2011
DECEMBER
Transworld Business: The Line Break: United By Blue
"Check out this creative line by United By Blue, inspired by surf and nautical cultures and expressed through creative apparel designs."
"Brian Linton grew up scuba diving, researching marine life, and falling asleep to the hum of 30 fish tanks in his childhood bedroom. 'I got to see the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to oceans and waterways,' he says about his formative years living in Singapore and traveling the world"
Fast Company: Method, United By Blue Create A Supply Chain For Ocean Plastic
"Last month, Method announced an ambitious plan to turn plastic trash from the ocean into detergent bottles. It was an exciting idea, but unlike every other material that Method uses in its products, there is no real supply chain for ocean plastic. It only comes from people actually going to the beach and picking up the trash, which doesn’t happen frequently enough to build a business model. Except that United By Blue, an apparel company that removes one pound of ocean trash for every product sold, does just that."
Treehugger: How One Clothing Company Removed 82,527 Pounds of Trash from Waterways
"Last year when we wrote about United By Blue, a clothing and jewelry retail company that puts the ocean first, the company was just a tiny start-up getting its sea legs. But now it has proven itself as a sustainably-minded company that makes a serious difference."
Take Part Gift Guide: The Man In Your Life
"The United by Blue Windmill Hoodie is a perfect gift for the green guy in your life... What's even better is when you buy an item, you can pick where you want the company to focus their cleanup efforts."
NOVEMBER
The Wall Street Journal's Small Business,
Big Innovation Competition: UBB is a Finalist
The GQ Eye: Gear With a Conscience:
"What if we told you that you could get a beautiful, waxed canvas laptop bag for under 100 bucks, and that with the purchase of said laptop bag, you would be saving the world's oceans?"
Treehugger: Green Gift Guide: The Fashion Buff
"A good hoodie is like your favorite jeans: It's always comfortable and a go-to closet staple. United by Blue's Shark Fins Hoodie, in both men's and women's styles, is made with organic cotton. But that's not all: For each item sold, the ethical fashion brand removes one pound of trash from the world's oceans and beaches."
SEPTEMBER
Entrepreuneur Magazine: Wheels: Entrepreneurs Are Driving Now
"What an entrepreneur drives says a lot about his or her business. It speaks to a company's core beliefs and mission.Brian Linton, who started his apparel business last year, says his 2008 Toyota Matrix is 'fundamental to what we do.'"
Bloomberg Businessweek 2011 Finalists: America's Best Young Entrepreneurs
"During summers in college, Brian Linton would drive from Key West to Maine, selling jewelry he imported from Thailand to shops along the coast. He donated some profits to ocean-conservation groups, but the self-described lifelong ocean-lover wanted to create a for-profit business that would benefit the environment through each sale."
AUGUST
The Alternative Consumer: Organic Tees & More
Help Clean up Beaches & Waterways
"Support sustainable seafood, outlawing shark finning, conserving coral reefs and cleaning up the beaches – when you make a purchase @ unitedbyblue.com you become part of the solution."
PR Web Press Release: United By Blue's Internship Program:
“Interns work alongside Linton at UBB in the company’s Philadelphia open-floor plan office, and the chain of command is a two-way street. Not only do interns have access to company leadership, but company leadership appreciates having access to them. “Many of our most successful projects have been conceived of and developed by interns, and we learn from them as much as they learn from us,” says Linton.
JULY
Trend Hunter: Cause-Conscious Clothing
"With the abundance of spectacular sustainable jewelry and t-shirts with suiting titles like ‘Shark Finning,’ ‘Raining Oil’ and ‘Overfished,’ there really is something for everyone on the United by Blue site. Each of these artistic t-shirts come in a variety of faded colors that are meant to resemble harbor-front buildings that have faded naturally over time."
The Discerning Brute: Auralis,
United By Blue & Forks Over Knives: The Book
"United By Blue is a brand focused on cleaning up our waterways. For every item sold, they promise that 1lb of trash is cleaned up directly by their staff."
Filmitube: United By Blue (UBB) Today's Fashion
"Most retailers, including purveyors of organic and natural goods, package each product individually in plastic in order to prevent the buildup of moisture during shipping. But since one of UBB’s core company values is to do the least amount of harm possible in all business operations, the company decided it needed to reduce the amount of single use plastic it was producing."
"'At the beginning of the twentieth century, the concentration of plastic in marine environments was essentially zero. But over the last century, plastic has entered oceans and waterways to greater and greater extents. In some of the major ocean gyres, plastic particles outnumber zooplankton by a factor of 40 to 1."
