Much to be Grateful For

by Jeremy on December 9, 2011

It has been over 2 months since I posted to the blog.  Needless to say, I am long overdue!  I think I do have a good excuse.  Things have been really busy at Camp Atayne, and that’s a good thing!

I recently read a blog by Judith Samuelson, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program and it gave me the inspiration for this post. Samuelson references Robert A. Emmons, of the University of California, Davis and his research partner, Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami.  Emmons and McCullough suggest a regular habit of listing five things for which you are grateful. The results of their research “suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits.”

There is no better time than now to list some of the many things for which I am grateful.

  1. I am grateful that everyone at Camp Atayne is buzzing around with plenty to do.  Yes, we wish we had more time to run, bike, hike and play.  However, being busy is a good thing.  I always tell people that if I were not busy, I would be concerned.
  2. I am grateful that we continued a great partnership with Freedom’s Run in 2011.  This race is organized by a fantastic group of people in the Shepherdstown/Martinsburg, WV area.  If you have not run this race yet (or even if you have), I would put it on your consideration set for 2012.
  3. I am grateful that we started new partnerships with some great events in 2011 including:  The Vermont 100, The Dempsey Challenge, The Loon Echo Trek, Fight Back Festival, Virgil Crest Ultras, Catharine Valley Half, and the Newburyport Half Marathon.  I am equally grateful that we have some great new partners for 2012: Mid Winter Classic, Old Port Half Marathon, Bicycle Coalition of Maine, Great Lakes Endurance, and Tri for a Cure.
  4. I am grateful that every day I get to wake up and build a company that is making a positive impact on the world.
  5. Finally, I am grateful for all the Atayners who continue to support us.  It has been a tough adventure over the last four and a half years; however, I would not trade it for anything.

I hope everyone takes the time to enjoy the end of 2011 and spends at least a few minutes thinking about all the things you are grateful for (even better, try to make it a daily practice).

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The Five Coolest Things Made from Used Plastic Bottles

by Jeremy on September 23, 2011

It is no secret that at Atayne we use plastic bottles to make our performance apparel.  For every shirt we make and sell, we prevent 8 to 14 plastic bottles from going into a landfill.  However, Atayne is definitely not the only company/organization making cool products from recycled plastic bottles.  In honor of some of our trash-hoarding peers, here is a list of 5 of our favorite non-Atayne things made from used plastic bottles.

5.  A courier bag for your commute (bike, walk, or public transit of course).  The Elroy from Osprey Packs.

The Elroy Osprey Packs

4.  A tent for your camping adventures.  Salt Creek 2 Tent by Big Agnes.

Salt Creek 2 Tent by Big Agnes

3.  Carpet for your home.  EverStrand Carpet from Mohawk.

 

EverStrand Carpet from Mohawk

2.  A boat sailing from San Francisco to Sydney.  The Plastiki.

The Plastiki

1.  A school in Guatemala.  Hug it Forward Plastic Bottle School.

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“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

August 11, 2011

“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”  Great words by my favorite author, Dr. Seuss.  I recently came across an article written by Nicholas D. Kristof that reminds me that a person can make a very big impact on others’ lives, even if they are a tad small.  Enjoy… RACHEL’S LAST FUNDRAISER By Nicholas D. [...]

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The Dirty Baggage that Comes with Most Cheap Products

July 22, 2011

A few weeks ago I posted a response to the argument that buying American-made products is not really the best thing for our economy.  There are many people claiming that the best thing for our economy is to buy the cheapest product you can find without sacrificing quality.  While my response was much more in [...]

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Is Buying American Made Good for Our Economy?

June 10, 2011

I recently came across an article titled “What if I had to Buy American?” The author of the article, Katherine Reynolds Lewis, makes the argument that if we were all forced to buy American, we would be missing out on a lot of products.  She writes: “Our homes would be stripped virtually bare of telephones, [...]

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Is Plastic the Problem?

April 19, 2011

Plastics have come under a lot of fire recently.  There are many reasons why people, especially environmentalists, have such an aversion to this ubiquitous material.  Here’s just a very small list: There is an island of waste about the size of Texas floating in the Pacific Ocean.  The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, as it is [...]

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Moving from Sustainability to Thrivability

March 24, 2011

Last week I had the honor of giving the keynote address at Techtextil NA.  In addition to having a captive audience listening to me (something I do not shy away from), I got to escape the tail end of the Maine winter for a week in Vegas.  I definitely took advantage of this, hitting up [...]

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Does the End Justify the Means?

March 4, 2011

In 2010, Atayne had a great year with our custom apparel program.  From Bowdoin College and the Army National Guard to Freedom’s Run and the Maine Track Club, we have found many organizations are actively seeking apparel made in a more responsible way (both for people and the planet).  Because of last year’s success, we [...]

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Made in the USA

February 7, 2011

When I first came up with the idea to start Atayne, I set the goal of manufacturing our products right here in the United States.  Not only did I want to minimize the miles our products travel and the resulting harmful emissions, I wanted to support jobs in the communities where people were buying our [...]

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Atayne’s 2011 Resolutions

January 18, 2011

I can remember back to New Year’s Eve 1987.  I was thinking ahead to the year 2000.  In my mind it was so far into the future, and my exact thought was, “Wow, I will be sooooo old in the year 2000!” As a 10 year old in 1987, 23 was “soooo old.”  I wonder [...]

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