TheMountain.com BLOG

That tax refund burning a hole in your pocket? Here are 10 ways that you can make the most of that sweet sweet cash. 1. Adopt a pet It's spring. The lakes are thawing; flowers are poking through the few remaining shadowed sheets of snow and animal shelters are overflowing with puppies and kittens. Now is the time to get to your local humane society or animal rescue and adopt! If you live in a place that does not allow pets, you can always support a pet that hasn't found it's furrever home yet by giving a chunk of change to an organization like: https://www.arcticrescue.com/. Or you could move. 2. Spruce up your wardrobe Did you possibly go a little too far with the Spring Cleaning Wardrobe Purge of 2018? That's OK! It's time for out with the old and in with the new. Sassy-up your wardrobe with t-shirts from The Mountain! There are so many genres of tees – from Fantasy to Americana to Animals to Rock n' Roll.... and why stop at just t-shirts? Find your favorite designs on products for your home like pet beds, blankets, throw pillows and more! 3. Donate to charity Philanthropy is hot. If you are looking to make a real difference, you really should look good doing it. To kill two birds with one stone, shop the Purchase With A Purpose products at The Mountain. Not only do you get really awesome products, but a portion of proceeds is donated directly to the specified charity! It's a win-win. 4. Pamper Yourself Are you a working Mom who does 138 loads of laundry per week, balances kids, partner, house, work, pets, self, etc? Stop what you are doing, and click HERE to purchase a coffee mug. We will whisper words of love and encouragement into the mug before shipping it to you ASAP. When it arrives, please pamper yourself and drink a HOT cup of coffee. 5. Take a trip Anywhere. Make time for an experience! Dust off the suitcase and spend that tax refund money on a memory that will last the rest of this lifetime. (Don't forget to pack your favorite Mountain T-Shirt!) 6. Pay off high interest debt Boring, yet practical. Be sure to set some aside for #8. 7. Get ahead on your Christmas Shopping Avoid the holiday stress this year by getting ahead on your Christmas shopping! You know who you have to shop for, so why wait?! At The Mountain, you will certainly find something for everyone on your list! 8. Gamble Getting a huge refund this year? Wouldn't it be fun to buy a bunch of scratch tickets and spend the day all cozy under a fleece blanket scratching them one-by-one? Sounds dreamy! 9. Refinance your mortgage or make home improvements. See #6. 10. Pay it forward Do something kind. Please. Pay for somebody's coffee, layaway, oil delivery, sandwich, whatever! Share a scratch ticket! Not getting a refund this year? Everyone has something to give and being generous is being human. Share your love. We're all in this together.

Sustainability and “going green” are hot topics these days. More and more people are making use of their buying power and choosing to consume products based on what they know about a company’s product sourcing and manufacturing methods. Because of the raise in consumer awareness, brands are responding by evaluating their operations and supply chains, and making changes to the way they source and manufacture their products. This all makes perfect sense to us at The Mountain. And honestly, it’s about time that more companies got on board and adopt more ethical practices. For 25 years The Mountain has been committed to sustainability and to minimizing our impact on our environment. Here are three reasons that The Mountain is a brand you can feel good about wearing.We use Water Based InksNot only are water-based inks environmentally friendly, after just one wash you won’t be able to feel the difference between the print and the dyed fabric. Water-based printing results in a softer feel and a more durable print. Most screen printers opt to use plastic-based inks because they’re cheaper, but over time the plastic cracks and flakes off the shirt. Printing with water-based inks is a more complex process, but it’s worth the extra effort.We Use Zero Chemicals to Treat Our WastewaterWe operate a dye facility where we hand-dye over a million t-shirts every year. As you can imagine, that means a lot of water and a lot of dye that we need to remove from that water. In 2011, we installed what’s known as a Dye Oxidation System to treat our wastewater. The operation is complicated to explain in a short article, but basically, we’ve figured out how to take the “waste” out of “wastewater” without using chemicals. The end result is that all water returning back to our local supply is cleaner than it arrived and enriched with oxygen.This system has enabled us to recycle over 5 million gallons of water to date. We Recycle EverythingIn 2006 we converted to a “Direct to Screen” system to print our separations which reduced our need for plastic film by several thousand pounds per year. Additionally, we recycle each screen, enabling us to reduce our plastic use even further. In 2010 we closed the loop on all of our cardboard waste with our box supplier. This means our shipping containers are made of 100% recycled materials. We also make a strong effort to encourage employees to help us eliminate plastic bottle waste by installing filtered water fountains throughout our facility. Even our hang tags are made of recycled materials. Being “green” to us means being mindful of our choices, which have a direct impact on the environment and on future generations. It’s an evolution. We’re not perfect. No one is. But we can say with confidence that we will continue to do everything within our power to ensure that we remain on the cutting edge of sustainable manufacturing. Because we all need to care. The future of our species depends on it.

