Biodegradable, Branded Water Bottles Help a Civic Design Collaborative Raise Funds and Spread the “Green” during Eco Event for Tampa Bay Event Planner and Caterer, Mise en Place

Challenge: Finding “green” water bottles at a pleasing-enough price point to serve as an effective fundraiser.

When members of the non-profit, civic design collaborative Urban Charrette needed an event-planning firm for ECOlution ’09, a week-long series of events focused on building a greener Tampa Bay, they turned to the region’s premier purveyor of modern American cuisine, Mise en Place.

The main ECOlution event, named Eco Festival, is a free, outdoor “green” information fair and fundraiser along downtown Tampa’s waterfront, where festival-goers sample local music, local eats, green seminars and green products hailing from the Tampa Bay area and beyond. This festival’s “green” goes beyond just skin deep: Urban Charrette had determined that, as much as possible, everything used in and for the festival would be eco-friendly, self-sustaining, recyclable or biodegradable. This included utensils, plates and cups—even water bottles.

To encourage hydration in the hot Florida sun, the Mise en Place team played it smart—environmentally and health- and fundraising-wise—by deciding to sell biodegradable water bottles, the proceeds of which would return to Urban Charrette. The team connected with another green, civic-minded Tampa business, Kimmins Contracting Group, which agreed to sponsor the bottles in exchange for logo placement to help defray the cost.

Solution: Local sponsor helps defray cost of the 24-ounce eco-aware biodegradable sport bottle.

Finding biodegradable water bottles locally, however, proved to be a challenge, sending the Mise en Place team to the Internet. After speaking to and viewing the products of several suppliers, the team decided to work with ePromos because they loved the clean-looking, sleek, biodegradable (and reusable!) water bottle available on our site, as well as its pleasing price point, which would ensure a successful fundraiser.

Result: Branded bottles raise funds for a non-profit, spread “green” awareness to Tampa Bay and beyond.

On the day of the festival, 30-some booths representing 30-some green businesses and local organizations welcomed 1,000-some environmentally conscious and curious people from the Bay area and beyond. Local bands played. Beer and wine flowed, served and enjoyed in cups made from corn. Local food was sampled on plates and with utensils also made from corn. And festival-goers drank water in their new biodegradable water bottles courtesy of Kimmins to support the Urban Charrette. The Mise en Place team reports that the bottles hit the mark: the Mise en Place, Kimmins and Urban Charrette staff, as well as vendors and attendees, loved the bottles and considered them “cool.” The fundraiser also hit the mark, proving the bottles a great investment and an excellent way to promote the Urban Charrette’s sustainable economic, social, and environmental way of thinking. The Urban Charrette team was pleased with the overall results and impact of the festival as well—they’ve already engaged Mise en Place to make next year’s ECOlution, their third annual, bigger and better than ever.