here to stay

method has just posted this adorable little story about mandarin mango hand wash:

"once upon a time there was a young hand wash named mandarin mango. she moved to a quaint neighborhood called Target.

there were many other hand washes that lived in her neighborhood. there was the ever popular cucumber (total jock), french lavender (nice elderly type), sweet water (studious professor), grapefruit (school teacher) and sea minerals (free-spirited hippie). they had all lived in Target for some time and had become rather close friends. they were very different but often got together for small dinner parties and book clubs.

mandarin mango was significantly younger than all the other hand washes. some might even call her immature. she came into the neighborhood with a bang, wearing a sassy “guest star” logo printed on her bright orange bottle. all the other hand washes were very skeptical about what made mandarin mango so darn special, and she had no trouble informing them.

“like…i was born to be a star! people can see it from aisles away. omg lil’ bowl blu is soooo hot!” this didn’t go over too well with the other hand washes in the neighborhood. but they were told not to sweat it because she was a limited edition and would only be around for 9 months tops.

weeks went by, and mandarin mango was correct - she was a star! ‘people against dirty’ came from near and far to check out the newest addition to the hand wash family.

the whole gang was starting to get used to the young and spunky mandarin mango..."

Head on over to their official people against dirty blog to read the rest!

holiday contest-o-rama!

method's got a nifty holiday contest happening this very moment over on their people against dirty blog! So clickity-click-click and see if you can guess 2 (out of 3) of the very first holiday method scents from 2003! (And no, the picture above is not the answer! Well, not completely, perhaps? Hmm...)

"You will be entered to win a holiday assorted bundle, valued at $26! One entry per person. Must be 18 to enter and be a US, Canadian or UK resident. Contest ends at 12pm on 11/29/09." - Good luck!

method lust is back!

This. Was. Me. - All last week! What happened to method lust? Did you wrap it up, Nathan? Were you over and out? Finished? Mopped up (using the ever snazzy omop, mind you!) No! It's called "welcome to the wonderful land of domain name transfer!" It's too confusing to even discuss, but it has to do with the methodlust.com address, and me deciding to move it to a new provider, and OH MY WORD was that a bad idea! So all last week method lust was gone. MIA. History!

Thanks to everyone who contacted me asking where their (hopefully!) favorite blog (well, ok, favorite method blog! Cause really, my ego isn't that big. Trust me.) was! Cause baby, we're back now! And while today I've got to run into work all day long (yeah, don't ask about that either. It's Sunday, right? Yes, yes, it is.) I've got some great Halloween posts I've been dying to get up on here! (Oh and one about disposable razors, too!) So hold on, updates are coming! Your overabundance of exclamation points, commas and squeaky green cleanliness has returned!

mind the gap

Over on method's very own people against dirty blog, Danny Alexander has written (and Julie Kim has posted) a great little piece on a recent trip some method San Francisco-ians took!

"Hello from London! A few of us from the method San Francisco office have spent the last 4 days wandering the mean streets of London on a quest for inspiration. Gordie, Sally, Nate, Eric and I, Danny, have been keeping mighty busy over here, but have been having a blast nevertheless.

Our first objective here was to visit our UK office, which was a great opportunity for a method family mini-reunion. We talked business a bit, reviewing how wonderfully they've grown in the two years since method launched here and making sure we're all on the same page with our 2009 plans before taking turns hula-hooping. Although the office here is much smaller than our home base in San Francisco, it makes up for it in charm and quirk, and it's so exciting to see the method spirit alive and well half way across the world. It's nice to have such a welcoming home away from home.

While we had the whole gang together we spent yesterday morning walking the method mile (or High Street in Kensington, if you'll be in London any time soon), visiting a few method retailers and taking note of how the product looked on shelf. We may speak the same language (more or less), but the UK and the US are very different markets with very different needs. Talking to our UK workmates while walking the aisles gave us a better sense of how to design specifically for the UK market, so hopefully our future designs will be even better!..."

Head on over to people against dirty to read the rest of the post, and see more great pics!

mom in the city with method

Mom In The City founder, Kimberly, recently wrote about their (I'm not sure which contributor wrote the article, as I can't find a byline, sorry!) lust for method products, in a post titled "Why I Heart method": (via methodtweet!)

"Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to work on a promotion with one of the top sellers among natural cleaners, but I declined. Here’s why: I’m totally committed to the method brand of natural cleaners. It’s not like I have an “exclusivity” contract with method (I’m not on their payroll at all!). It’s simply that they have won my loyalty to their brand.

Since I’ve begun to do consulting/speaking engagements/etc. with consumer companies in regards to marketing to moms/mom bloggers, I thought that I’d share a few points regarding how method accomplished such a feat. (This one’s a freebie!)

1. Method marketers are friendly, respectful and enthusiastic about their brand. To me, a brand is heavily defined by the people whom they choose to work for them. (I “heart” Justine, my main contact person!)

2. Method is innovative. They understand and appreciate the value of word-of-mouth. That is obvious by the manner in which they are constantly introducing new and interactive marketing programs (i.e. their method maven, method advocate and method market initiatives).

3. Method is responsive to moms overall. Before I ever worked with them as a blogger, they provided some of their all purpose spray for 30 moms at an offline “Earth-Friendly Family Playdate at Playgarden” event that I was hosting as a mom group leader. (In my opinion, sampling is one of the best ways to reach moms. If you get great products in the hands of moms, they’re going to go back and buy it afterwards AND share about it to their friends.)

4. They have a wonderful line of products. Without a great product, you really don’t have a leg to stand on irregardless of how fantastic your marketing people are!

5. They consistently connect. Once I began a relationship with method, they have touched bases periodically. I especially like how they effectively use holidays (such as Halloween and Christmas) by sending small cards along with new items that they’re promoting.

6. They treat me as an individual. Here are two examples. 1. Last May, method held a series of “detox” events in NYC that were hosted by various moms (I was one of them). When the method team realized that my 35th birthday was the week of my event, they made it extra special. In addition to having the fabulous Danny Seo teach me and a group of my friends how to do an amazing, eco-friendly craft and gifting all of the attendees with method product-filled gift bags, they also surprised me with a beautiful, yummy birthday cake, a bottle of champagne and much more! 2. They saw (from my blog) that I couldn’t use the dishwasher product that they had sent me (I don’t have a dishwasher). So, they sent me some ‘conventional’ dish soap that I could actually use! (Actually, they sent four, so I was able to share with several other moms in addition to writing about it on my blog.) And...

7. Method never asks me to write about the things that they send me. Even though I normally end up writing about the items anyway, it’s my choice. I write about them, because I like them, not because someone is asking about “a link”. I share the items with my offline friends as well, because I think that they will enjoy them.

Suffice it so say, many women (primarily moms) have emailed me or told me how much they also now love (and purchase) method products. Marketing mission accomplished! As such, it would be smart of marketers to imitate what method is doing right..."

into danny's vault

Ok, yeah, uhm, green living expert Danny Seo has the method vault to end method vaults! Well, at least when it comes to having lots of method! (Perhaps not old school vault items, like we lust discussing!)

Over on his blog he posts:

"...I work with Method cleaning products as a partner, so I have access to a plethora of product from them. So, here I keep a "mini store" of my favorite Method goodies and let people "shop" the store when they visit. I have a lot of editors from magazines who come to visit me, so I find this is a nice way of welcoming them to my home." (See pic above)

Word! Ok, now method treats me right! They're so wonderful, and sweet! But man, could you imagine if you had a "mini method store" in your utility closet, and your friends and family could pick up an item they might be interested in, here and there? My friends would freak! In fact, just the other day one of them told me I hadn't given them anything method in a while, and they were wondering why? I've given some of my friends spiced pear cleaning spray, and bloq body wash, a candle or aroma spray here or there, just to try and hook them in! Ha ha! Danny is LUCKY!

Also, be sure to head over to his site and read not only the rest of this article, but his piece on the Detox Chicago party he took part in.

chicago roundup

method's official people against dirty blog has posted a roundup of their Detox Chicago fun!

