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. 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.

Adam + Eric sighting

We think Spring in San Francisco is so cool and we're not talking about the weather. Spring, an eco-boutique located on Polk near Broadway, hosted a shindig for method’s very own Adam + Eric in honor of their new book, Squeaky Green. In case you missed it, don't you worry, Eric is heading over to Borders in Alameda on May 30 at 6pm to talk about Squeaky Green.

Squeaky Green , if you don’t know it yet, is the first book co-written by Adam + Eric, co-founders of method. Caution: facts contained within may result in readers rethinknig their cleaning habits. If you’re late on checking it out, you can get your own copy by clicking here to methodhome.com.

Adam + Eric on Squeaky Green

Squeaky Green - the method guide to detoxing your home just hit bookshelves last month. The co-writers (and co-founders of method) Adam Lowry & Eric Ryan sat down at the method office to talk through the inspiration behind the book, sample some of the dirty little secrets you'll find in Squeaky Green, and show us easy solutions to detoxing our homes in order to create a healthy and happy environment for ourselves, our kids and our pets.

If you haven't gotten a chance to check out Squeaky Green yet, be sure to check it out on methodhome.com. First 300 people to order the book online get a free book cover that actually doubles as a reusable microfiber cloth (only available while supplies last on methodhome.com).

Not Just Green … Squeaky Green!

Congratulations – it’s a … book!  It’s our first one, and we’re so proud.  We’ve named it Squeaky Green: The method Guide to Detoxing Your Home.  (Kind of a mouthful, we know. We hope it doesn’t get teased too much on the playground.)  In a nutshell, it’s a room-by-room guide to lots of easy things you can do to rid your home of toxins so you and your family will breathe easier.

In celebration of Earth Day, here are five easy and inexpensive tips – all pulled from our very own Squeaky Green.

1. Exercise that green thumb by picking up a plant, or five.  Plants are nature’s detoxers and can actually boost oxygen levels in your home.  Some real botanical champs are philodendrons, green spider plants, dracaenas, palms, ferns, English ivy, peace lilies, mums and daisies.

2. Slay the energy vampire.  OK, we know you don’t want to come home every day and reset the time on all your appliances.  Neither do we.  But for those times you’re leaving for a while, plug everything into a power strip and simply switch it off.  (Er, you might want to make sure you haven’t lost the manual for your DVD player.)

3. Open a window.  (Seriously, that’s it.)  The way our houses are built today, the air inside is usually more polluted than outside.  Open that window and breathe easier.

4. Change your furnace and air conditioning filters.  Oh, so sexy, we know.  But the seasons they are a-changin’, and we’d be willing to bet you haven’t done it for a while (every three months is a good rule of thumb).  Really pressed for time?  Turn the vacuum on it.

5. Play outside!  Whether it’s 18 degrees or 80, get out there and kick up your heels for a few minutes at least.  And for goodness sake, take someone with you.

Squeaky Green is now available at Target, Barnes & Noble, Borders and lots of other places, and you can also order it from our web site.  It makes a great gift for Earth Day – but then, we think every day is Earth Day.

Introducing Lil' Bowl Blu & Le Scrub!

Here’s a quiz: What has historically been the top-requested new product among method advocates?

Wait for it … wait for it …

If you guessed “toilet bowl cleaner,” pat yourself on the back.  It was a tough one to crack, so we’re very excited to introduce you to Lil’ Bowl Blu.

Spare the Air Top 10 Tips

method co-founder Adam Lowry spoke at today’s “Spare the Air” press conference in San Francisco. The “Spare the Air” program was established to educate the public about air pollution in the Bay area and promote individual behavior changes that improve air quality. Here are a few of Adam’s tips about how you can help spare the air in your home:

1. Trash your Stash – you know all those nasty cleaners hiding under your sink?  Get rid of them, and replace them with healthy alternatives like method.  And do it at work, too, because we spend as much time there as we do at home.


2. Bring the Outside In – Having just a few plants around the house can greatly improve indoor air quality.  Believe it or not, common houseplants like rhododendron, lilies, and ivies absorb indoor air pollutants and replace it with pure, healthy oxygen.


3. Suck it up – Common vacuums often don’t pick up dust and allergens, but just spread it around.  Be sure to look for a vacuum with a HEPA air filter.


4. Detox Your Home - Two studies conducted in Florida and Massachusetts found that indoor air contained 5-10 times as many pesticides as the air outside, much of it tracked in on the bottom of people’s shoes. Simple things like taking off your shoes and wiping your feet on a doormat 5 times before entering can keep common allergens from becoming airborne and bothering you or your family.


