are green and where our 8.5 million residents produce zero waste and zero carbon. Guided by the OneNYC plan, 80x50 report, and Executive Order 26, MOS works to minimize NYC’s contributions to climate change from the waste, transportation, energy, and building sectors. By tackling the challenges posed by climate change with innovation, creativity, and inclusivity, we are improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers and protecting our planet at the same time.
About GreeNYC
GreeNYC is New York City’s public education program dedicated to engaging and mobilizing New Yorkers to take simple yet meaningful steps to reduce their energy use, generate less waste and live more sustainable lifestyles. With a focus on behavior change, GreeNYC serves to fill gaps in policies driven by the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. We do this by using city assets more creatively, collaborating across city agencies, and building strong partnerships to expand our reach – and impact - for generations to come.
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