WUSA9: United By Blue and Hudson Trail Outfitters
"As usual there was an assortment of weird finds such as: a meat drawer (minus the rest of the fridge); four small metal trash cans; rubber cement; a steering wheel cover; sneakers; and an animal skull. Lake Needwood which was just dredged this summer is once again a good, clean, fun recreational area."
United By Blue's Packaging Reduces Waste By 80%
"Instead of individually packaging t-shirts in plastic, UBB packages them in banana fiber paper. Not only are banana trees a constantly renewable resource, but the packaging is also biodegradable. To prevent moisture from damaging the organic cotton slub t-shirts in transit, UBB lines boxes with plastic."
WUSA9: 300 lbs. of Trash to be picked up at park in Rockville
"The cleanup taking place in Rockville, MD is expected to remove approximately 300 pounds of trash. Over 70 volunteers are expected to show and will be supplied with gloves, trash bags, food and drinks. Our cleanups are equal parts work and play, throughout the day we will be hosting contests and giveaways."
JUNE
FYI Philly (ABC 6): United By Blue
“'United By Blue's new website allows all our customers to be part of our mission. By choosing the exact beach cleanup or waterway cleanup that their purchase supports, customers can choose to clean up an area that matters most to them while getting something like a sweet new United By Blue organic t-shirt in return,” states Brian Linton, UBB’s founder and Chief Trash Collector."
Philadelphia Examiner: Local apparel company
United By Blue is big on being green
"UBB is so dedicated to recycling and reusing items, if – for whatever reason – you no longer want or need your UBB product, regardless of how worn or torn it is, you can return it and receive your deposit back. You may ask, “What deposit?” Look closely at your garment or bag. It will have a dollar amount printed somewhere on there. That’s the deposit amount. Send the item back, get some money back. It’s a win-win."
Baltimore Examiner: Cleanup at Alrick's Way
"The Alrick's Way cleanup will be the largest one so far organized by UBB and they hope to collect at least several thousand pounds of trash-- and thereby prevent it from flowing into the Bay."
MAY
"So, one of the many things that we’ve tried to do is cut down on plastic use within the company. So all our hang tags are made from, like you said, elephant dung and it doesn’t stop there. The elephant dung is infused with flower seeds, Bluebell flower seeds, so that when you plant a United By Blue hang tag, it grows blue flowers. So it’s also creating something that’s not plastic, but also creating something that goes back to the Earth in a very natural way and it actually grows life from something that most people use petroleum-based products from."
MARCH
Ways to Go Green: United By Blue
is Cleaning Beaches Coast to Coast
"UBB products can be found in stores throughout the United States and the Bahamas, including Urban Outfitters, Dillards, and Whole Foods. United By Blue accomplishes tangible environmental good while creating a brand that resonates with the growing number of people who are concerned about the environment."
Sustainable Seas: United By Blue -
"My solution to engaging the public is to create a company with an interesting story, be a huge success, and effectively become the vehicle that raises awareness for these problems. By becoming a mainstream brand sold in stores across the world, we have the opportunity to use that platform to educate those who interact with our product (or cleanups)."
Grid Philly: United By Blue, Delivering fashion, Saving the ocean
"It's definitely commendable for a fashion company to utilize eco-friendly materials. But a company that is strictly devoted to the pursuit of a healthier environment immediately earns my respect."
Technorati: We All Need to be United by Blue
"While the value proposition was simple, it became clear through a conversation with Alli that they have their work cut out for them. The “green” movement gets a lot of press, but the blue movement gets much less."
Whole Foods - Monday With Whole Body: United By Blue
"Looking at the countless problems our oceans face, ocean pollution was something that I knew my customers, employees, and myself could easily wrap our heads around. It is a concrete, visible problem. It was also something that truly saddens me to see, and something I am excited to dedicate my energies to cleaning up."
2010
NOVEMBER
Yes, Honey Chyle: Jewelry That Cleans Up
"Power to end pollution, one pound at a time . . . To date, I haven't heard of any (1) environmental (2) for-profit like this. Cheers, guys."
OCTOBER
PR Web Press Release: United By Blue Collects
"'Reaching 10,000 pounds within six months of launching UBB proves that this business model is sustainable, viable, and has the potential to do a tremendous amount of good for the environment,” Brian Linton, the company’s founder, said following the clean-up. With this clean-up, the company steps closer to its goal of collecting 12,000 pounds of trash by the end of this year."
Volunteers remove 500 pounds of trash from beach
"Isaiah Rosas, 9, said he volunteered 'to help the animals in the ocean not to die.'
The best thing he found while scouring the sand for junk was a lighter, but it didn't work, he said."