5. Build it Out - Common building items like particle board can off-gas hazardous chemicals like formaldehyde, while common paints and carpeting will off-gas other dangerous materials.  When remodeling make sure you choose: 1)  VOC-free paints, 2) formaldehyde-free building materials, and 3) PVC-free carpets.


6. Get rid of pesticides --  Any cleaning product that claims to disinfect or kill germs or bacteria contains a registered pesticide.  These products are what cause indoor air to have 5-10 times as many pesticides as the outside.  Avoid these products to avoid bringing these pesticides into your home.


7. Open a Window – a little fresh air goes a long way.  According to CARB “Houses today are so efficient that 'outgassing' of chemicals has no where to go, so it builds up in the home”.  Simply opening a window ventilates your home and improves air quality.


8. Capture dust, don’t spread it – use a microfiber cloth or damp towel to dust rather than a duster.  Ordinary dusters just spread it around.


9. Control Humidity – excess humidity in closed spaces supports growth of bacteria and mold and intensifies some pollutants.  Control humidity, fix leaks, and use a dehumidifier if needed to keep relative humidity < 60%.


10. Buy Energy Star Appliances – and make sure combustion appliances like gas ranges are in good working condition.  These appliances can produce carbon monoxide, or worse.  Maintaining them, and/or replacing them with Energy Star appliances will help you Spare the Air at home.

an end to the junk

I don't know a single person who enjoys the afternoon trip to the mailbox, only to find it's full of grocery store coupons and "Don't miss this chance to consolidate your student loans." Junk mail is wasteful and, usually, pretty annoying. So, as I was checking my inbox this morning, I was especially happy to read my daily Ideal Bite:

GreenDime is a company who will go through the effort to call and email and write and call again, on your behalf, to keep your address off the junk mail lists. For a dime a day, GreenDime will stop the junk mail flowing into your mailbox, AND plant a tree! According to their estimates, 100 million trees are chopped down every year for junk mail sent in America.

I know I'm not alone in thanking this company for helping us make our lives full of a little LESS waste. Do you know of other companies with similar mantras? Let's hear 'em!

Sustainable Dancing

Sustainability is hitting a new level. First there was sustainable agriculture, then there was sustainable clothing, and now I am proud to announce we have sustainable dancing! 

A new club opened in the Netherlands called Sustainable Rotterdam.  It captures the energy of movement provided by dancers and uses that energy to power the lights and music.  The "greening" of the dance club will also be enhanced by walls that change color according to the heat generated in the room, toilets that will use rainwater, and biological beer (not sure what that means but it sounds healthy).

I love when we are able to convert the energy from an ordinary activity to energy used to make the world a better place. We have to get one of these clubs going in the US!

:read

green diapers...

And by green we mean, environmentally conscious, not the surprising colors little baby bodies can occasionally produce inside diapers. gDiapers is a company we've always loved and we were happy to see them at this year's Green Festival hosted this past weekend in San Francisco. So, what's so great about gDiapers?

They're flushable. Yes, this can take a bit of getting used to but considering how much waste is created with traditional disposable diapers, it's an idea that's ready for the mainstream. gDiapers are a two-part system comprised of a flushable inner refill which fits into a little reusable outer pant. When the diaper becomes soiled, you simply flush the inner pant down the toilet - no smell, no diaper bin, no guilt.  As gDiaper says, it's "fashion and function on one cute bum." Now that's an idea worth sharing.

zanzibar bans plastic bags

Zanzibar, more known for its idyllic beaches than its environmental progressiveness, has officially banned the import and production of plastic bags. Recognizing that discarded plastic bags damage marine environments as well as being eyesores, they've banned them in hopes of restoring the pristine island environment. It's a move both intended to enhance their natural environment as well as preserve their bustling tourism industry - the mainstay of Zanzibar's economy.

Such a move naturally comes with criticism, including skepticism on the ability to enforce the measure and whether the economy will be negatively affected by the ban. As an alternative, the government has suggested raffia bags. Rwanda is another country that has entirely banned the use of plastic bags.

If developing countries like these can take such progressive environmental measures, could they work in more advanced, richer countries like the US? Tell us what you think.

:via BBC

buying green

To many, living a greener life is understood to be needing to take drastic measures in one's life to make a difference. As Americans and the top consumers in the world, we waste and over-consume so much that the options available to us to improve our environmental impact are virtually limitless. Even the smallest behavioral changes we make as a society will have a positive effect on a greener world. For those uncomfortable giving up the beloved SUV or carpooling to work, there are literally thousands of more "comfortable" ways to reduce your footprint on the world. The key is to start somewhere...anywhere.

