We are young passionate individuals who live active lifestyles. Shredding in fresh powder, catching head-high waves on an offshore day, or bombing down glistening blacktop hills -- we have a desire to explore it all. The beauty and tranquility we've encountered along the way has humbled us and given us a newfound respect for the Earth.

This is what we at Vert value and what has made us who we are today. It was when those values were threatened that we stepped up and took the initiative to protect them.

It all started one early spring morning. We were heading out to the break when we found ourselves paddling through empty beer cans, plastic bags and candy wrappers. Having to swim through it all was disgusting enough, but the thought that people were dumping their trash onto our favorite beach was far more unsettling. What normally would've been a good start to the day, instead, just left us all with a bad taste in our mouths. We have always understood that our consumption and waste was not helping the planet, but never had it affected us on a personal level until that day. So we started to do some research. We wanted to understand the extent of the problem and exactly how much damage it was causing.

What we uncovered was startling. The plastic trash we found at our beach that day didn't even begin to scratch the surface. Plastic pollution has become a major global pandemic that has caused significant long-term and far-reaching consequences to our planet -- damage that is potentially irreversible.

For years now we've been polluting our planet with plastic waste. The pollution is accumulating at such an alarming rate that there is not enough time nor people on the planet to clean it all up.  Everyday the problem is only getting worse, and we are slowly starting to kill our planet. It's ironic that as large of a threat as this problem poses, very little is being done about it. The reason nothing is being done is because most people are completely unaware of this issue.

This is what made us realize we had to do something to help. We came up with an idea that would put an end to this vicious cycle. We started a movement to make a difference called the VERT EFFECT.  We picked the name "Vert" because of its  dual meaning. The word is a very common term in skate, surf, and snow community meaning "to ride vertically" or "to get vertical." It also means "green," which is symbolic of most eco-friendly initiatives. Therefore, our company name, "Vert",  represents who we are and what we look to accomplish; our goal is to protect the health of our planet, ourselves and our future by raising awareness of the plastic pandemic and providing a way for people to make an immediate impact.

We have designed the ultimate weapon of mass reduction. It is a stainless steel bottle that will eliminate the use of plastic bottles, provide a healthy and chemical-free way to drink your beverages and reduce the contamination of our planet. This will allow the Earth to begin healing and to start reversing the damage that has been done.

+ Do something drastic, kick the plastic. Go VERT!