mmm...

I've got a small confession to make. I've never been a huge method pink grapefruit fan. Something to do with the pink (you'd think I'd love it. Hello, gay guy here! Pink. I think it's required in the bi-laws. I joke, I joke!) Perhaps it's that whole "blue raspberry" thing. I hate that hip kid crap. There isn't a single flavor of just raspberry around anymore. It's all gotta be blued up, you know? So that youngin's think it's cool! (Raspberries are red, people. Freakin' red!) And for some reason I also lump pink grapefruit into that. Hold up, I'm thinking of pink lemonade, aren't I? That nasty lemonade stuff that ruins what real lemonade is all about! Oh my word! I'm right! All this time I've been holding a grudge towards method's pink grapefruit, and it was never it's fault. It was mine! Thank you, therapist! What a breakthrough we've had here! I feel like a new man! I love you, pink grapefruit! I love you!

Oh uhm, which leads me to what I'm about to say. I. Love. Pink. Grapefruit! Hold on, hold on. Let me explain all this. So yeah, I'd bought the spray cleaner ages ago, and yeah, it was alright. But it didn't zing for me. It just sorta blipt for me. And everyone knows a zing is way more than a blipt. So I still kept my pink grapefruit dislike out on my shoulder. My big pink grapefruit chip, sitting on my shoulder. I wished method would just get rid of the scent, and bring us back something classy like their original grapefruit mandarin kitchen scent! Or another great scent! Something better than... blech, pink grapefruit.

Then today, I decided to get my work office some more method hand wash. We have two men's bathrooms, and I had stocked one of them, ages ago, with some ginger yuzu hand wash. Wasn't really a fan, thought it'd be a great way to use it up properly; and while still not being a huge ginger yuzu fan, it did give me a little "method perk up" everytime I went and washed my hands! But, we just ran out of the ginger yuzu a couple days ago. For a moment I thought "eh, I'll just let the cleaning lady put in some SoftSoap, like the second bathroom has" but of course came to my senses, and ran to Target to pick up some more method hand wash. I thought about what scent to go for, and ended up getting the pink grapefruit. I thought to myself "Eh, I'll give this scent one more try!" And now...

I. Can't. Stop. Wanting. To. Wash. My. Hands. Oh my word, it's so Heavenly! It's so perfectly grapefruit (I'm ignoring you, pink.) It's so citrusy and fresh and mmm! I could eat it. I could eat it all up! I could eat it up with a nice side of even more pink grapefruit! I could eat it on a train! I could eat it on a plane! I could even eat it... but oh yeah, erm, and now I just lust washing my hands! And I don't care that I've purchased a pink hand wash for the men's room! Cause mmm, mmm, and more mmm! (My co-workers probably care, but did I happen to mention mmm, mmm, and I don't care cause mmm!)

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Have any scent experiences you gave a second try, and fell madly in lust with? Tell us!

Oh and PS - How could I possibly 4ever hate a scent that in French is pronounced pamplemousse rose! I mean, come on, it's pamplemousse rose! - j'adore!

vote daisy

Wow! So check this one out! Apparently Clorox® has sent method a cease-and-desist order concerning the use of an image of a daisy (yes, a daisy! As in the flower! Not even an iconic rendering of said daisy, but more so, simply the daisy!) So in true method style, they've built a grassroots website focusing on the fact that the daisy does indeed, belong to Mother Nature, and not Clorox® or method!

The site starts out: "hi there! our friends at Clorox® sent us a friendly note claming that the use of any yellow daisy imagery is an infringement of their trademark. considering mother nature designed the daisy, not Clorox®, we have a hunch she would object. what do you think?"

One interesting note is the fact that method used this advertising image early in their brand debut. - While Clorox® GreenWorks didn't even debut until 2008. Seems like the cease-and-desist should possibly be the other way around? Is this simply another case of "Big Business Bullying?"

Check out the entire votedaisy.com website here, vote for your choice, and read the Clorox® letter they received. Interesting to say the least! What do you think?

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Just in! The New York Times has picked up on the daisy battle!

sneak peek - tiny hands!