"As we bid Detox Chicago a fond farewell, we'd like to give a shout-out to our wonderful advocates. Four fantastic females allowed us to throw parties in their homes for a few of their friends. We stashed method in bookcases, bathrooms, and little nooks and crannies. Cocktails flowed and we got a chance to talk to people about everything from design to environmental responsibility. Everyone walked away with a plastic bag rehab tote stuffed with products and surprises; and hopefully a better understanding of every aspect of method. There's nothing better than getting the chance to tell why we do what we do."


Head on over to their blog and see more photos, as well as read about stopping drafts in windows and doors, lowering heating costs, and the winner(s!) of the marine naturals/skinny dipping contest!

we've cleaned up our address...

Guess what's here! methodlust.com! Give it a try. No more .blogspot! Now it's so easy for you to spread the word! Just tell your friends, family, strangers on the street, the guy the gives you weird looks on the subway: www.methodlust.com!

As the Kool-Aid man would say, "Oh, Yeah!" Now, never fear, the old blogger address will also still route you to your favorite method blog! But this new address will make it so much easier!

(Thank you, thank you, thank you Rebecca Rodgers for the lustful giving donations!) I be so excited!

hey luster, got a question...

Hey all! I have a quick little poll I'd like to take (I'm all about asking for things this week? What's the deal! Ha ha! I don't know, really, I don't know... am I needy? Oh uh, don't answer that.)

I'm curious. Seems like I've seen a lot of new names laterly (yes, it's supposed to say laterly. That's how you can tell I'm a funny writer! I put r's where they're not supposed to be, and tada, funny! Yeah, ok...) and had two questions I'd LUST for you to answer in the comments below. Just to help me out!

+ How long have you been reading method lust? (One month, one year?)
+ What brought you to method lust? A blog, a friend, an online site - how did you find me?

Thanks! So easy, and so helpful! I appreciate it!

who doesn't lust a good man in a uniform...

...Oh, it's not THAT kind of Marine, is it? Oh, ok, sorry there. Well, method has announced the big marine naturals line, sending out an email today! In case you're not on their mailing list (yet!), it reads (also available on their people against dirty blog):

"We’re so excited about our newest line of personal care products! Like all method products, we give you the good stuff – refreshing ingredients like sea salts and kelp extracts – without the bad – like EDTA, which bonds to heavy metals in waterways, or triclosan, an anti-bacterial officially classified as a pesticide by the EPA.

In fact, with fragrances like sea minerals, water flower, and refresh mint, it’s so invigorating that it reminds us of our skinny-dipping days. come on, you know you’ve done it too. We’re so sure that you have a good skinny-dipping story that we’ll send out some free Marine Naturals to the person that leaves the best one here in the comments section, or on the wall of our Facebook page by Friday, Oct. 10. Just, er, keep it clean, ok folks?

Look for Marine Naturals at Target and other retailers."

+

Take note of that last line. It appears they don't have plans to sell marine naturals on the method home site as of this moment! I know that's disappointing for some lusters out there that have yet to find it at their local Target. Hopefully it'll hit soon! In the meantime, go read those skinning dipping stories!

method gets down and dirty

Over on people against dirty, method's oh-fish-e-al (now THAT takes talent!) blog, they've been helping out,and cleaning up!

"If you ever have the chance to visit method or talk to one of its employees, one of the first things you might notice is a heightened level of passion that its employees have, not only for products they create, but also the values they share. Values like sustainability and environmental stewardship to name of a few, but also social responsibility.

So striking is this notion of doing good that a small group formed (informally at first) around the idea of identifying charities to which we as an organization could give. The group became known as Ecomaniacs (a slight misnomer since many of our projects are oriented around social good, not just eco-intiatives).

Last week, the method Ecomaniacs set out to sponsor a volunteer day around cleaning up a local Compass Community Services family shelter. Compass is an organization in San Francisco which provides emergency shelter for homeless families for up to 6 months until permanent housing can be found. So, 46 method people against dirty shut our laptops and took a day to clean, repaint and even install some new furniture at the Compass shelter. We did leave a skeleton crew back at the office because, well... someone’s gotta mind the fort.

After a long, rewarding day of hard work, we realized that every now and again it’s good for a soap company to get its hands a little dirty."

