methodhome.com get a makeover. - by gunther lie

Ever envious of the products side of the business, which regularly enjoys packaging and design makeovers, methodhome.com has finally gotten what amounts to its own fancy, new party dress.
After almost a year of planning, we’ve finally launched our new website.

Some cool things we’ve added since the old site:

• A killer new homepage.  We added a carousel mostly because we can never decide which stories we want to talk about…so, we decided to tell them all.
• 3 ways to browse the method collection. Whether you know exactly what you’re looking for, or you’re new to method, finding exactly what product you’re looking for should be easy as pie.
• New e-commerce experience. We call it a mini-cart. Nothing revolutionary other than a lot fewer clicks!
• Tidbits. Basically the pop-ups you find on product pages that give you a little more info on a particular topic. The tidbits we have are a bit slim now but eventually start looking for video and audio clips embedding in them throughout our site.

Some things that are still coming along:

• Search capabilities.
• Breadcrumbing. Think Little Red Riding Hood…. wait, maybe that’s Hansel and Gretel. Basically, it’s a way of helping you know where you are on the site at all times. Like a trail of breadcrumbs…minus the small, furry woodland animals that eat them up.
• More, more, more content  - including interviews and in-depth content from our design and sustainability experts at method.

I’m not sure any of us figured on it taking quite so long but alas, here it is and now we can begin the real work –putting interesting stuff on the site. While the site will never actually be done, we thought we’d take this opportunity to see how you like. What do you love? What do you hate? What would you like to see added? We’d love to hear your comments. So, post away.

Airomatherapy: creative inspirations from Japan - by julie kim

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.

- method creative team

Trendspotting with our own Danny Alexander - by julie kim

Our very own Danny Alexander, official shape shifter here at method, was featured on JoshSpear.com last week. Check out his interview with Josh Spear as he talks about method and where his design inspiration comes from.

Click here to read the article.

Find out if you have a running toilet - by danny seo

We’ve all heard the prank call “Hello, is your refrigerator running?”  But have you actually ever thought maybe your toilet is running---and wasting water---without you even knowing it?

Anybody would realize their toilet has sprung a leak if water had gushed all over the bathroom floor. But it’s inside the tank---where the fresh water refills after each flush---that may be leaking fresh water slowly and consistently into the bowl of your toilet. You can’t hear it or see it, and you could be wasting hundreds of gallons of water.

It’s simple to find out: drop about 6 drops of a dark food dye into the tank of the toilet---red or blue work great---and then wait an hour or so.   Come back and look into the bowl of the toilet and see if it has changed color.  If you see any color, your toilet is leaking water. This is when you need to call a plumber to fix it or, it makes a great case to invest in a new water-saving toilet. 

the secret to innovation at method - by gunther lie

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

1. collaboration
2. innovation
3. care
4. what would mcgyver do
5. 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.

A dedicated team made use of all five method values to ensure its prompt recovery (see pictures attached). Jeannie and her earring are now recovering on the second floor.

Home Depot is now recycling your compact fluorescent bulbs for you - by julie kim

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. Home Depot announced this week that they want your bulbs so they can trash them responsibly (dubbed their National CFL Bulb Recycling Initiative). That means you can turn them in to any Home Depot spot and they’ll take them off your hands for free. How easy is that?

Check out Home Depot’s site for more info.

Road Warrior Packing (Eco) Secrets - by danny seo

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.

When I’m packing my bag at home, I recycle old Fedex and UPS envelopes---the paper letter-size kind and the Tyvek material Pak size---to pack my clothes and toiletries. Freshly ironed shirts can be folded and inserted into a Tyvek envelope and protected while in-transit. Neckties can slide right into the envelope size and stay wrinkle-free, too. For when I’m not flying on a plane, I’ll pop lotion and sunblock into the Tyvek envelopes, too;  if they leak, the mess stays contained and not all over my clothes.

When I get to the destination, I like to save the morning newspaper and use it to detox my shoes. Basically, crumple up a few sheets of newspaper (be generous!) and stuff your shoes with the paper. It absorbs odors and excess moisture and leaves your shoes a bit fresher. I also recycle the coffee grinds from the hotel coffee maker and use a palm-size amount as a body and hand scrub in the shower; just be sure to wash it down the drain! And for those truly stressful days, nothing can ease tension like a rolled up hand towel soaking in a bucket of ice; add a drop or two of essential oil, roll-up, and press on eyes. Breathe in, breathe out.

congratulations - it's a baby ... and a kid! - by colleen reilly

We’re just tickled pink (and blue, and green, and orange!) to announce our new methodbaby + methodkids products to the world.  You may have seen these making their birthday-suit debut on store shelves over the last month or so, or you may have seen them on the Oprah® Earth Day show or the Ellen Mother’s Day show.  In fact, on the Ellen show the full set of baby products was given out to a lucky audience full of expectant mommies.  With all this great press, our cute little otters are going to need their own agents soon!  (Did we mention that we’ve also been recognized for our adorable – and functional – packaging?)

As any mom or dad knows, babies and kids have plenty of parts, and it’s our mission to keep them all squeaky clean.  That’s why we developed a full set of products devoted to creating soft, cuddly, great smelling tiny ones while also taking the utmost care with their delicate skin.  methodbaby + methodkids are made from 95%+ naturally derived ingredients, with no parabens, phthalates, SLS or SLES.  They also offer tears-free formulas without numbing agents.

giant PET bottles - by stefanie hermsdorf

A newspaper in Sao Paolo reported city police finding a giant plastic bottle floating down the Tiete River (one of the most sickenly polluted waterways in the world, linked to industrialization of the city and the creation of the Guarapiranga - an artificial lake). Turns out the bottle was a test for Sao Paulo artist Eduardo Srur’s PET installation, in which he will put 30 gigantic 40-foot-long inflatable plastic PET bottles along the river’s banks for a month to make a point about the need for recycling and the importance of cleaning up the water. Point made!
Check out Eduardo's work:
http://www.eduardosrur.com.br/

Partying it up in NYC - method style - by anna boyarsky

While we're in NYC at our pop-up-shop we've been throwing some VIP (very important parties) events in the night. Lucky for us, our co-conspirator Danny Seo has been giving us a helping hand in leading 4 eco-parties this week. Danny has been taking guests step-by-step through 2 simple eco-friendly craft projects. Want to make the same cool projects at home too? Be sure to check them out by clicking on the link below.