about uscanteen

uscanteen is the brainchild of entrepreneurs Victoria Meakin and Peter Bobley, the team that created PhoneCharge Inc., a $3 billion electronic bill payment company which was acquired by CheckFree in 2006. Now Victoria and Peter are putting their gain to work exploring their mutual interest in design and climate change.

For their first new venture, Peter and Victoria decided to take on plastic bottle abuse. With only 17% of plastic water bottles in the US recycled, 60 MILLION END IN LANDFILLS EVERY DAY according to the Earth Policy Institute. But, how to convince consumers to switch from plastic to re-usable bottles?

Victoria noticed that only a handful of women were carrying re-usable bottles and that the ones they did carry looked like they would be more at home on a camping trip or at a Hannah Montana concert. Peter remembered a gift he had received as a child - the elegant and functional M-1910 Army issue canteen.

The M-1910 was the canteen carried by American soldiers from WWI to the Vietnam War. uscanteens, crafted from state-of-the-art stainless steel, are designed to be lighter and trimmer than the M-1910 while retaining the ergonomic shape and essence of the original.

The partners re-imagined the M-1910's simple canvas carrier as a safari-chic statement and the Como was born. But why stop there? The chic nylon Victoria comes in an array of fresh colors and moves effortlessly from the yoga studio to office. The more refined Bouchet looks right at work too, and makes an easy transition to evening.

The M-1910's carrier was imprinted with the letters U.S.  The "us" in uscanteen is lower case, an inclusive invitation to join the march towards more sustainable lifestyles and a healthier world. The M-1910 worked hard and accomplished great things for half of the last century. uscanteen strives to do the same in the 21st century.