The Drink 1 Give 10 campaign is simple: for every liter of Volvic bottled water you drink 10 liters of clean drinking water will be provided to children in Africa. The campaign is a result of a collaboration between Volvic and UNICEF, and the money donated to UNICEF through Volvic will be used to build wells, educate the people, and help maintain clean water supplies -- because every child has the right to clean water.
We've covered bottled water for dogs before and apparently the trend is really taking off because now we're doing it again. Aqua Pure Breed is bottled mountain water for dogs that not only provides hydration but is also available in 4 different formulas to more personally meet your dog's healthy drinking needs. And Aqua Pure Breed promotes not only healthy drinking water for your pet but an overall healthy and active lifestyle by offering "Active Dog Guides" for major cities and they started the No Dog Left Behind program which encourages people to include their pet dogs into more areas of their lives. You can order online and get about a month's supply of water for $59.95.
When it comes to luxury it seems bigger is always better (with the exception of gadgets and technology, of course) but when it comes to boating Caillou is embracing a new philosophy: that small is good.
Inspired by sailboat designs from the 1800s and combining it with methods of today, Caillou strives to take the best of both old-fashioned boat building and modern technology to come up with a unique set of small boats that all have ease of use and convenience at heart. There are 3 different models available (Okume, Teak, and Glass) plus a small selection of used boats for sale on their website.
Although luxury boating is pretty closely associated with size, not all sweet yachts are necessarily the biggest. The newest design from Sabdes is a good example of that principle at work. The Sabdes 50M Superyacht may be slightly smaller than it's predecessors but it more than makes up for what it lacks in square footage by having both cutting edge styling and several eco-friendly features. The 50M has increased fuel efficiency and reduced emissions, a specially styled hull that reduces both wave 'slamming' and the wake impact that can disrupt marine life and cause shoreline erosion, and more energy efficient LED lighting. Plus it runs on a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system that gives it higher cruising speeds than many other similarly sized yachts.
On top of all that it kind of looks like a spaceship. That's always fun.
The home spa is usually the place to chill out not to work out but Dimension One Spas has created the Aquatic Fitness System an underwater gym. The workout offers low impact exercises to tone, shape and enhance flexibility while suspended in water. It can be used for rehabilitation and for more hardcore athletes. It lets you swim, stretch and row while immersed in water and also has an area for just relaxing. The water is cleaned with ozone and UV light and the exteriors are made from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs. There are three different models ranging from $29,995 to $44,995.
I'm not sure if it's the saturated adult health and fitness industry or the booming pet products trend, but something has encouraged the creation and launch of Fortifido, bottled vitamin water for dogs. Fortifido touts benefits like healthier bones, skin, and joints, (plus of course better breath) and comes in several different flavors including spearmint, peanut butter, and parsley (parsley???).
When it comes to water for dogs of course there's some controversy over bottled water versus plain old-fashioned tap water, but even if bottled dog water is something you would buy I think everybody can see it's mostly just a marketing scheme to make money. Despite that, though, I'll admit that it might be fun when I'm out exercising to whip out both a water bottle just for me and another one for my dog...
She'll be trying "parsley" first (and probably just once!).
We've covered blinged up water before (literally) and the latest addition to the collection is Fillico Beverly Hills. Coming out of Japan, the $100 bottles of water are made of frosted glass with gold paint and Swarovski crystal accents -- and for about double the price you can add gold wings and/or a gold or silver crown to the bottle (shown is a set of "King and Queen").
Not sure why they put "Beverly Hills" in the name, though, since the water is from a spring in Kobe and as of now it is mostly being distributed at the Ritz Carlton in Tokyo.
