Meet Lynda Agee | Custom Designs on Earth-Friendly Drinkware

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lynda Agee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lynda, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I used to drink all of my water from plastic bottles. All day, every day. For years. I thought that I was using plastic responsibly because I put all of the empty bottles into the recycling bin. One day, somebody told me that very little of that plastic was actually being recycled. In fact, in the U.S. the majority of plastic bottles end up in land fills or being incinerated. Neither is environmentally friendly. We recycle almost none of our plastic.

The U.S. also pays many third-world countries to load up barges to haul away our waste plastic to either dispose of it in their country or recycle it. But, the fact is that too often, they dump it out at sea. I won’t go into how microplastics have been found in the remotest oceans in the world, the air, our food and is even detected in our bodies, not to mention our brain, our heart and our blood.

I was ashamed at how much I had been contributing to that problem and decided to try and stop using plastic as much as I could.

One day, I was at a craft show. There was a young woman selling stainless steel tumblers in beautiful colors and designs. I asked her what the process was (sublimation) and bought a couple of them.
It just clicked for me. I knew that I could learn how to make my own designs, and produce custom designs on earth-friendly cups, glasses, coffee cups, thermoses and tumblers. And they would be just about the only type of cups that I would be using.

After watching dozens of how-to videos on YouTube, buying supplies, blank tumblers, sublimation ink, etc., (and throwing away mistakes by the case) I finally began to get the hang of it.

Now I sell earth-sustainable drinkware at craft shows, farmer’s markets and on Instagram and Facebook. I never use plastic bottles any more and promote my tumblers as “earth-friendly” alternatives.
My little business isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme, but I do get a lot of satisfaction from putting people’s grandkids on a coffee cup and from making a more responsible contribution to our environment.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The first screen pretty much sums up this journey that I’ve been on.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take my out-of-town friends for a little party-boat ride on Lake Mission Viejo.
For a drink at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Clemente to watch the sun set.
And probably for some good Mexican food, a great margarita and fabulous mariachi music at Casa de Pancho at Garden Walk in Anaheim

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The one person that has encouraged me, supported me and never doubted me is my husband, David Castaneda. He’s been there to haul my heavy crates in and out of my car, set up my canopy in rain and heat and promoted my product to anyone that would listen!

Instagram: @titanium_butterfly_creations

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