zero-waste

method lust reader Kirby sent me this really intriguing article! A California family that says they run a zero-waste home! The piece showcases some hardcore ways in which the family makes this happen (things that, honestly, I don't even think I could manage to do.) But man, it's eye-opening, and gives you plenty to think about (such as recycling plastic can only go so far. No matter what, that plastic will one day still end up as garbage on this planet, never to go away.) The piece begins:

"The zero-waste home | Meet The Johnsons

On trash day in Mill Valley, California, the Johnson home has no garbage. Nothing. There is a hefty compost bin and a teeny recycling bin—one that Béa Johnson is embarrassed exists at all. “So much recycling really goes to waste, so you need to try to reduce that too.”

Garbage, though, is something that happens rarely in this modern, minimalistically decorated house. That’s by day-to-day intention—to live simpler and lighter on the planet. Their quest started three years ago when Béa and husband Scott downsized from a 3,000-square-foot home to their current 1,400 square feet. But it had been on Béa’s mind ever since she’d nannied for a family that lost everything in a fire. Béa decided she wanted to truly love and use and know everything she kept in her home. “Even down to the vegetable peeler,” she says.

“When we started getting rid of things, it was kind of addictive,” she continues. “In a recession, people are inclined to keep things, but I feel the opposite. The less I have, the richer I feel. Stuff weighs you down.”

Even life memories and heirlooms. Béa says, “Photos are a good way to keep the memory of something without keeping it because of emotional attachment or the guilt of letting it go.” Put another way: Hang onto the photo of your grandmother in her fur coat, but if you never wear the coat, it’s just taking up space in your closet.

Scott and Béa still have “vices.” Makeup has been hard to purge for Béa, and English muffins for Scott—both come with some nonrecyclable packaging.

“We don’t do everything right,” she says..."

+

Two things she says that really resonate with me:

"Clean up is done with microfiber cloths. “People are really attached to paper towels,” Béa says. “But they’re the easiest thing to give up.” - How many times have I told you lusters this? It's so true. You simply cannot imagine. I've been paper towel free since July 2008, people! You can, too.

"Recycling is not bad, it is simply best to reduce and reuse first.. Reduce-Reuse-Recycle are to be excercised in order. Many people seem to forget that." - Really true, and something I don't really think much about (as when I recycle I always think I'm doing "the right thing.")

You can read the entire article here on Sunset.com! And the family even has a blog, Zero Waste Home.

What did you think of the article? Too hardcore? Were there some things that you could take away from the piece, and use in your daily life? What have you been doing to help make your home into a less-waste place?

carbon emissions - outta here!

Ah'kay, some of this stuff is a bit over my head (no surprise there) but I know a lot of you are seriously interested in how method is helping out Mother Earth in ways other than simply making the best environmentally + people friendly products around! So here you go:

"Method Products, Inc. and NativeEnergy Pioneer a Carbon Offset Model
Environmentally-friendly home and personal care products company Method offers incentives to its partners to clean up carbon emissions

NativeEnergy, a leading international marketer of high quality carbon offsets, announced today an innovative partnership with Method Products, Inc., a manufacturer of non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning and personal care products. Sharing the idea that business has the greatest opportunity to create solutions to the climate crisis, Method's partnership enables the company to mitigate its carbon footprint by directly supporting new renewable energy projects on American family farms.

Method is pioneering a carbon offset model with NativeEnergy by giving priority to projects that reduce carbon emissions in the company's supply chain. Together, NativeEnergy and Method are offering financial incentives for Method's third-party manufacturing partners to reduce their carbon intensity.

"NativeEnergy helps Method to build upon our sustainability portfolio, and we want to encourage our partners to do the same," says Adam Lowry, Method's chief greenskeeper and co-founder. "This allows us to catalyze positive environmental change outside our own operations."

NativeEnergy calculates and offsets the carbon emissions from Method's energy use activities, including domestic and international manufacturing facilities, staff commuting, and corporate travel for both 2008 and 2009. Method's offsets purchase will directly help build and support three of NativeEnergy's new family dairy farm methane energy projects. These truly additional anaerobic digester projects are: Brubaker Family Farm, Penn England Family Farm, and Hillcrest-Saylor Family Farm, all located in Pennsylvania.

"All of us at NativeEnergy are thrilled to partner with Method," says Tom Boucher, NativeEnergy President & CEO. "By purchasing high quality carbon offsets, Method is demonstrating its commitment to sustainability by contributing directly to projects that are dependent on the additional revenue from the carbon offsets. Method's leadership and progressive achievements will motivate others to take action for a cleaner energy future."