CNN.com hosts a great 'mini-site' to buying (and living) a greener life - suitable for all those "maybe gonna do it"s out there. A handy primer I found insightful is entitled Disposable Culture. It lists in a very digestible manner, the top ways our culture of convenience and disposal is impacting the environment.

My favorite pointers derived from this piece:

• Reduce your junk mail by registering at the National Do Not Mail Registry (who wants this stuff anyway?)
• Buy rechargeable batteries and recycle old batteries when they're done
• Use your municiple recycling service
• Read the news online

Got any favorite tips of your own? Share them with us - we'd love to hear them.

:visit

be green now!

Green Mountain Energy has just launched its new site BeGreen which allows consumers to calculate their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and purchase offsets that enable users to neutralize their carbon footprint. Green Mountain, based in Texas, is the country's largest supplier of green energy and serves both residential and commercial interests. Their highly interactive and informative BeGreen site allows users to calculate auto, home, air travel and natural gas emissions and purchase carbon offsets which go towards renewable energy credits, reforestation programs and other carbon offset technologies. In addition it allows users to create online profiles and get useful tips on living a low-impact lifestyle.

A little SF pride

The evolution of trash.  First there were garbage cans, then there were recycling bins, and now we have composting containers.  Many people compost on their own in their own back yard but here in San Francisco we have a little thing called industrial composting.

Industrial composting enables residents to have their compostables picked up the same way the trash is.  Once a week the "garbage collectors" drive around the city collecting compost placed in special bins and then take it to a facility where everything is broken down into soil to sell to local vineyards. San Francisco is one of the few major US cities that offers municiple composting pickup.

I just started composting myself and am amazed at how much I don't put into the trash can anymore.  But individuals are not the only ones who can compost.  Businesses are also taking the cue.

bags with street smarts

One of my favorite examples of green fashion is Freitag of Switzerland. Freitag began making messenger bags from used tarpaulins from freight trucks. These heavy-duty nylon tarps commonly used on European trucks are rugged and waterproof but unfortunately are not recyclable.

a date with the garbage man

Whoever thought walking through a building full of trash wasn't fun, is dead wrong!! method employees, this week, were treated to a tour of the San Francisco Recycling Center. We were privy to an insider's look at what really happens to those blue garbage cans...

I should note that this recycling center in San Fran is one of a kind! It manages to recycle 90% of the material that comes through its doors! That's thanks to conscious consumers who throw their recyclables into proper receptacles, a city that cared enough to invest in an easy-to-use 3 bin system for garbage, ALL recyclables, and compost and a recycling center with the technology and manpower to devote to the daunting task of sifting through 20,000 tons of material/hour!!!!

breathing earth

Ever wonder how which countries have the highest carbon dioxide emissions? Breathing Earth, a fascinating interactive site shows just how much CO2 is being released into our atmosphere and by which countries, in real time. Spending just five minutes on the site will stagger you when you see how many tons of CO2 have been emitted during your visit.

:see

how to roll back your odometer

Do you remember Ferris Bueller's Day Off - the scene where after taking a joyride in dad's Ferrari, they decide to roll back the odometer with the ill-conceived notion of running the car in reverse? Obviously, it's a silly notion to think one can reclaim the miles from the day's drive, but what if you could neutralize the emissions in a similar, low-tech manner? No, it doesn't require putting your car up on blocks, but it can be as simple as calculating your CO2 emissions and offsetting them with funding towards clean energy research.

Each year, the average car emits over 10,000 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere. Terrapass based in Menlo Park, CA offers a service enabling you to offset the emissions of your car by purchasing a pass that funds clean energy projects that directly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Terrapass claims that when you purchase their annual pass, "your money funds renewable energy projects such as wind farms.  These projects result in verified reductions in greenhouse gas pollution. And these reductions counterbalance your own emissions." Admittedly, Terrapass is not a substitute for renewable, alternative fuels but until these options are more widely embraced, it's a step in the right direction.

e-gads! what e-waste

Try to think long and hard about how you disposed of your last computer or cell phone. If you’re like most Americans, it was probably thrown in the trash with the 250 million other personal computers and 100 million cell phones discarded this way yearly (source)! Out of sight, out of mind? Not quite! Our old electronics contain hundreds of chemicals (mercury, lead, and cadmium to name a few), which are hazardous to all of us, when dumped in a landfill and not properly managed. We also lose important metals by throwing these devices away, which increases the demand for mining.