people against dirty, for dirt - by julie kim

Though we may be people against dirty, we do make one exception for the grimy stuff…compost! A family of happy, well-fed worms resides in our 3rd floor kitchen, and chomps the day away while the rest of us work.


Much to our delight, our hunky San Francisco mayor has just made sure that we’re not the only ones reveling in green bin fun. Gavin Newsom signed a new law that mandates composting across the city and county of San Francisco.

While worm-haters will eventually be fined for not separating out their food scraps, the city will first spread the message through an educational campaign. Seems like a cool way to put the carrot before the stick. We’ll be on the lookout for pizza boxes that instruct the masses to recycle a clean box and compost a greasy box (see Gavin’s demo piece above). As if the boxes are ever grease free.

The good people of San Francisco already have much to be proud of – our fair city already diverts 72 percent of waste bound for landfills to recycling and composting programs. The new pro-worm, anti-methane law will hopefully help the city meet its 2020 goal of sending zero waste to landfill. And you wonder where we get our inspiration from.

Gavin Newsom image credit: John Cote/The Chronicle, SFGate.com

method faces in crazy places - by julie kim

Think you’re seeing double? Don’t worry - your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. These two lookers are our very own Danny A, shapeshifter representing the US office and Andy K, supply chain planner extraordinaire representing the UK office. And yes, in case you also didn’t notice, that’s most definitely Machu Picchu playing the part of the backdrop.

What’s even more unexpected is that these two are both donning method shirts (on two separate trips no less). We swear we didn’t put them up to this. We like to think its more their passion for spreading the method word across the world and we love them for it.

Well, we love these photos so much that we’re offering up a freebie (on us, of course) to anyone who sends us a photo of themselves in a method tee in some far off place by leaving us a link to their photo in the comments section below. If you don’t have a method tee of your own yet, be sure to check this one out.

And even though Danny is away right now taking Argentina head on and probably tangoing the nights away, we like to think he still has a part of method in his big heart (and probably wearing method over his big heart, too).

To read more about Andrew's trip, check out our UK office's blog here.

smart tip: use smarty dish as a laundry booster - by julie kim

Looking for a whitening boost for your laundry? One of the cool tricks that one of our people against dirty discovered is an alternate use for Smarty Dish, our phosphate and bleach-free dishwasher detergent – a laundry booster! We thought it was a cool idea and decided to try it out ourselves. Indeed, it whitened our whites…..

1.       Throw a Smarty Dish tablet (can be either Go Naked or Pink Grapefruit) into the drum of your washer (even in an HE machine), then add your method laundry detergent as you would normally.

2.       Make sure to only do this with warm or hot water wash cycles. The tablet won’t dissolve completely in cold water.

3.       Use 1 for a regular load, 2 for a big or nasty load, or remedial whites.

4.       Run your washer as you would normally and dry as you normally do, too. Perhaps give line drying a try, as it uses nature’s energy to dry your clothes!

Smarty Dish is safe for colors, too.  It also boosts performance on food and outdoorsy stains (grass & dirt).

 
Let us know how this works by emailing us at info@methodhome.com or commenting on our Facebook page or Twitter feed. Happy laundering!

Revisiting DfE 101 - by julie kim

Here at method, two of our biggest obsessions are design thinking and environmental sustainability, so it isn’t much of a surprise that the US EPA’s Design for Environment (DfE) program is a such a good fit. DfE allows companies to apply to have their products’ formulations assessed against a series of health and environmental criteria. If the products meet a strict screen, they are recognized for their green-ness, or as the EPA puts it, for their safer chemistry. 

So far method has had over 50 products recognized by DfE, which you can see indicated by the little globe logo on many of our cleaning line’s labels. To learn more about the DfE program, visit their website here. 

green with pride - by julie kim

This past weekend, our very own Sarah + Gillea (who are part of our Brand Communications team) went out to LA to attend the LA Pride event. Check out the story they came back with.

West Hollywood - June 13-14. LA Pride. More specifically Green with Pride. Most importantly, we were on the scene. 

Let’s start at the beginning.  First, our flight from SFO to LAX was delayed an hour; then we missed our exit on the 405. Tired and weary, we arrived at the hotel only to hear words no traveler wants to hear: Your credit card has been declined. After some smooth-talking, we got ourselves a room, had a delicious dinner on Melrose, and rested up for the weekend ahead.
 
Saturday morning dawned overcast and cold, but we were determined to have a great day, even when it started to rain. Even when we arrived at the festival and were told we couldn’t get in without a ticket stub. Excuse me! What ticket stub? Now some might've given up hope at this point but not us method girls. The more potholes we hit, the harder we press the accelerator. MacGyver is our company’s inspiration, after all.

The crowd started rolling in around noon, and to say the fun followed would be an understatement. Think buzz, energy, celebration, pride, and green. We passed out samples and coupons, offering hand sanitizer to those in need. We spoke to non-method users and those who had been faithful fans since the beginning. We danced and sang with passers-by. We learned about other green companies, such as Clear2O, Reuseniks, Caterpillars Candles, Environmental Solar Design and U.S Green Building Council. The weekend was a total success. Not only did we have a ton of fun, but we spread the word - the method word - to over 100,000 Pride attendees. Can’t wait to do it again in San Diego, July 19th. Come check us out there – a good time is guaranteed!