In the long litany of national calendar days, there are some funny, creative, and outlandish ones – like National Unicorn Day, which we just celebrated earlier this week. But mixed in with Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day, National Cheeseburger Day and Star Wars Day are plenty of serious days where our collective acknowledgement can be impactful. One of these happens to be tomorrow, April 14th: National Dolphin Day. Why Protect Dolphins? Did you know that dolphins are among the only member of the animal kingdom to exhibit learning behaviors that are similar to humans? This means that dolphins are not only excellent at learning new skills, but they also can teach learned behaviors to other members of their pod! Characteristics like this often set the tone for the ethical argument for why dolphin conservation is important. Not to mention the fact that dolphins are among a tiny subset of animals who can voluntarily approach human beings with no intent of harming them. Aside from the fact that dolphins are cute, playful, charming, and docile, there are very serious ecological reasons why dolphin conservation should be on the forefront of everyone’s mind. To begin with, dolphins play an integral role in the food chain since they hold a relatively high spot in the hierarchy. Without going into all the nitty gritty details, dolphins help keep the ocean clean and it is noted that a healthy dolphin population is a strong indication of healthy waters in the nearby area. We all understand the importance of clean oceans, so it goes without saying that ensuring the future of dolphins worldwide has a directly positive impact on the environment. Mountain Partner Spotlight: Whale and Dolphin Conservation Is the conservation of whales and dolphins a cause that is near and dear to your heart? Then we want to shine the spotlight on our special partnership with Whale and Dolphin Conservation through our newly released Protect Collection. WDC is a wildlife charity that focuses 100% of their efforts on preserving the welfare of whales, dolphins and porpoises worldwide. We recently introduced the brand new design, “Save the Whales” (shown below), along with nine other conservation-inspired designs in our Protect Line of apparel and accessories. For each Protect item sold, we will donate a portion of the proceeds to one of seven animal conservation groups working on the front lines of species preservation. If you want to check out some really powerful animal designs and read about all of the causes we are supporting in this initiative, take a moment to browse the entire Protect Collection. Celebrate Dolphin Day with a Mountain T-Shirt Here at The Mountain, we have a long history of recognizing these amazing marine mammals on our t-shirts (and now tote bags, blankets, and ceramic mugs too!). Dolphin designs are a mainstay of our popular Aquatic T-Shirt Collection and in honor of National Dolphin Day, we want to share some of our favorite designs with you! Bergsma Dolphins Also available in blanket, pillow, tote, pet bed and iPhone case SHOP NOW > Dolphin Face Also available in kids, blanket, pillow, tote, pet bed, and iPhone case SHOP NOW > Dolphin Bubble Also available in mug, onesie, tote, kids, and women’s triblendSHOP NOW >

In our first edition of Cat Tales: Stories Of The Cat, we introduce She-Ra, house cat, Princess of Power and ruler over all the eye can see. My name is She-Ra – named for the Princess of Power. I live in a home with two "caretakers" whose names are Mom-Hole#1 and Mom-Hole#2. I'm a self-proclaimed felinist, and I believe in antisocial equality for all.Mom-Hole#1 works at The Mountain T-Shirt company. She's not so bad. She feeds me most days, lets me outside when I stand at the slider door, and lets me back in when I realize it's way too cold out to pee under the deck (It's winter in New Hampshire, after all). She scoops me up and smells my popcorn belly, and says she doesn't think I'm fat even though the vet said I was chubby. This mom knows my value. In fact, she takes some of my hair to work with her every day, as it is her job to diffuse the magical power I possess onto every cat t-shirt that The Mountain creates. You see, as the Princess of Power, my mystical mane is the source of magic. There is a ceremonial song that is sung after each batch of cat t-shirts is completed. This is accompanied by the traditional cat spirit dance. All of the employees at The Mountain put their love into each t-shirt they dye and print. If you think this is weird, you should see what they do for the dog t-shirts...Now as for Mom-Hole#2, he's a piece of work. He wears my Mountain T-Shirts nearly every day, yet for some reason, he just does not get me. He closes the door when he goes in the bathroom, he washes the tuna can water down the sink without even offering it to me, and he even will go so far as to pat me when I'm trying to sleep on the couch. I appreciate that he has such a great collection of cat t-shirts from The Mountain. He even has other animal tees in his wardrobe. I just wish he'd get with the program and embrace the power of the cat tees from The Mountain and learn to not sleep on my side of the bed.