Greener Summer Gear
Worried about plastics in the waste stream? Try these recycled— or recyclable products.
Bye-Bye Plastic Bottles
If you are tired of yellowing plastic water bottles that smell faintly of Gatorade (or worse) consider Bivo. Vermont’s newest brand (the company founders, Carina Hamel and Robby Ringer just moved to Richmond from Colorado), Bivo Performance Cycling Bottles ($39) are ones you won’t throw away. The Bivo One is made of stainless steel and wrapped in a colorful slip-proof silicone outer that keeps the bottle from rattling in the cage (pro tip: be sure to switch out the screws on your bottle cage to the ones that come with the Bivo). The BPA-free lid features an internal straw and a sipping nipple that means you don’t need to squeeze the bottle. While you won’t want to tip it straight up to drink, the company claims you can actually drink more, faster than with a plastic bottle. The lid twists off easily to refill it and you can buy replacements ($13). The only downsides that some have noticed after prolonged use is that the silicone outer can wear down and if you’re mountain biking, the lid can collect dust. But the company is working on that as well as on an insulated version. Stay tuned.
Sunglasses For A Net Win
Reducing the plastic waste that goes into our oceans is a good thing. Reusing the plastic that might come out of the sea, may be even better. For 35 years Costa has been making sunglasses designed for watersports with lightweight plastic frames and polarized lenses. Now, Costa’s “Untangled” ($199 to $226) line of sunglasses is being made from recycled fishing nets. With a fully-traceable supply chain, the brand uses NetPlus material that is 97% recycled, discarded fishing nets and 3% performance additive. The company estimates that 640,000 tons of discarded fishing materials make it into our waterways each year. The glasses come in nine frame styles for men and women with a variety of colors for the frames and lenses and options to add prescription lenses. And the lenses, of course, are all polarized—which makes them great for fishing and other watersports.
Velocio Recycles
Velocio’s jerseys fit like they were painted on. Light, wicking and breathable, they feel like a second skin in a summer breeze. The high-gauge Italian knit fabric does a few other things well too, such as offer UPF 30 sun protection. Now, Velocio is also using recycled fabrics for its popular Velocio’s Lela Rose ($179) poppy jersey, available in both men’s and women’s. The jersey features a full zip for those hot summer rides as well as rear pockets that can hold all you need for a long ride. It’s not just the Lela Rose but every Velocio jersey is now made either from materials recycled from ocean plastics in Europe or natural fibers.
Run-to-Beach Shorts
The ideal summer shorts would be something you could wear on a run to the beach or the nearest swimming hole and that would be dry enough in time to run home. Run Amok’s Serrano short ($68) might just be that. The shorts are made of a recycled 4-way stretch polyester that dries quickly. They have an 8-inch inseam and exterior drawstring to cinch the waist. There’s a side pocket with a zipper for keeping keys or credit cards and a back pocket that also zips. Note that the shorts come with no lining.
