United By Blue: A Brand That Gives Back

United By Blue cleans waterways

United By Blue doesn’t just make stylish clothes and durable canvas goods for the outdoors enthusiast. For every product sold, they also remove one pound of trash from oceans and waterways through company-organized cleanups. The brand made this promise when they started in 2010, and they wasted no time keeping it. As their website says, “We hosted our first cleanup the same week we sold our first T-shirt.” Read on for more about what makes United by Blue a brand that gives back.

A Good Ol’Road Trip — For the Good of Our WaterwaysGirl with United by Blue pack.

Since 2010, United By Blue and their volunteers have helped remove over 1,000,000 pounds of trash in twenty-seven states. This past summer, they decided to up those numbers even more by embarking on a cross-country cleaning voyage called The Bluemovement Road Trip. Starting on June 1, 2018, husband and wife duo Kelly Hilovsky and Jeff Butler — along with their lovable goldendoodle, Chance — set off on a road trip. Over the next two months, they helped volunteers in twenty states clear trash from their local waterways.

Bluemovement on the Move

The trip began with a cleanup in Richmond, Virginia on June 1 and ended in Bloomington, Indiana on August 6. Their stop in Birmingham, Alabama on June 12 saw volunteers removing 82 pounds of trash from Shades Creek. Throughout the sixty-plus day trip, the Bluemovement team removed 12,091 pounds of trash.

A Crisis in Our Waterways

8 million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year, with 1.5 million of that being made up of plastic bottles. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the most famous marine trash heap, is twice the size of Texas. Our waterways need help now more than ever, and it is so inspiring to see companies like United By Blue doing so much for our environment.

United by Blue messenger bag.

 

United by Blue products can be found in more than four hundred outlets nationally — including Alabama Outdoors! If you’d like to join one of their hosted cleanups, check here to find one near you!

 

Text by Nick Adrian