Both Method and NativeEnergy are successful innovators in their respective industries; NativeEnergy for developing its unique forward-stream "help build" model, and Method for jolting the consumer products industry by effectively coupling sustainability and style. This new partnership acknowledges both companies' dedication to supporting real, effective solutions to the climate crisis.

NativeEnergy supports Method's carbon reduction strategy, which includes encouraging its third-party manufacturers to pursue emissions reductions in their facilities. For efficiency initiatives that yield calculable emissions reductions in 2008, Method will provide financial incentives to its manufacturing facilities for implementing such energy efficiency improvements.

Method Products, Inc. Founded in 2000, Method Products, Inc. is headquartered in San Francisco, Calif. Today, Method is the leading innovator of premium healthy home care products. Method can be found in over 25,000 retail locations throughout the US, Canada, the U.K. and Australia. Major retailers include Target, Wegman's, Costco, Duane Reade, Safeway, Waitrose (UK), Shoppers Drug Mart (Canada) and Woolworths (Australia). Method is a privately held company backed by high net worth individuals and a private equity firm. For more information, please visit the company’s Web site at www.methodhome.com.

NativeEnergy leverages market demand for carbon offsets to bring online new Native American, family farmer and community-owned renewable energy projects. Native Energy offers third-party verified and certified renewable energy credits, and offsets from a variety of operating projects across America and internationally. Through its novel approach of bringing upfront payment to renewable projects for the estimated future carbon offsets, NativeEnergy enables its clients to help directly finance the construction of specific new wind farms and other renewable energy projects. Continuing to focus on real, additional offsets that provide both an environmental and a social benefit, more information is available at www.nativeenergy.com."

method's carbon footprint

I've had a few questions concerning more of method's "behind the scenes" environmental works, so to speak. Recently I stumbled upon this interesting case study from eMission Solutions, discussing method's success in offsetting their carbon footprint. Here are the details!

"Client Description
Founded in 2000, Method is the leading innovator of premium home care products. Method can be found in over 20,000 retail locations throughout the US, Canada, and the U.K. Major retailers include Target, Wegman’s, Costco, CVS, Safeway, Albertson’s, Duane Reade, Waitrose, and Shoppers Drug Mart.

Our Challenge
Offset 100% of the carbon footprint associated with the electricity and natural gas generation at Method’s corporate headquarters and Chicago office, as well as the electricity needed to make their products at all 13 manufacturing facilities. Method also wanted to offset the carbon emissions associated with their employee commuting and air travel.

Our Solution
Green Mountain Energy Company’s new eMission Solutions™ division helped Method develop and execute a program to offset its carbon footprint from business operations by purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (REC’s) and Forest Sequestration Offsets. Method is taking a comprehensive approach to addressing its carbon footprint. In addition to offsetting electricity and natural gas usage for both its San Francisco and Chicago offices, Method is offsetting all of the electricity used to manufacture products at its 13 facilities around the country. The company is also offsetting all of its employee commuting and travel.

Using Wind Energy to Offset Emissions Associated with Electricity Usage
Wind energy RECs were used to offset the estimated emissions from Method's electricity usage for their corporate headquarters in San Francisco, CA and satellite office in Chicago, IL, as well the electricity used to create their products at 13 different manufacturing locations around the country.

RECs are an innovative means to offset the carbon emissions impact on the environment associated with electricity consumption. By purchasing REC’s, Method is helping to avoid over 950,000 pounds of CO2 emissions in just one year, as much as a car would produce in over 1 million miles of driving. The wind energy credits purchased by Method were sourced from projects located in the Northwestern region of the U.S. With the help of eMission Solutions, Method was able to achieve these important environmental benefits cost effectively, and independently of Method's retail power supply.

Taking Advantage of Forest Sequestration to Neutralize Other Emissions
Trees planted through Green Mountain’s partnership with American Forests will help offset the estimated emissions associated with Method’s natural gas usage at their corporate offices, and employee commuting and air travel. eMission Solutions worked with Method and American Forests to select urban forest projects in Chicago, IL, near Method’s Midwest office, because a good portion of the company’s air travel emissions are generated from flights in and out of Chicago.

Client Testimonial
“Green Mountain Energy Company was instrumental in Method achieving it’s goal of using renewable energy in it’s operations and becoming carbon neutral. Green Mountain brought expertise in mapping a carbon footprint and immersed itself in method’s supply chain to detail exactly where method’s footprint was coming from. Armed with that information, Green Mountain and Method worked together to develop a portfolio of wind power and reforestation projects that fit with Method’s sustainability goals. Green Mountain made the seemingly daunting process of mapping a company’s carbon footprint easier and got Method to renewables faster.”