make a cleaner clean start.

by Louise 29. January 2010 14:00

We’re an excitable bunch at method. We love being inspired and we hope to inspire right back. So here we are, almost through the first month of a new decade, and we thought we’d share some of the things and people that are inspiring us right now to make a cleaner clean start.

After trekking Machu Picchu last summer on behalf of the British Lung Foundation, our Andy K. is looking forward to finally perfecting his Spanish. (Buena suerte, Andy.)

Considering how method strives to bring more fun to everyday activities (yep, like cleaning), our Louise was inspired by VW’s “the fun theory” campaign and is looking at new ways method can inspire behavioural changes to benefit the environment (all while having fun, of course).

And our Sarah is still buzzing from an amazing, challenging trip over the holidays to Rwanda and Uganda, where she volunteered in rural communities on sustainable micro-development projects. She’s vowed to continue her fundraising effort throughout 2010 and to return to Africa to see the progress that’s been made...not to mention all her new friends again (much more on the trip to come from Sarah herself).

Who or what is inspiring you to make a cleaner clean start right now? Leave a comment below, and the ones that inspire us most will win a free detox your home kit.

Tags: detox, inspiration, ethical, fun

Categories: media, events + happenings | social responsibility | tips + ideas

toxic turn-in

by UK 5. August 2009 21:50

There was a good turn-out of local families at Orleans Infant School on a sunny Friday in Richmond.

There was a large bathtub in the yard filled with method products.There was a man in an orange HazMat suit, who knows all about how to recycling thing safely - he proved to be a big hit with the kids.

It was 10th July, Green Britain Day, and we had a very successful first Toxic Turn-In in the UK.

We asked parents to turn-in their traditional household cleaners, which are typically laden with toxic chemicals, in exchange for people friendly, environmentally friendly method products.

The idea was to highlight the importance of green cleaners and help people evict toxic chemicals from their home for good. Orleans is an eco-friendly school with an allotment, wormery and other goodies. All parents paid a £ to exchange a cleaner and all money raised went to the school Ec-project fund. so we're expecting a mini-windfarm!!  Big thanks to Stephanie, the tireless school secretary who organized everything with Jocelyn. To our Louise, who somehow managed to fit the tub and all those products in her not-so-massive car, and to Mark, the nice man in the orange suit ,who made sure all hazardous material was disposed of properly. And thanks to everyone who participated, especially the children of Orleans Infants for keeping up the good fight against dirty!

some people have since asked when the next toxic turn-in is - and how to organize one somewhere else. The answer is: if you fancy organising a toxic turn-in (and it does take some organizing to be allowed around so much hazardous waste - no kidding.) Get in touch and we'll see how we can help.

Tags:

Categories: General | green living | healthy home | social responsibility

we're with B Corp.

by USA 23. April 2009 12:35

With the mounting global financial crisis comes great uncertainty for the corporate world. Businesses continue to face troubling days ahead, leading many to rethink more broadly how they fit into society. For us at Method, one bright spot through the clouds is our position as a B-Corporation, and we encourage fellow brands to follow suit.

The brainchild of two successful entrepreneurs, B-Corporation is a group that has built the legal basis for companies to create social and environmental benefit as part of their business models, rather than being focused solely on profitability. In its short history, B-Corp has convened 185 companies with social or environmental mandates. B-Corp has fostered a community centered on its own values by having each company complete a publicly reported survey of their environmental and social practices.

Method’s values define our mode of business. As a founding B-Corporation company, we have taken the B-Corp survey that rates us on our commitment to solving social and environmental issues as part of our business. Survey results are published for all to see. This helps us by keeping our values visible in our path, and by allowing anyone wondering how we’re doing to find out.

Keep an eye out for the B-Corporation logo – there are now 185 certified B Corporations, representing $965 million in market value in a range of sectors. Visit bcorporation.net to see the full list of B-Corp companies and review their survey scores.

Tags:

Categories: social responsibility

saving the bay

by USA 13. April 2009 12:38

This past Wednesday, 26 of us embarked on our first 2009 Eco-Maniacs volunteer event.

If you don’t know, in order to encourage volunteerism in our local community, we’re given 3 days per year that we can use volunteering at one of the company-sponsored volunteer events or for an organization of our personal choice.

For this event, we partnered up with Save the Bay for a wetlands restoration project at Bair Island down in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay. Save The Bay is the oldest and largest organization working exclusively to protect, restore and celebrate San Francisco Bay.

Here are some of the highlights from our trip:

-       We learned about the ecosystem of our SF Bay and the importance of the wetlands.

-       We canoed out to Bair Island.

-       We planted 1,000 seedlings of native alkali heath.

-       We removed the non-native and highly invasive “pepper weed” plant.

-       We removed trash.

-       We tested the water’s phosphate levels.

-       Unearthed a dead jackrabbit.

-       Made a communal lunch of sandwiches, organic fruit, and cheez-its….yum! Then composted the food remains.

All in all the day was a great combination of San Francisco Bay education, outdoor recreation, teamwork, and wetlands restoration.

For pictures of the day check out our Flickr and Facebook pages. Feel free to comment!

If you are interested in learning more about Save the Bay and the advocacy work they do to protect our local treasure you can click here.