Nalgene Outdoor, REVERB and X Ambassadors Collaborate on Global Initiatives at a Local Level to Reduce Plastic Waste and Support Non-Profits at Cayuga Sound Festival

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — As part of its continuing partnership with REVERB, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization leading the environmental movement within the music industry, Nalgene Outdoor Products, maker of reusable water bottles, will rock its local roots later this month at the inaugural Cayuga Sound Festival.  The outdoor concert and city-wide festival, to be held on Saturday, September 23 in Ithaca, NY, less than 100 miles from Rochester where Nalgene reusable water bottles are made, is designed to celebrate local culture, environmental efforts and non-profit organizations.

The Cayuga Sound Festival exemplifies a growing movement to develop music events from scratch that support environmental- and socially-conscious initiatives locally while creating a global impact. Reducing plastic waste at music festivals is a formidable challenge that will not only positively impact the environment but also how music festivals are planned in the future. The Cayuga Festival will not sell disposable plastic water bottles for patrons or artists in an effort to decrease waste.

Since 2013, through #RockNRefill, Nalgene Outdoor Products has donated bottles to REVERB for use at a wide variety of large- and small-scale national and local music events, all with the goal to reduce waste and support initiatives important to artists and non-profit organizations. At the Cayuga Sound Festival, artists will receive complimentary custom-designed Nalgene bottles backstage, and concert-goers can make a donation to receive the same bottles to use at free filtered water refill stations throughout the festival that eliminate the need for disposable plastic bottles. Funds from bottle sales benefit non-profit organizations.

“Nalgene bottles have been made in Rochester for nearly 50 years and have traveled the globe with end-users who love a good adventure and a reliable bottle for hydration,” said Eric Hansen, product director, Nalgene Outdoor Products. “We are thrilled that our relationship with REVERB allows Nalgene Outdoor Products to have a profound local impact so close to ‘home’ with the Cayuga Festival and that we can be part of the bigger movement to reduce waste at music events.”

Ithaca-natives and multi-platinum artists, X Ambassadors, curated the concert to reflect their inspirations musically and to celebrate their hometown with local cultural flare. Fifteen separate artists or bands will play on two stages during the weekend, and ten local non-profits will be supported by festival initiatives.

“This festival not only brings lots of music to the city, but also supports non-profits that are having a positive impact on the community — and we experienced a lot of it first-hand, growing up in Ithaca,” said X Ambassadors lead singer Sam Harris. “We’re also glad that the festival will be single-use plastic bottle free thanks to our partners Nalgene Outdoor and REVERB.”

Nalgene Outdoor Products and REVERB Reducing Waste within Music Industry
Through its partnership with REVERB, Nalgene Outdoor Products has worked with headliners such as The Dave Matthews Band, Willie Nelson, John Mayer and Zac Brown, among others; and large scale events such as the Forecastle and CaliRoots festivals. Inaugural festivals, such as the Cayuga Sound Festival that take on major global initiatives on a local scale, are benefactors of the significant impact of the ongoing partnership.

2017 marks the fourth consecutive year that Nalgene Outdoor Products has worked with REVERB to provide engaging ways to reduce plastic waste and increase water hydration at live music events. For years the duo has challenged concertgoers to #RockNRefill with a donation in exchange for a custom Made-in-USA Nalgene bottle; and then, using social media, share the many ways they make eco-conscious choices to refill, reduce and reuse at music events and in everyday life. Since its kickoff in 2013, the relationship, including #RockNRefill, has reached millions of music fans with tangible results:

• Raised more than $1,850,000 for over 50 unique environmental and social non-profit causes;
• Diverted an estimated 2,405,000 single-use plastic bottles from landfills; and
• Integrated more than 185,000 Nalgene reusable water bottles into everyday use among concertgoers.

The Nalgene Made-in-USA bottles are used by REVERB to support non-profit fan engagement platforms championed by select musical artist partners. Fans are able to connect with and support charitable causes by donating money in exchange for a custom Nalgene bottle at REVERB’s Eco-Village at select venues and festivals across the country. Thanks to REVERB’s free filtered water stations, fans are able to “Refill Not Landfill” with Nalgene bottles.

How to #RockNRefill
Visit www.nalgene.com/reverb for more information and an updated list of live music events. You can also tag or search #RockNRefill with Nalgene and REVERB @NalgeneOudoor (Twitter), @Nalgeneusa (Instagram), @reverbrocks(Twitter) and @reverbgreen (Instagram).

About NALGENE Outdoor
NALGENE® Outdoor Products, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, is based in Rochester, New York. Founded in 1949 as a manufacturer of the first plastic pipette holder, the company soon expanded its product line to include state-of-the-art polyethylene labware under the NALGENE brand.  By the mid-1970s, outdoor enthusiasts had discovered the taste and odor resistant, leak-proof and rugged properties of NALGENE’s large selection of plastic containers. In response to this emerging demand, the NALGENE Consumer Products Division was formed, and today the company offers its customers a wide choice of safe, environmentally friendly, BPA- and BPS- free products that meet their lifestyle needs.  For more information, contact NALGENE Consumer Products or visit our website at www.nalgene.com.

About REVERB
REVERB is a 501(c)(3) non-profit leading the environmental movement within the music community. Founded in 2004 by environmentalist Lauren Sullivan and her musician husband, Adam Gardner of Guster, REVERB creates and executes comprehensive programs for touring artists, festivals and concert venues greening music events and engaging fans to take action for the environment. REVERB has worked with over 217 major tours (Maroon 5, Jack Johnson, Alabama Shakes, Linkin Park, etc.) supporting over 4,023 environmental groups and reaching over 27 million fans across North America.  www.reverb.org.

About Cayuga Sound Festival
Cayuga Sound Festival will offer two stages in the park on Saturday, September 23 featuring an eclectic mix of talent from national touring acts to the home grown local talent from Ithaca and the region. Local vendors will be on site to offer attendees a taste of local food and drink. Additional information on tickets, travel, hotel accommodations and festival details can be found at www.cayugasoundfestival.com.

About X Ambassadors
KIDinaKORNER/Interscope band X Ambassadors’ debut album VHS reflected on the events that shaped lead vocalist and lyricist Sam Harris and his older brother, keyboardist Casey Harris’ life growing up in Ithaca, NY. The gold-certified album, which Rolling Stone called “bombastic rock that’s as stomping as it is diaristic, leavened by big-tent pop hooks and a hint of hip-hop swagger,” debuted at No. 7 on Billboard‘s Top 200 chart and spawned the platinum-selling “Renegades,” which spent 12 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Alternative chart, and the double-platinum “Unsteady.  The success of VHS sent X Ambassadors on a nearly two-year touring odyssey that found them winning over fans around the world and performing at the Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Life is Beautiful, and Shaky Knees festivals, among others, and establishing themselves as a world-class rock band.  X Ambassadors recently released the impassioned “Ahead of Myself,” the first single off their forthcoming sophomore set. X Ambassadors will return to Ithaca this fall co-headlining their inaugural Cayuga Sound Festival with The Roots and giving back to the community that nurtured their talent.  www.xambassadors.com 

Media Contact Information:

Greer Bautz
Gray Communications
617-694-0284
gbautz@graycreate.com

SOURCE Nalgene Outdoor