After last weeks Babies R' Us method clearance extravaganza comes even more news! method luster Natalie dropped me an email this week letting me know that, as she was looking for those great method deals, she'd stumbled upon some brand new method kids products during a run to her local Babies R' Us! So sure enough, I did a quick search on their website and right there they were! (I haven't had a chance to check them for myself, yet! But you know I will!)

It looks like method is continuing to revamp their kids line, calling it Tiny Hands and has added two foaming hand washes to the bunch, in brand spankin' new scents (well, sorta.) Introducing sweet pea! And crisp apple! (Ok, so crisp apple has been around in their kids line of body wash and shampoos, but never as a hand wash!)


Actually the crisp apple hand wash is funny to me, because no joke, just yesterday a friend of mine made a comment about how she's just used some method hand wash, and her hands "smelled liked green apples now!" I proceeded to tell her I was very worried, as method didn't make a green apple scented hand wash (turns out it was green tea + aloe! Ha!)

Well, now she can get some crisp apple foaming hand wash! I'm really curious to get a whiff of the sweet pea! I'm sure it won't smell anything like this, but Mrs. Meyers has a snap pea scent that literally smells like fresh peas! I'm wondering if it'll be similar (cause I lust that scent!)


Along with the new foaming hand washes comes sweet pea baby laundry detergent! According to their site (at this time, at least) Babies R' Us is only carrying the 50 load bottle. I have a feeling this will replace the current baby laundry detergent from method (but, don't take that as gospel!)

Right now all of these products are available online, as well as rolling out at Babies R' Us stores! I haven't heard if anyone has found these at Target, Lowes, etc. so I'll let everyone know, once I've received more information!

Head on out and pick some up, and let method lust know what you think of the new scent, sweet pea! Wait, I was talking about the scent, not you. Oh, ok. You're a sweet pea, too. Yes you are! Oh yes you are. You know you are-ee war-ee. Oh who's a sweet pea? Who's my little sweet pea? Oh yes, yes, yes, you are...

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PS - Thanks for the heads up, Natalie!

and here we have...

The North Atlantic ocean just called. It was feeling really jealous of the Pacific Ocean and said it wanted it's own giant plastic sludge patch to play with! - No more sharing! Well, hey, and it got it. Yeah, yeah, plastics industry, you just keep on telling yourself you're NOT part of the problem. Frickin' frackin'... (thanks to method luster Rebecca for this article!)

PS - This is THE line to keep in mind: "(We are) a throwaway culture that uses non-biodegradable materials for disposable products."

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A 2nd garbage patch: Plastic soup seen in Atlantic | By Mike Melia

Researchers are warning of a new blight at sea: a swirl of confetti-like plastic debris stretching over a remote expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.

The floating garbage — hard to spot from the surface and spun together by a vortex of currents — was documented by two groups of scientists who trawled the sea between scenic Bermuda and Portugal's mid-Atlantic Azores islands.

The studies describe a soup of micro-particles similar to the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a phenomenon discovered a decade ago between Hawaii and California that researchers say is likely to exist in other places around the globe.

"We found the great Atlantic garbage patch," said Anna Cummins, who collected plastic samples on a sailing voyage in February.

The debris is harmful for fish, sea mammals — and at the top of the food chain, potentially humans — even though much of the plastic has broken into such tiny pieces they are nearly invisible.

Since there is no realistic way of cleaning the oceans, advocates say the key is to keep more plastic out by raising awareness and, wherever possible, challenging a throwaway culture that uses non-biodegradable materials for disposable products.

"Our job now is to let people know that plastic ocean pollution is a global problem — it unfortunately is not confined to a single patch," Cummins said.

The research teams presented their findings in February at the 2010 Oceans Sciences Meeting in Portland, Oregon. While scientists have reported finding plastic in parts of the Atlantic since the 1970s, the researchers say they have taken important steps toward mapping the extent of the pollution.

Cummins and her husband, Marcus Eriksen, of Santa Monica, California, sailed across the Atlantic for their research project. They plan similar studies in the South Atlantic in November and the South Pacific next spring.

On the voyage from Bermuda to the Azores, they crossed the Sargasso Sea, an area bounded by ocean currents including the Gulf Stream. They took samples every 100 miles (160 kilometers) with one interruption caused by a major storm. Each time they pulled up the trawl, it was full of plastic.