Head on over to their blog to check out tons more pics from the big day!

ask and ye' shall receive

Over on method's people against dirty blog, they've given us a great opportunity to learn well, anything we might want to about method, recycling, the environment, why the sky is blue, why do birds sing, how are babies made, and who exactly is God? (Well, they might have a bit of trouble with that last one, but you NEVER know, I hear they're really smart people over there!)

"Ever wonder what the heck the difference is in all the different plastic ratings (you know, those numbers in the triangle usually found on the bottom of plastic containers)? Or ever want to ask how lil bowl blu got it's sleek design? Well, send us all your questions you ever wanted to ask of our resident greenskeepers (consider them our resident "green" walking encyclopedias) and of our design team (you know, the people who make our stuff easy on the eyes). Be sure to post them below in our comments section and be on the lookout in the future as we pick certain questions to feature back on the blog. Ready... set... ask!"

So go ask! I have a couple questions I'm going to post, as well! I had someone I was singing method's praises to recently ask me if the products were anti-bacterial, and I explained why they weren't. But then she said "well, I don't think I could use a product that wouldn't kill salmonella in the kitchen, and such." Where do I go with that? There's one question I'm going to post. I bet you have some, too!

japanese sniffin'

Oh my word! Drool! Over on method's people against dirty blog, Nate Pence had this to say:

"We spotted this menu in a window in Japan. We were drawn to the incredible scents (bayberry, anyone?) and the colors in what looked like the window of a nail salon. Further sleuthing revealed this to be an airbar, where you can order up some fresh air, infuse with the scent of your choice and then sit back and breathe deeply.

Great way to get a fresh air fix in the middle of the city."

MAN! Would that not rock! I think I'm going to open one of these in Greensboro. Ok, it would never go over here. (Hey Steve, think Charlotte would like one of these?) This is so cool! And airbar?! Mmm, the possibilities! I mean, all I do now is sniff every method item in Target (and at home, and in the car, and while I'm sleeping, and...) (Same stuff, still sniff! I'm a sniffin' fool! Ok, maybe that doesn't sound right. Don't D.A.R.E do drugs, kids. But SNIFF away at the airbar! Yes!) I mean, lavender tangerine, peppermint wintergreen (hello!?), lavender balsam fir needles, orange peppermint, oh dear... can't think straight. So excited. They need method airbars! With method scents! Oh yes, they do.

method's people against dirty

method's very own people against dirty blog has been posting at a higher frequency lately, focusing on green issues, as well as some method fun! Check'em out:

the secret to innovation at method:

At method we have a five core values that help us create the most innovative products and brand possible. They are:

collaboration
innovation
care
what would mcgyver do
keep method weird
It's a secret sauce that when it all comes together in the right way, creates something truly magical. Our most recent example of this 'perfect storm' happened just today when a giant gold earring belonging to Jeannie, one of our industrial designers, was rescued from the manhole on Sacramento street...

+

Home Depot is now recycling your compact fluorescent bulbs for you:

CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs are a great way to help save energy. But if you’ve been keeping up with the news lately, you know that there’s been some worry about getting rid of them since they have small amounts of mercury (which our greenkeepers say is a neurotoxic heavy metal and not good to have in the environment). Well worry no longer...

+

Road Warrior Packing (Eco) Secrets:

I’m constantly traveling---filming for TV, shooting a story for the magazine, giving a speech---so over time, I’ve learned a thing or two when it comes to making travel a bit less stressful...

site update

Just a quick update on the method site. While Sarah had mentioned that updated sections would probably start appearing in late May; it now looks like that might be pushed back a small bit. But never fear, method's just wanting to make the best site available to you! And I feel rather assured that when new things start popping up, the method advocate sign-up and t-shirt order sections will again be available. These are the two items I get a lot of questions on. Time and patience, time and patience. (I know, it's hard! I have NO patience, myself! Trust me, I know.)

I also hear they're working on improving their blog. Perhaps they'll give ole' method lust a permanent link in their sidebar! That would rock! (Uh, hint-hint!) More news as it becomes available.

what the?

Curious? Head on over to people against dirty and find out!