It's all about "multimedia" these days with cell phones that double as mp3 players and iPods that play movies. But have you ever considered getting yourself a multimedia washbasin? It probably strikes you as ridiculous (and if it doesn't it probably should), but honestly I think it's actually a pretty cool idea. At least I think this interpretation, the Meltdown Sink by WET STUDIO, is a cool idea. The Meltdown functions as (of course) a sink, but in addition to that it has the following decidedly unique and weird (but totally fun and useful) multimedia features: • It glows from within in your choice of orange, lemon, white, or black. • The glow can be customized with a small static projection screen to display personalized messages, artwork, or anything else onto the sink's surface from within. • An internal amplified speaker system allows the sink to play your CDs and mp3s. No more ugly radio in the bathroom messing up your decor!
Now here's a yacht that will catch an eye or two, plus blow your hair back and give you a thrill. Not to oversimplify things, but it's basically a yacht with a kite instead of a sail. The kite principle takes advantage of the greater and more consistent wind speeds found at higher altitudes, raising the boat to planing speeds and making sailing in the shallows and littorals a realistic option.
And on top of everything else the Kitano Kite Sailing Yacht is environmentally-friendly, so us "greenies" can indulge our love of the water guilt free.
When I mentioned the new Palace bottle by Evian a few weeks back, a few savvy commenters clued me in to the fact that a new Evian Limited Edition by flounce-loving French designer Christian Lacroix was on the way. Luxury Launches has uncovered the pictures of the bottles. There are two versions the Evian pret-a-porter which has a frosted lace pattern over the bottle and the Haute Couture version, a glass bottle in the shape of an ice queen with a voluminous alpine skirt. The pret-a-porter bottle will sell for around $6 in gourmet grocery stores. As for the Haute Couture version, I am guessing it will turn up on eBay at some point (the standard version of the Lacroix bottle is already there with a buy-it-now price of $50. At least these editions are not as unwieldy as the mountain-shaped bottles used for previous limited editions.
It used to be that the wine list was one way to judge the quality of a restaurant, these days you might want to look at the water list. What was once a simple choice between sparkling and still has evolved as restaurants and hotels expand their water options. Decanter reports that the London hotel Claridge's will offer a water list featuring 30 mineral water brands from around the world, including the pricey 420 Volcanic from New Zealand which is priced at £50 a liter. The staff can offer help on food matching, for example they say that Finé from Shuzenji, Japan has a slightly sweet taste and is perfect for sushi, while Welsh water Llanllyr's goes well with salads. My question is whether the rising concern about bottled waters will nip this trend in the bud or whether exotic bottled waters will become a treat for special occasions.
Now here's a high-tech faucet: the Miscea Sensor Activated Faucet. The faucet recognizes through motion alone what you want not only in the way of water on/water off, water warmer/water colder but also soap and disinfectant lotion options. It's made of stainless steel with a laser-engraved glass interface that uses LED lighting to activate corresponding features as you bring your hand close. And it's high-tech in an eco-friendly way by both encouraging a cleaner environment (no touching germy or wet hands to the faucet) and by using 70% less water on average for washing hands.
I love fun techie gadgets as much as anybody, and it definitely looks futuristic (although I generally like things simpler), but I'm skeptical that it can't always be reliable to use -- shaky hands? Don't scald yourself!
If having a yacht of your own doesn't work for you then chartering one is the next best thing (or maybe it's better? None of the hassles of ownership!) there are lots of choices out there. What amenities are important to you? Where do you want to go? The options are endless, and if money is no object then the luxuries can be too. Ever had the chance to experience any of these megayachts? They're some of the most expensive out there available for charter, and I think they all sound awesome:
Talk about a great way to relax -- just looking at this Thalassor Beleina Whirlpool Tub makes me feel a little less stressed. It must be the sweeping sculptural tub design, coupled with the raised faucet that makes the whole thing feel a little like you're sitting in a fountain. But most fountains don't have massage jets, hydrojets, and a chromotherapy system that offers 512 colors (that's ridiculous!) for an experience that is absolutely and completely tailored to exactly what you need. Can't get better than that!
I've covered the fancy bottles from Evian before but their new bottle is even more lavish. The Palace Bottle comes with the Palace pourer and the the Palace coaster which basically turn the bottle into an elegant carafe for serving. The new deign will be available in select hotels, restaurants and clubs and will sell for $15 to $20.
