byoc?

Wowzers! I've been mulling over this very idea for quite some time now! In fact, I've had many friends (you all know who you are, too!) make fun of me with lines like "so you did remember to bring your Tupperware to the restaurant, right? No stryofoam for you!" with a wink and a nudge. But honestly, this is one thing I've never really been able to do. Oh oh oh! This could be my 2011 eco-challenge! Oh oh oh! Hmm... and the wheels they start a spinnin'! The idea is taking a reusable container to restaurants with you! - BYOC (bring your own container!) And Takeout Without is leading the way!

Now, I'd see this more so as an "after you've eaten at a restaurant and have leftovers to bring home" kind of thing. I'm not sure how you'd do this with a situation like calling in takeout? "Hold on, I'll stop by and bring you some Glad ware, and then I'll come back to pick up the food a little later!" But for leftovers, this would work great! It's just the same ole' "what will people at the restaurant/the waiter/waitress/friends I'm dining with/chef/my grandmother/God think of me bringing along a container for my leftovers? Will I embarrass myself?!" Well, God would love the idea! He's all for the planet, don't you know!

Wait a minute, though. That's the exact same thought process I once had towards reusable bags! Or telling my friends and family I no longer use paper towels! And I've moved way past any of those uncomfortable feelings. You don't like my reusable bag? Well, suck my five fingered fist of plastic bag freedom! No paper towels in the house make you sad? Get out and don't come back! No, not even for Christmas! In fact, especially not even for Christmas! (I'm working on my anger issues, ok?) So this might be just as easy! Don't like me pulling out my reusable takeout container in the restaurant? Put'em up! We're gonna fight! Steak knives and broken wine glasses for weapons! (Still working on those anger issues. It's only been like two sentences, what did you expect from me, an anger-free miracle?! Cause it ain't gonna happen, mister! You hear me! Oh no, wait, not again... count to ten, count to ten.)

So check this out from Takeout Without's website:

"Say no to unnecessary packaging. Fill your stomach. Not the landfill.

It takes approximately 20 seconds to put our food into take out containers. Convenient? No, it's actually inconvenient since the packaging can remain in our landfills forever, causing continued damage to us and our world. The American population tosses out enough paper bags and plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times. TakeOutWithOut exists to help you to fill your stomach, not the landfill.

Our actions can be powerful! Every little bit counts. We can't aim for perfection, but we can aim for improvement by saying NO to unnecessary packaging and even toting our own reusables. TakeOutWithOut - enjoy your food, save your money, improve your health and help our planet!"

For all the details, go here! What do you think of this idea? Lust it? Hate it? Have you done this? Ever got into a fight with someone and used steak knives and broken wine glasses? (If so, who won, and do you still have both of your eyes?) Let method lust know what you think of Takeout Without! Could this be your 2011 eco-challenge?

0 + 0 = 0

What do you think about the United State's first ever (cause the Europeans already beat us to it! - No surprise there!) zero waste no packaging grocery store, In.gredients? Thoughts? Would you give this a try?

big deal!

Do you like a deal? Cause I like a deal! And have I got a deal for you! Right now (only until June 25th! My birthday! They knew. They really knew! I knew they knew!) for every three method products you purchase (and this includes hand wash, dish soap, spray cleaner, and other products) you get one method product free (most of the selected deal items in the stores are around $2.99 each!) That's right, by three, get one free! It sounds like right now is the perfect time to stock up on your favorite method goodies!

And if that wasn't enough, Target also has a really weird "deal" going on with method's body wash at the moment. Many advocates have mentioned that their local Targets have clearanced out the method body wash; and it appears, at least from what I've been told, even method isn't entirely sure what's going on, but there are still around 800 Target stores that carry the body wash. My local Targets still have them on their shelves, and this past week they did something that even made me do a double take. They changed the refresh mint and sea minerals body wash to a new permanent price of $3.48! - Not on clearance, not temporary. But what's even more out there, the waterflower body wash still has the old $4.99 price. So don't even ask, I have no clue, but if you still see method body wash on your Target shelves, it might be a great time to also snatch some up to stash away for a showery day!

holiday tease

I don't know about you, but I'm just about over these mid-ninety degree days! Summer has barely begun, and my air conditioner has already let me know it can't keep up! So you know what, my thoughts are floating off to snow! And holidays! And Santa Claus! Cause it's never too early to start thinking about Christmas and the holidays, right? Of course not! And even method has gotten in on the fun, posting this interesting little tease over on their Facebook discussion page:

"dear lovers of mint,
stay tuned for holiday 2011.

love, method"

Ohh, do they have me excited! I'm already dreaming of the possibilities! (Though I pray to my minty Gods above that it's not simply method bringing back peppermint vanilla again. I lust you method, but please give us some exciting new holiday scents this year!)

So cross your fingers, tap your snow boots together, and dream mint filled holiday dreams (even if it is only June!) Well, unless you don't like mint (which I've discovered there are actually a few of you out there, and honestly, you're not right. There is something seriously wrong with you. No, really. Like, seek medical and mental attention immediately, ok. I'm just sayin'... not right.)

upcycle, recycle, rethink, deconstruct (and win!)

