Remember winter break, when you were anxiously awaiting the best spectator sport at Northwestern? Unfortunately for its eager audience, rush week was gorgeous (weather-wise). As a result, not a single sorostitute was punished with frostbitten toes for wearing sky-high heels. Add in the stubbornly liquid consistency of the Norris Ice Rink, and the depressing truth emerges—global warming has taken all the fun out of being at Northwestern. As heavy consumers of plastics and other CO2 emitters, however, we undergrads are a major part of the problem. Easiest way to begin its solution? Reusable, environmentally friendly water bottles. And since no one wants to look like a renewable resources enthusiast, here are the sexy ones.
Bobble
It doesn’t often work out this way, but the best looking part of this minimalist bottle is also the coolest. That weird-looking appendage jutting into the transparent, bubble-like interior is a state of the art filter, designed to keep your tap water clean and your body running smoothly. The bottle comes in three sizes and eight colors, so there’s really no excuse not to buy one unless you hate the earth.
Size: 13 ounces, 18.5 ounces or 1 liter (34 ounces)
Get it: $9.99 at Office Depot in Evanston | $8.99, $9.99 or $12.99 on waterbobble.com.
Sigg Design Bottle
Everyone knows you mean business with a Sigg. The Swiss company has dominated the metal water bottle niche since 1908 and has been a favorite of hikers and backpackers for the duration of its existence. The aluminum bottle is sleek, lightweight and iconic, so it’s no wonder they’ve recently been spotted on the lips of superstars like Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz. But the single coolest part of the Sigg is that it’s customizable.
Go to cafepress.com/designer/sigg/ and make one with your face on it. What other opportunities do you have to desecrate a classically Swiss minimalist design in a series of rapid clicks?
Size: Multiple sizes
Get it: $7 at Sports Authority in Chicago | $18-$30 at mysigg.com.
The Bamboo Bottle
The Bamboo Bottle proves once and for all that green is gorgeous. As its name indicates, the outer layer of this bottle is made out of bamboo, one of the most eco-friendly plant resources that can serve practical purposes like water bottle construction. It’s totally plastic-free, for all you cancer-phobes. Instead, it has a glass interior that together with the bamboo puts one in the mind of a Zen-inspired living room. It can store drinks of any temperature, so slurp your steaming chamomile tea or your iced chai tea latte from its beauti- ful depths with equal impunity. Just remember to take a cleansing breath first.
Size: 0.5 liters (17 ounces)
Get it: Not in stock nearby | $25 on bamboobottleco.com
Thermos Threadless Hydration Bottle
Elementary school lunches, meet high school T-shirts. Threadless and Thermos have partnered to create a line of lovely stainless steel bottles with long, elegant necks. My personal favorite is their version of the iconic astronaut/radio image, because quality names like “Funkalicious” tend to grab my attention. But there are some more intricate designs available as well, with things like phoenixes and green monsters and such, that should keep the indie kids happy.
Size: 24 ounces
Get it: Not in stock nearby | $14.99 on thermos.com
Platypus PlusBottle
It’s flexible, lightweight and compact — 80 percent lighter than a solid bottle of the same volume. It’s also damn convenient, both in terms of weight and accessibility. You can loop it to your backpack, and it won’t clang in that embarrassing way that Nalgenes do. Most importantly, however, it looks like a grown-up version of a Capri Sun bottle. Hurrah for innovation and outside-the-box thinking; hurrah for the Platypus PlusBottle. So, raise your glasses — or your soft polyurethane pouches.
Size: 1 liter (34 ounces)
Get it: $16.95 at Moosejaw Sporting Goods store in Chicago | $17.65 at rei.com