“Boxed Water is Better.”

It’s a simple sentence that represents a powerful message about the environmental impact of the bottled water industry. Landfills across the United States are overflowing with more than two million tons of discarded water bottles, and this plastic packaging will take more than 1,000 years to biodegrade, according to the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Despite the environmental concerns, the national bottled water industry is thriving. According to a study by Statistic Brain Research Institute, annual spending on bottled water in the U.S. was estimated at $11.8 billion in 2014. That’s roughly 167 plastic bottles per person each year!

While major beverage companies such as PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) and Nestle (OTC: NSRGY) continue to capitalize on the performance of the bottled water market, a company in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is on a mission to minimize the impact of portable water solutions with a tried and tested packaging formula that’s just simple enough to work. Boxed Water Is Better LLC publicly launched Boxed Water in March 2009. Boxed Water is packaged in a 100 percent recyclable carton that has less than half of the carbon footprint of a PET bottle. To date, the company has secured placement in a variety of popular shopping destinations – including Costco (NASDAQ: COST), Whole Foods Markets (NASDAQ: WFM) and Kroger (NYSE: KR).

While Boxed Water Is Better LLC continues to make progress toward cracking the bottled water industry in the U.S., a similarly sized opportunity is available in Canada. The Canadian distribution rights for Boxed Water are held by RM Fresh Brands, which was acquired by Legacy Ventures International, Inc. (OTC: LGYV) in October.

According to a report by the Canadian Department of Agriculture, annual per capita consumption of bottled water increased by more than 107 percent from 1999 to 2009, accounting for roughly 10.6 percent of all non-alcoholic beverage sales in 2009. In the months to come, Legacy will look to capitalize on this market performance by offering an ecofriendly alternative. Currently, Legacy is focused on increasing brand awareness across Canada through the use of viral, event-driven marketing campaigns. Recent partnerships with major events such as the Toronto Film Festival and Holt Renfrew’s Holiday Kick Off have illustrated the massive potential of this strategy.

As the Boxed Water brand continues to gain steam in both domestic and international markets, Legacy is in a favorable position to realize sustainable financial growth. For prospective shareholders, ongoing efforts to disrupt the Canadian bottled water industry with a more environmentally conscious alternative make Legacy an intriguing investment opportunity moving forward.

For more information, visit www.legacyventuresinc.com

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Star Mountain Resources, Inc. (OTC: SMRS) is a junior exploration and mining company that focuses on obtaining mining claims, mineral leases, mine production, and historic mines for future growth potential. Specifically, the company acquires these base and precious metal mines in North America. At the moment, Star Mountain Resources is recommencing mining activities at the Balmat zinc mine in upstate New York, which is expected to turn the company into an active mine producer (instead of an explorer) with an impressive revenue stream beginning at the end of next year. To achieve its maximum growth through acquisitions, the company balances its core values on a pyramid of responsibility that instills confidence from the community, employees, and shareholders.

Environmental stewardship lays the foundation upon which the company is built. Star Mountain Resources believes in implementing planning and processes that won’t negatively affect the environment. Planning begins with exploration, then construction, up through reclamation. During these processes, the company diligently looks at safe water treatments, sewage systems, energy consumption, and clean air solutions. These continuous programs ensure federal, state, and local regulations are met.

Second, Star Mountain Resources provides a safe environment for employees at each facility. The company and its employees have developed personal work habits and practices that do not put anyone at risk. Then, the third tier involves the maintenance of community ties. Since 2011, the company has volunteered in flood mitigation efforts in Weber County, Utah, which have saved farms, homes, crops, and more. Star Mountain Resources also stands by its promise to hire, outsource, and buy locally in their operation communities.

Star Mountain Resources states that “responsibility to us means much more than operating in a corporate ethical manner.” The company’s responsibility is made up of strong values that provide daily guidance. By sticking to these values, along with its plan of continuous acquisitions, Star Mountain Resources intends to be a leading mining producer.

For more information, visit www.starmountainresources.com

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With its acquisition of the zinc (atomic number: 30) mining operations in Balmat, St. Lawrence, New York, formerly owned by Hudbay Minerals (NYSE: HBM), Star Mountain Resources, Inc. (OTC: SMRS) is gearing up to take advantage of tightening supplies in the global zinc market. Since the Great Recession, zinc prices have been in the doldrums. In the U.S., they fell to a low of $0.78 per pound, according to Statista, and, of course, so did both supply and demand. With the global economy under stress, there was very little demand, and depressed prices gave no incentive to invest in new mines.

However, in a sign of things to come, the U.S. price rose, albeit unsteadily, by 38% to about $1.08 during 2015. It has since fallen again. It is now around $0.70 per pound. Yet the winds of change are blowing away output capacity, and so it’s very likely that prices will rise again.

Last year, the Australian-Chinese concern, MMG Limited, in a report on its website, announced it had shuttered its mining operations at Century in Australia. The Century mine was said to be the world’s third largest. In 2014, it produced 465,696 tonnes and accounted for around 3.5% of global zinc output in that year. In 2015, it was expected to yield about 350,000 tonnes. Also, The Economic Times of India reported that Vedanta Resources would close its Lisheen mine in October 2015. To date, it appears the mine is still in operation. Lisheen is Europe’s second-largest zinc mine with a capacity of around 175,000 tons, according to a HardAssetsInvestor story. Quoting Bloomberg Intelligence, the story said Lisheen’s closure will reduce global supplies by another 1.3%, and a Bloomberg Business report in October 2015 stated that Glencore plc would cut output from mines in Australia, Peru and Kazakhstan totalling around 500,000 metric tonnes. That’s an additional roughly 4% of production.

These are substantial falls in production if supply is considered over recent years. Statistics compiled by The International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG) show that mine production of zinc in 2010 was 12,360,000 tonnes. Mine production refers to volume of ores as opposed to actual refined zinc, referred to in the trade as metal production. In 2014, it was 13,512,000 tonnes. An estimate of 2015 output based on the average monthly output for the first ten months of 2015 comes up at 13,486,000 tonnes. So taken together, the Century and Lisheen mine closures and the Glencore actions would amount to a global supply cut of close to 8.5%.

The wild card on both the demand side and the supply side is China. China leads the world in mine production of zinc, in the production of refined zinc, and in usage of zinc. In 2014, ILZSG data showed that China accounted for 37.6% of global mine production. Mine production in China rose over the 5-year period from 2010 – 2014 by an astonishing 36%. In Australia, the comparable figure was 1.9%; in Europe, it was 2.2%; in the U.S., it was 9.3%; in Canada, output fell by 46%. What happens in China will not stay in China.

Star Mountain’s President, Mark Osterberg, is not fazed. In an interview with North Country Public Radio in December 2015, he said, “The mining cycle is down, which means that assets like Balmat are available at bargain prices. So we think we bought the property at a very good price and we believe the commodity prices are going to come back up.”

Star Mountain also has community backing. Patrick Kelly, CEO of the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency has said the agency is “ready to offer assistance in whatever form and for however long it takes to get this business off the ground.”

Star Mountain Resources, Inc. is a junior exploration and mining company focused on acquiring and consolidating mining claims, mineral leases, producing mines, and historic mines with production and future growth potential. Its operations are currently focused on base metal and precious metal mining acquisitions in North America, and on re-commencing mining activities at the Balmat Zinc mine in upstate New York.

For more information, visit www.starmountainresources.com

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