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. 

- by Drummond (method Green Giant)

method’s very own Andy K, supply chain planner extraordinaire, took time out from the fight against dirty and turned his talents to following in the footsteps of the Incas trekking Machu Picchu on behalf of the British Lung Foundation.

Like any intrepid explorer he kept a travel diary, method t-shirt and alpaca wool beanie close at hand to record his profound musings.

“Emerging from the natural cover of the trees we strode out onto a stone walled plain; is this it?  I thought to myself, over 100km’s hiking for this?

We made our way through the blazing sun to the edge of the plain. What lay before us was a sight that took all aback, a view immortalised in postcards & films, a view I can only describe as spellbinding; Machu Picchu. A fantastically preserved city sitting atop a mountain ridge; its temples and plaza’s instantly recognisable, hundreds of years old yet still in better condition than some areas of my home town Bolton.

A week previously I had sat in the method office joking about the prospect of chewing Cocoa, eating Guinea Pig and how I was not cut out for camping. All of these things had come to pass and they were all worth it.
    
The first three days proved challenging but enjoyable; taking in mountains, lakes and Llama’s. The final day proved to be the hardest; with a climb up to 4,800 metres above sea level. This also proved to be one of my finest hours, striding confidently up the mountain alongside the guides, facing the cold wind in just my method t-shirt.

Four days of five am starts, ten hour walks and three km ascents were intersected between sleeping in a tent, eating outdoors and fantastic natural beauty afforded to us by this wonderful country. The people were fantastically friendly and welcoming, the children mischievous and cute (asking for a biscuit on first sight of a westerner.)

By the end of the trek I had witnessed a spectacle like few in the world; one that has been voted into an online seven wonders of the world. I had triumphantly conquered three mountain peaks, eaten a domestic pet and more importantly helped to raise over £6,500 for the British Lung Foundation."

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 for more details.