Hey, I've got a question for you! It's painless, I promise! Would you like to win some method products? No no, not those dinky little contest prizes method lust gives out. I'm talking lots and lots of method products! I'm talkin' a years worth of method products! - Now, where did I put those smelling salts?

method and Dwell (that awesome modern home magazine full of a zillion houses I'd love to live in that makes me really depressed every month as I peruse that magazine because I realize I probably will never get to live in one of those zillions and zillions of modern homes... oh but I digress (as per usual!) are having a contest! Here are the details (straight from Dwell's mouth! Or well rather, their website:)

"Dwell and method, two arbiters of style that aim for pride of place on your shelves, dare you to defy us with your ideas for upcycling, recycling, rethinking, and deconstruction—beginning with your empty method bottles. We think real creativity is about taking a second look, and breathing new life into the old. We're looking for imaginative creations that give method product bottles and packages a sexy new lease on life. Enter now through June 30!"

Be sure to take a look at some of the submissions (seen here!) They're so awesome!

So get creative, think green, and enter here, and now! Time is ticking on by! Deadline is June 30th! Good luck!

green corporate ethics?

Here's a very interesting new article from method co-founder Adam Lowry, writing for treehugger.com, concerning so called "green plastics" and how they might just not be as green as they want you to believe (No! From the plastics industry!? I'm shocked... wink.)

"Corporate ethics is one of the most critical components of the green tech revolution today. The foundation of sustainable product design is innovation in base materials, novel new green chemistries that replace dirty ones, better building materials that don't pollute or off-gas, and novel new plastics that are compatible with the environment. However, there is a concerning trend emerging of material innovation half-measures that create wonderful marketing claims for their producers, but no significant environmental benefit.

Nowhere is this trend more evident than in the world of plastics. In an effort to improve upon the dismal environmental fate of most plastics that end up in our landfills, gutters, or oceans, an enormous amount of energy has been focused on creating biodegradable, plant based, or somehow greener plastics ... These new technologies are exciting and necessary. However, new findings are emerging that shed light on the fact that eliminating the unwanted consequences of plastic use and fundamentally reinventing the plastics that pervade our daily lives is harder than it looks.

A new study published recently in Environmental Science & Technology shows that the class of plastics known as oxo-degradable plastics, may not be as green as they seem. Oxo-degradable plastics are regular polyethylene (PE, or "#2") or polypropylene (PP, or "#5") plastics that contain special additives that cause them to degrade when exposed to sunlight or heat. The promise is appealing—plastics just like the ones we use everyday, without any of the nasty side effects. But this new study shows that instead of actually degrading the plastic, these additives simply break the plastic down into particles too small for us to see, making it potentially more dangerous by mobilizing into our soil and water small particles of plastic that can absorb pollutants and other chemicals..."

Read the entire article here!

meet me!

Ok, well, you've already met me, lots of times here on ole' method lust, I know! But it's also the title of a new article (possibly for inclusion in an upcoming new book!) by David Bunnell. He's been writing a book on brand advocacy, and method was of course included! Not only that, but I was surprised when he asked if I would like to be interviewed for the book, too! How could I pass that up? So, here is my interview! (I even drew my own self portrait! What do you think? Does it look like me?) I hope you enjoy it, even just a little (if not just lie to me, ok? I'll probably not be able to tell the difference, and my feelings won't get hurt. And I have very thin skin, so you wouldn't want to hurt my feelings, cause I'll bleed and bleed all over. Oh yeah, and cry a lot, too!) So without further blah blah blah:

"Meet Nathan Aaron, Method’s Advocate Extrordinaire | by David Bunnell

Definition: Brand advocates are people who habitually review products and share their opinions with others around them. The sharing can be done in-person around the water cooler with a few close friends or it can be done online with email or on social media networks where advocates can reach many thousands of peers almost instantly.

Marketers are increasingly seeking out brand advocates and oftentimes “energizing” them by providing tools that make it easier for advocates to write product reviews, post messages, answer questions from customers or potential customers and even share coupons.

All companies have advocates. Some companies have fanatical advocates, amazing people who do amazing things for the companies or brands they love. Apple is an example, and so is Method; the environmentally friend cleaning products company.

One such fanatical advocate, profiled below, is Nathan Aaron who was so taken by Method, he launched a blog called “Method Lust” on which he has posted hundreds of articles about Method, the people who work there, and the importance of nontoxic cleaning products.

I learned about Nathan when I recently visited the corporate headquarters of Method in San Francisco. Below is a profile I recently wrote about him:

Struggling to explain his unusual advocacy for a brand of cleaning products, North Carolina graphic artist Nathan Aaron shrugs his shoulders and says, “Maybe I don’t have much of a life.”

But once you hear his story, you’ll realize this isn’t true. Nathan is a very interesting, passionate, and creative person..."

Read the rest here!