A separate study by undergraduates with the Woods Hole, Massachusetts-based Sea Education Association collected more than 6,000 samples on trips between Canada and the Caribbean over two decades. The lead investigator, Kara Lavendar Law, said they found the highest concentrations of plastics between 22 and 38 degrees north latitude, an offshore patch equivalent to the area between roughly Cuba and Washington, D.C.

Long trails of seaweed, mixed with bottles, crates and other flotsam, drift in the still waters of the area, known as the North Atlantic Subtropical Convergence Zone. Cummins' team even netted a Trigger fish trapped alive inside a plastic bucket.

But the most nettlesome trash is nearly invisible: countless specks of plastic, often smaller than pencil erasers, suspended near the surface of the deep blue Atlantic.

"It's shocking to see it firsthand," Cummins said. "Nothing compares to being out there. We've managed to leave our footprint really everywhere."

Still more data are needed to assess the dimensions of the North Atlantic patch.

Charles Moore, an ocean researcher credited with discovering the Pacific garbage patch in 1997, said the Atlantic undoubtedly has comparable amounts of plastic. The east coast of the United States has more people and more rivers to funnel garbage into the sea. But since the Atlantic is stormier, debris there likely is more diffuse, he said.

Whatever the difference between the two regions, plastics are devastating the environment across the world, said Moore, whose Algalita Marine Research Foundation based in Long Beach, California, was among the sponsors for Cummins and Eriksen.

"Humanity's plastic footprint is probably more dangerous than its carbon footprint," he said...

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Read the rest over on Yahoo! News

quick question

method lust wants to know! Sniffed out any good method finds lately at your favorite discount stores (Big Lots, Goodwill, Ross, Marshalls, etc.?) Let us know!

stung?

"Please cancel your coconut cream + honey moisturizing hand wash and go back to being a 100% vegan, cruelty free company!"

"Please reconsider your decision to move away from products that are 100% vegan. I feel good about purchasing your products based on the fact that they are vegan - please don't change that."

"I only buy from companies that do not use any animal ingredients in any products and that also do not animal test. I'm very disappointed that you've made the wrong decision to add animal ingredients into a product. Please rethink this repulsive decision otherwise I certainly will not be buying method products anymore."

"I only bought your shower cleaner because it was cruelty-free. It's worked well & I was thinking of buying more products from you. If you're not keep your items cruelty-free, I'll find a company that will."

"You're a cleaner clean? I don't think so, you guys are more like a dirtier clean! Shame on you people for using animal ingredients."

"I was always a big fan of your company. As a strict vegan and a sufferer of chemical sensitivities, I found your products to be a lifesaver, but after learning that you are no longer a vegan company and are now using honey in one of your products, I'll have to find another source."

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I swear to you I woke up today, and the vegan lynch mob had taken over method's Facebook account! Now, now, hold on - I don't mean that in any sort of jesting or negative manner; it was just yesterday was "Oh look violet bloom!" and today was "Holy crap, are they angry!" as post after post like this was showing up on the method Facebook page. I don't even have a clue where or when this all started? It (seems to) have happened that fast.

method's response (which they posted ad nauseam, just to make sure everyone understood where they were coming from (especially after the whole Soap Suds video incident) is:

"To our vegan friends:

Thanks for reaching out to us with your concerns. Since the beginning, we at Method have been committed to our beliefs as a vegan and cruelty-free brand. You are correct in bringing to our attention that a trace amount of honey in our new moisturizing hand wash is not vegan. We will start working immediately to re-formulate and remove honey from the product.

In an effort to create a moisturizing hand wash using natural and naturally-derived ingredients, we sought after some that are known for their moisturizing benefits, such as aloe and honey. This was an oversight on our end. We’re very sorry that we’ve disappointed you.... See More

Please rest assured that with this exception, all Method products are vegan and cruelty-free. We ensure that none of our suppliers do any animal testing on our behalf and have lobbied to gain acceptance for our non-animal product testing protocols from regulatory agencies, retailers and consumers. For our product safety testing, we use in-vitro (non-animal) simulated skin and eye irritation tests and have been successful in lobbying various federal and state agencies to accept these test methods in the place of animal test results.