SEPTEMBER
Local Eco-Apparel Company Cleans Up Oceans
"It’s certainly honorable for a fashion and apparel company to use sustainable and organic materials. But a company that is highly active in the pursuit of a healthier environment is by far cooler…"
UPenn: Students rescue a river as part of Penn's Year of Water
"The five busloads of Penn students who walked the shoreline at Neshaminy State Park that September afternoon had come not to simply enjoy the weather and the view. They were there for the trash. To remove it and make the riverfront park a cleaner and safer place for families, joggers, bicyclists and dogs to enjoy."
Pennsylvania Environmental Council:
PEC Presents: 40 under 40 Awards
"As we look to the future, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council honors the
next generation of environmental leaders - those who will shape the way we treat
our land, air and water over the next several decades."
Jungle Campus: What I didn't learn in college
Students Collect Trash Along the Delaware River
"Students, faculty and United by Blue members collected 1,589 pounds of trash and recyclables during the Sunday kick-off of the week-long River Rescue, according to United by Blue President Brian Linton. Linton’s group, a sustainable apparel retailer and ocean-conservation group, provided trash bags and helped plan the event."
New Haven Register: Beach Cleanup Along Long Wharf Drive
"United By Blue, which designs, manufacturers and sells a line of sustainable apparel and accessories, uses sale proceeds to conduct an ongoing cleanup of oceans and other waterways, according to a statement. The company tracks what is collected at cleanup in an attempt both to find ways to prevent dumping and because as part of its business model, the company removes 1 pound of trash for every product sold, the statement said."
AUGUST
The Triangle: Sierra Helps Clean up Schuylkill
"The volunteers, including approximately 10 Drexel students, picked up 196 pounds of trash from the riverbank during the four hour cleanup session, according to Euric Krause, president of the Drexel Sierra Student Coalition. Krause said the extent of the litter on the riverbank was one part of the event that stood out to him, saying "it's something I wish everyone could see just because of how extreme it is. It's really eye-opening when you see an entire riverbank of the Schuylkill just covered [in garbage]," Kraus, a sophomore majoring in business administration, said."
JULY
Sundance Channel: Can green fashion save our oceans?
"From the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to the Gulf oil spill, you don’t have to look far for evidence of how heavily we pollute our oceans. The effects of this pollution are both environmental and economic: harming ocean life diminishes our capacity to make use of the many resources on which we rely provided by the planet’s ample blue spaces."
Southern County Chester Weeklies:
United By Blue shirts at Paper Market
dedicated to cleaning up world oceans
“'It’s as if Kennett Square was magical,” Harris explained that Kennett High School graduate Mike Cangi, currently a student at Temple, met fellow Temple student Brian Linton, while working on a project. Linton was in the process of creating what would one day become the United by Blue movement. One day, when Mike stopped in to the Paper Market, he and Harris began discussing the movement. Harris was interested and asked to be put in contact with the organization. “They sent a guy down and next thing you know, boom! A star is born!” Harris said."
NBC Philadelphia: Eagles Cheerleaders Bring Eco-Sexy Back
"Eagles Cheerleaders are certainly known for turning up the heat and turning heads --but this time it’s benefiting a great, eco-friendly cause."
My Fox Philly: Eagles Cheeleaders Have Jerrick's B-day Gift
"Surprise! The Eagles Cheerleaders help "Good Day's" Mike Jerrick celebrate his birthday."
My Fox Philly: Eagles Cheerleaders Calendar Goes Green
"The Eagles cheerleaders are back, and their eco-friendly new calendar is out."
JUNE
Earth911: Shop Online to Clean Up Your Local Waterways
"Linton suggests opting for a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water, as well as bringing along a tote bag to the grocery store. Remember that the plastic you do use is recyclable. Most grocers now offer in-store recycling for plastic bags. For those other plastics, use Earth911 to search for a recycling center near you."
"United By Blue launched yesterday — with the goal of removing 15,000 pounds of trash by the end of the year. Both men’s and women’s T-shirts are available, as is a stylish organic canvas bag."
"From the sale of their products, UBB is removing thousands of pounds of trash from oceans, saving the lives of countless turtles, dolphins, and other sea life.
MAY
Philadelphia Inquirer: Philadephia Entrepreneur Torn by Spill
"Its mission is twofold: to make a profit and to clean up oceans, beaches, and waterways around the world. To further that second objective, United by Blue is committed to removing one pound of trash for each product it sells."
"President and Founder of Sand Shack, Brian Linton goes on Fox News to discuss his new brand, United By Blue. For every product sold, UBB removes 1lb of trash from the worlds oceans, beaches, and waterways. Support the cause by and joining a local clean-up or simply buying an organic tee!"
TreeHugger: United By Blue, A New Conservation Venture
"The venture is brainchild of Brian Linton, who believes that, "Because the oceans are so vast and deep, consumers have the mentality of "out of site [sic] out of mind" and this needs to change.'"