To learn more about LA Pride, visit www.lapride.org. LA Pride is a festival and parade that celebrates the LGBT community. In addition to lively dance pavilions, the festival grounds boast food, drink, socialization, community programming and unique exhibitors, all hosting a diverse spectrum of activities to entice the entire LGBT family. The LA PRIDE Festival offers an opportunity for all who gather and be celebrated, entertained, educated and encouraged in finding new ways of generating Pride.

get green for free with danny seo - by julie kim

Perhaps one of the biggest complaints I get from people about "going green," is that being eco-friendly can cost more. And especially in tougher economic times, it can sometimes be hard to justify paying more money for green products when less cash is coming in. 

This month, I launched SimplyGreen.com, a sorta quiet, not-to-be-over-hyped website where I'm blogging about saving money on eco-friendly products all the while GIVING away my favorite picks. It's part of my work with JCPenney and their designation program also called Simply Green. Every couple of days, I'm giving cool things away like reusable tote bags, gift cards, organic bedding and even a $2,000 eco-friendly mattress. All you have to do is visit, leave a nice comment and you're eligible to win. 

So, anyone who thinks going green costs too much... how's free for ya?

- Danny Seo

happy world environment day - by julie kim

Tomorrow is World Environment Day and is celebrated each year on June 5. World Environment Day came together for the first time by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to commemorate the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. The purpose of World Environment Day according to their website is to:

1. Give a human face to environmental issues.

2. Empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development.

3. Promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues.

4. Advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

This year's theme is "Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change." And to help celebrate World Environment Day, we're spreading the news on two helpful tips below to help stop our planets climate change. 

Dirty little secret #1: leaving your stuff plugged in sucks - literally. It wastes energy continuously and costs you money you could be using for something you'll actually use. This "phantom energy" use not only costs gazillions of dollars a year, it also sends tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when this energy is produced. Be sure to unplug your electronics when not in use. You'll help save the planet and your wallet will be much happier, too. 

Dirty little secret #2: bottled water is nasty, nasty stuff for a whole lot of reasons; it's sometimes not as clean as the free-flowing tap stuff; it's in plastic containers that may leak heavy metals into the water; and it's shipped all over the planet to get to you (which elevates the amount of carbon dioxide we're throwing back in our environment, too). Switch to tap or buy a home filtration system and halt the bottle water addiction. 

To learn more tips and find out how you can get involved, visit their site here for more details.

summer back yard tips from danny seo - by julie kim

Our co-conspirator, Danny Seo, is always hot on great eco-tips. Check out this video to see what new tips Danny has for environmental ways of getting rid of mosquitos and entertaining with style.

Summer tips with Danny Seo from People Against Dirty on Vimeo.

detoxing your home for your pets - by julie kim

Let's face it - our pets often get the short end of the stick when it comes to choices. Whether it's food, treats, and frankly, who to live with, poor little Rover doesn't have a say in any of it. So why not give Rover a break and give him a toxic free place to rest his (and especially your own) cute little head in. Below are some awesome tips we were inspired by from a recent issue of ModernDog magazine. 

1) Read your labels - shop for pet food without artificial preservatives or chemicals. 

2) Clean cleaner - ditch toxins in your cleaning products. Ingredients with six syllables or more are usually man-made synthetics.  

3) Go phthalate free - choose 100% organic products when shopping for shampoos and soaps. 

4) Switch to HEPA filters - using a vacuum with a HEPA filter will eliminate a majority of airborne particles, including dust, dander, and other allergens, while you clean. 

5) Keep air conditioners, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers clean - regularly replace air-conditioning and furnace filters and check their manuals for cleaning instructions. 

6) Natural is nicer - choose natural textiles and opt for feather, cotton, wool, or recycled fill. 

7) Avoid that "new paint" smell - choose low-VOC (volatile organic compound) or VOC-free paint rather than regular paints which release low-level toxic emissions into the air. 

8) Avoid insecticides - be wary of fertilizers and herbicides that when ingested by pets can cause severe damage to the nervous system. 

9) Literally, go green - plants help clean the air by absorbing pollutants and producing oxygen. Just be sure it's not a species that's toxic to animals.

10) Open the windows - open those windows to let fresh air in and circulate. You and your pets will breathe a lot easier.

otters on tour - by julie kim

following the success of their first public appearance at an LA charity event, the method otters took to the road for their first official tour. the fun-loving foursome lived a nomadic life for a few weeks, stopping only for free shows, taco trucks and pool-hopping.  

first stop: santa barbara. overcast sky and high winds (note spike’s wayward headpiece) didn’t stop the band from jamming on the beach.  

second stop: palm springs. a visit to grandma at the retirement community saw an impromptu concert where an unlikely (and thankfully uneventful) mosh pit formed. 

third stop: somewhere near sedona. hot rocks, cool mountain air.


final stop: arizona on one bank and california on the other, the otters closed down their tour with an unheard-of four-set, three-encore show. people will be talking about this one for years.