A few efforts we’re particularly proud of:
• method dryer cloths – we pioneered a technology that uses plant-based softeners instead of animal fat, which is a standard ingredient in dryer sheets
• The beautiful colors in our soaps never come from animal by-products
• In 2006, PETA named our two co-founders ‘Person of the Year’ for their commitment to creating innovative and cruelty-free products

We hope you can forgive us for our mistake and trust that we will correct this issue as soon as possible.

Thanks, Method"

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Ok, honestly, I didn't know honey was such a big deal. Then again, I'm not a vegan, and I have a feeling they might be really angry if they knew I drank real milk, instead of soy milk? (And uhm, ate honey?) Who knows. My question to you is a) are you vegan? And b) what are your thoughts on all of this? Comment away!

must watch!

If you aren't watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, you need to be! It's on ABC, Fridays at 9, and also available on Hulu.com!

bless her bag

So I did a little trip to Walmart tonight (have I told you recently how much I hate that place? Oh, I have? Ok. Then why did you go there tonight, Nathan? Well, let's just move on, alright...) and picked up three things. A box of cereal and two frozen dinners (Special K and Health Choice! Ah, and you thought I was being all bad with my eating.)

Went up to the register, and waited in line, pulled out my reusable bag all ready and in hand. Now, I haven't had a peep from anyone concerning reusable bags in a long, long while! Yay! And this wasn't REALLY about the reusable bag, but still. Ahem. - Get to the counter, the elderly woman (hold that thought) started ringing up my cereal and SLAP into a plastic bag it went. Picture this. I'm on the left. Register and cashier in the middle, endless merry-go-round of plastic bags on the right. So I politely said "Ma'am, you can just put that in my own bag I brought." Trying to be nice, ok?

Ignoring me, she continued ringing up my meals, and reached over for the plastic bag again, and I said (getting worried here) "MA'AM! I have my own bag." And she said "I know you have your own bag! I've already started putting your stuff in this bag!" as she was (luckily) pulling out my cereal from the plastic bag. Then as if to just get in one last little bit she said "anyway, you're bag is supposed to be in this area at all times" pointing to the merry-go-round of bags. She shoved the stuff in my reusable bag (I could definitely feel some sort of reusable bag hostility going on) and I said very loudly as I'm punching in my debit card numbers "I'm just trying to save the world a little bit here!"

And with that I walked out. Hey, it wasn't a big thing, small in fact. But for some reason it got under my skin. But hey, I had to simply say to myself "Bless her heart, she's like 350 years old. She's just tired is all." and let it go.

Those of you who are from, or have lived in the South and know exacty what people REALLY mean when they say "Bless your heart" down here, well, they'll know what I was really thinking...

wake up time?

Well what do ya' know? That nasty antibacterial product could just be, well, nasty? As Gomer Pyle would say (you all remember him, right?) "Surprise, surprise!" Not.

I hope my mom is reading this post. Oh wait, she's not cause she doesn't read my blog. Or any blog. But I have a cute little story for you. So this past Christmas I went home for the holidays, and as usual I had gotten my mom some method hand wash as a stocking stuffer. Something I do a lot for the holidays. Until just recently there was no where to even buy method (we live IN the sticks, I tell ya!) Luckily now, though, they have a Lowes!

But she has a tendency to do this horrible deed. I'll come home a year later again for the holidays, and she's gone and replaced the method hand wash (she used it all up of course) with Softsoap! So I go out and confront her about it! And do you know what she says "They don't make an antibacterial version, and that's what I like to use." News to me! Especially since I've yelled and screamed about antibacterial products for years now. For years. Remember this. This will come in handy a moment from now.

So a day or so later, after this discussion/argument/screaming fight/gun duel (ok, well, no screaming fight or gun duel, but that would make a great movie!) we're in Walmart (cause again, we live in the STICKS!) and she's buying stocking stuffers and they're RIGHT out in the open cause my mom, well, she's not very stealthy; and right there, RIGHT THERE are two bottles of antibacterial hand sanitizer. One for my sister, one for me. In fact, during our soap confrontation, I think the following words came out of my sister's mouth to mom - "Yeah, don't ever get him any hand sanitizer. Cause he hates that stuff!"

