(pictured above: our biodiesel truck)

from the start of method's existence as a company we've been focused on how to do good through our business. from both social and environmental perspectives, we've tried to ensure that we leave things better than we found them - hopefully radically better. when making our products, we've focused the design process on the greenest chemistries, materials and formats around and constantly push to raise the bar. and this has been successful - we are fully confident of the health of the materials from which we make our products and stand behind our record of innovation in designing products.

now we are taking the next big step – using this same design mindset to redefine the processes that are used to actually manufacture the products. the trick is, we don’t own any of these facilities. this means intense collaboration with all our supply chain partners, helping them develop green manufacturing as their bread and butter so that our processes improve in terms of the materials, water and energy they use. we are making the leap from product design to process design.

we are gearing up to start into this in earnest in the coming months, and will share our tales of blue collar sustainability as we make the transition from designing green soap to designing green processes to make the soap.

what other companies do you admire for their ability to design a process for operating green in addition to making a green product?

whether you’re a serious cook or you think cooking involves a phone and a take-out menu our newest pro chef line will be sure to please you. kitchens tend to be the central gathering place in the home and pro chef is just the right line to get your kitchen ready to greet guests or make a sandwich.

the pro chef line is now available exclusively at Bed Bath and Beyond stores.

the line includes a stainless steel cleaner that is a whopping 28 oz. of superpowered formula to avoid leaving any streaks behind. so not only can you purchase less often you can also finally wipe those nasty fingerprints off the fridge.

also included is a 28 oz. spray bottle of granite cleaner, specially designed for granite, marble and other natural stone countertops and surfaces. natural stone is classic and durable, but it needs special care to be sure you don’t strip the sealer and allow water to get in the stone.

lastly, we have a special multi-surface cleaner to get rid of grease and food splatters while leaving behind a yummy citrus cilantro scent. it smells so good people will think you’ve been chopping fresh herbs and lemon wedges with a touch of lime.

comment below about your love of a clean, green, kitchen and we will randomly choose a winner to receive our new pro chef line! contest ends 10.2.09 at noon pst.

back to school for students means picking out your first day’s outfit, getting your trapper- keeper in order and finding out which of your friends are in your class. but for teachers it means the grueling task of organizing, decorating and cleaning the classroom to prep for a year of learning.

lucky for us we have a great arsenal of “teachers against dirty” who choose to clean their classroom with method products. here is a profile of this year’s “teacher against dirty” susan n., her words are in italics.

where do you teach?

i teach in st. charles, missouri at barnwell middle school, 6th grade science.

i like to use method products in my classroom because i know the surfaces will be clean,the aroma is pleasant and i do not worry about the ingredients - i would not use a bleach-based product or anything with harsh chemicals (you never know who is sensitive). and i don't worry about harmful contaminants polluting my kids' immediate environment.

what method products do you use?

i use method all purpose spray on my student desks at least once a week (i teach science so some days are messier than others). i also use method dishwashing soap to soak dishes in the sink in my classroom.

what is the dirtiest thing that has happened in your classroom?

unfortunately one time the sewer backed up in one of the classroom sinks! yuck. thanks to duct tape and plastic wrap we made it through the day.

thanks susan! at method we are big fans of what you do and are glad that our products are helping make your job a little easier.

thanks for doing a back to school piece! i hope this encourages more teachers to bring "people against dirty" into the classroom.

it’s that special day of the year again…park(ing) day! in case you don’t remember, we created a park(ing) space last year that doubled as a mini golf course. we are at it again this year, taking over the exact same spot in san francisco (on front + sacramento), just a few blocks from our office.

this year’s theme is save california state parks. due to california budget cuts, 100 state parks are in danger of closing. in the theme of the japanese wishing tree, we are asking people to choose a state park that is important to them and fill out a “leaf” that is a letter to their state senators asking for those parks to stay open. we will then mail these leaves to the senators, encouraging them to keep the parks open.

huge thanks to the folks at re-bar, the art and design collective, who started this movement. if you’re in san francisco, be sure to stop by!

every now and then, one of our People Against Dirty writes in with a method tidbit on how to use one of our products for something other than its intended use. while we can’t endorse these uses (darn lawyers), we love to hear them from you.

here is our latest person against dirty tip, sent in by brad in colorado.

“i also forgot to tell you about using method in the garden. i don't know if it has any negative effects, but because method is biodegradable and all natural, i have been using it in the garden to discourage bugs from eating my plants. i guess they don't like the taste (or maybe it kills them in some way). anyway, I have used diluted dish soap and straight all purpose cleaner to spray on the leaves. it does shrivel some blossoms (petunias) but it definitely keeps the bugs at bay (they do come back but less forcefully in about 2-3 weeks).”

thanks for the tip, brad!