Christmas day, stockings are emptied. I pull the hand sanitizer out (and I'm way too nice, so I literally just thank her while projecting this "what the fudge?!" look - cause cursing is so not allowed in our family) and she says "use it and stay healthy!" - I could feel the tiny dagger slipping into my flesh, ever so slowly.

She won't be getting anymore method hand wash from me, ever again.

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PS - Did you know they even put this stuff in toothpaste?!? Toothpaste! I did not even know that! In fact I just bought a double-pack deal of Colgate Advanced Clean, and THAT'S the toothpaste it's in. I wouldn't have even guessed! Ugh...

Extra PS - I loves my mom, I really do. (Except for that part of her that likes antibacterial.)

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As Nancy Reagan would say (did I just use Nancy Reagan in a blog post? What is this world coming to?!) "Just Say No."

be my baby!

Got a Babies R Us near you? Well, grab that purse/wallet and run on over! method lust reader Katie informed me over the weekend that she stopped into her nearest Babies R Us and found method Le Scrub for drum roll... 98 cents! It wasn't even listed as such on the shelf, and she didn't even realize what a deal she'd snatched up until she went to check out!

So needless to say, I had to do a quick run, and let me just tell you, it was like walking into a foreign country. I was actually uncomfortable in Babies R Us. Ha ha! I was like the odd man out! But anyway, ignoring all that, I found a slew of deals! I'm talking 98 cents Lil' Bowl Blu (my two stores were all out of the Le Scrub, in fact there was only one bottle of Lil' Bowl Blu, and it was just in some random area that didn't even have a tag!), $1.98 sweet water wet dryer sheets (the old school ones!), fuzzy peach kids line for $1.98, $4.98 free + clear squeaky green laundry detergent, and $1.98 smarty dish cubes! Ka-ching!

And (can we talk competitors for a moment, shh...) they also carry lots of Seventh Generation products, and a ton of them were on clearance. Dish soap, dish cubes, fabric softener (in free + clear! Hello, method, I bought TWO of these! Word to the wise, when your new fabric softener comes out, I pray there is some free + clear in there. Cause that was always my previous problem with the other version you had. I guess I'm the crazy one, cause I lust scents in everything, EXCEPT my laundry items. I must have detergent and fabric softener in free + clear. I hate my clothes to smell like anything! Yes, I'm weird. So I don't really ever use fabric softener, but when I found this I had to pick it up cause it was yes, once more, free + clear!) as well as spray cleaner, rinse aid for your dish washer, and more! AND it was $1.98 each, WITH a buy one Seventh Generation product (even clearance!) get one at 50% off price! Hello, did you hear that?! Hello!

Now like I said, double check the prices (they have price scanners in Babies R Us, and Toys R Us, which will usually have a small Babies R Us section) cause they aren't always priced as cheaply as they ring up! Good luck hunting, and thanks Katie!

I ended up with one package of method dish cubes, one Lil' Bowl Blu, and two jugs of Seventh Generation fabric softener (80 loads!) all for a grand total of $6.36! Deal-e-oh!

candle cuties!

method luster Kirby sent in this phone pic showcasing her recent adventure with method candle recycling! She made tealights in beach sage, lavender lemongrass, hazelnut, frosted fir, and hollyberry scents! So cute! Thanks for the photo!

Have you made your own candles lately using method candle leftovers? If so, take a snapshot and send it in to method lust!

new method - violet bloom

UPDATE Target just got their new shipment of method hand washes in, and I snapped up a violet bloom! Yay! It's a VERY floral scent (something method hasn't had in quite some time!) I think I'm gonna like it, though I don't really know what a true violet scent smells like (other than those chalky Howard's violet candies that smell great, but taste gah!) so I'm curious to know from you just how violetly violet it is! Let me know when you find the new hand wash fragrance for yourself!

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method lust reader Jon was sweet enough to snap and send in a shot of method's new limited edition Target scent, violet bloom! It's hitting the shelf as we speak (well, maybe not exactly as we speak, cause those Target employees are probably in bed, where I need to be. Well, except if you live in a different time zone, then I bet they're not in bed and may very well be hitting the shelves with new method hand wash, or maybe, uh, yeah, I'm thinking about this a tad too much!)

Pick up a bottle, and let method lust know what you think of the new scent! (And with that, I'm so off to bed! It's 12:06 AM as I write this, yo! And I just got back from work, yo yo! Yeah, don't even ask. I'll work it all out with my therapist, I promise...)

finds! - microfiber glass cloths

Did a quick trip through good ole' Big Lots the other day, and happened to stumble upon some method window + glass microfiber cloths!

I really can't explain it, but mine apparently got tired of living with me and taking all that verbal abuse (I told it multiple times I was just stressed out from work, and didn't mean to take it all out on, well, it. But alas, I guess there's only so long a cleaning cloth will stick around in that kind of environment; and without wanting to go to couples therapy, man, I figured it was over.) Either that, or I just lost it. Oh oh, yeah. The second one. I haven't a CLUE how you can lose a microfiber cleaning cloth in my little house, but leave it to me to do so. I've searched everywhere, and could never find it. Target had clearanced them out ages ago (oh my, now THERE'S a surprise. Not.) but I knew I'd seen them at Lowes, so I figured sooner or later I'd pick another one up.

But hey, for $2.50 at Big Lots, I'm glad I held out! I don't THINK they're being discontinued or anything (though you never know) but more so I bet it's just over-supply or something... snatch up a few before they're gone! And let method lust know if you stumble upon anything else method-y while at your local Big Lots!

clean sweeps

Just thought I'd let everyone know Target seems to be doing another round of "method cuts"! The latest products currently being clearanced from their store shelves include:

+ olive leaf creamy body wash
+ squeaky green kids body wash and shampoos (both fuzzy peach and crisp apple. It appears Target is dropping the kids line. I've also noticed they've really cut back on the baby line as well. At most of my Targets they are now carrying only the body wash and bubbly bath. I've heard from so many people that method's diaper cream lotion works amazingly well; so it's rather stupid of Target to stop carrying that product!)
+ and waterflower gel hand wash

This doesn't necessarily mean method is discontinuing these products, but rather Target has decided to stop carrying them. So run out and stock up while you still can!

+ I've also noticed Lowes Hardware is clearancing method's water lily + aloe and fresh air fabric softeners (more than likely to make room for the new upcoming pump bottle method brand) and if you're lucky you can pick some up for $2.89! Check out your Lowes and see if they have any left!

real results

Earlier this week method Twittered this article titled "Did D.C.'s bag tax work?" and the results are mind-blowing!

"Yes, it did.

The District's 5-cent bag tax generated about $150,000 during January to help clean up the Anacostia River, even though residents have dramatically scaled back their use of disposable bags, according to a report city officials issued Monday.

In its first assessment of how the new law is working, the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue estimated that food and grocery establishments gave out about 3 million bags in January. Before the bag tax took effect Jan. 1, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer had said that about 22.5 million bags were being issued each month in 2009.

That's an 82 percent reduction in the number of plastic bags and $150,000 for the city. Hopefully this'll encourage Santa Barbara and other wavering cities."

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Did you get that? In one month they generated $150,000 for the city to use for (hopefully) eco-cleanup! And they went from giving out 22.5 million bags (and this is one city! That's the thing, imagine HOW many bags are given out each year when D.C. alone gives out 22.5 million!? That's freakin' insane) to 3 million bags.

And their reduction in the number of plastic bags given was: 82%. EIGHTY. TWO. PERCENT. That my friends, is what you call RESULTS. Seriously, I'm shocked. Imagine if every city did this? In fact, every state.

Screw the plastic bag industry. I hate that people might lose their jobs (I genuinely do.) But I've also had it up to the tip-top of my head with industries plodding forward like nothing's wrong cause "that's how they've always done it, and until there is a rule put into place we'll just do what we've always done Hell or high water - for better or worse." Sick of it. It's time companies, corporations, and industries were responsible for what they do and create! Something you'll be hearing much more about here on method lust, trust me.

82%. How about my hometown of Greensboro, NC tries this out. I mean, we are freakin' called GREENSboro. Maybe it's about time we started acting like it...