Method Cleans Up Chicago

Method at its Detox Chicago temporary store through October 12, then swap your nasty chem cleaners for free nontoxic Method stuff, test out new products, and score sweet in-store discounts. You can also get a look at Method’s new healthy home guide, Squeaky Green, penned by the co-founders themselves. We feel better already. Chicagoans invited to detox their homes, turn in toxic cleaners and confess dirty little cleaning secrets at method’s pop-up shop, 2034 N. Halsted, Now through -October 12

WHAT/WHERE:

method, the eco-friendly home care company, has set up shop temporarily at 2034 N. Halsted, Chicago from Sept. 15-Oct. 12. The retail shop is open to the public from 11 am – 8 pm daily.

The green home and personal care company’s “detox your home” shop offers aroma and ingredient workstations for sampling and testing out products and an on-site photo booth to photograph guests revealing their own dirty little cleaning secrets. Visitors are encouraged to drop off their toxic chemical cleaners as part of the store’s “toxic turn-in” in exchange for a free method product.

method cleaning and personal care products are available for purchase, along with the company’s first book Squeaky Green, a room-by-room guide on creating a healthy home. In the evenings, Chicago-based “method mavens” host private parties in the shop that educate and inspire guests while promoting healthy cleaning and living habits. The parties include eco-projects led by green living experts Danny Seo and Sophie Uliano; “sustainable sip” organic cocktail-mixing classes and an evening with Chicago area design students hosted by method’s designers, Josh Handy and Nate Pence.

Detox Chicago is part of method’s ongoing efforts to change the way people clean. As a leader in people and planet-friendly home care products, method’s mission is to educate and motivate as many people as possible that living in a healthy home is part of an overall healthy lifestyle.

Method’s Story-
Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan cooked up their first batch of cleaning products in their SF kitchen eight years ago. Since then, the two high-school buddies have become green-biz rock stars, but their approach has stayed the same: “We want to take green mainstream by changing the products, not the people,” says Lowry, who worked for the Carnegie Institute fighting global warming before co-founding Method. The products – for everything from sink to skin – are accessible and affordable, packaged in style, and come in scents that beat ho-hum pine and lemon (“the scents nobody hates, but nobody loves,” says Lowry). Go on, admit it.

Why Care?

* Method product formulas use biodegradable, nontoxic ingredients and follow the Cradle to Cradle design philosophy.
* The company offsets its carbon emissions through methane capture with NativeEnergy.
* Method rewards its suppliers with financial incentives for green practices like onsite renewable energy generation and using energy-efficient equipment.
* The EPA’s Design for the Environment program recognizes Method for more than 50 of its products, including Smarty Dish Detergent and cleaning sprays.
* Method ships and shuffles its products using biodiesel and solar-powered equipment.
* Biter discount: Visit Method’s pop-up shop in Lincoln Park today, and whisper “Chicago Bite” to get a free Method hand soap, while supplies last. Store located at 2034 North Halsted at Armitage, open daily 11 a.m.-8 p.m., now through October 12.

Keeping It Real
Last time we checked in, Method was working on using biodegradable materials like corn and bamboo for packaging, as well as making 100% recycled plastic bottles for its products. Method met both of those goals (score), and is now focused on improving its sourcing by using more local ingredients, and working with its suppliers to increase the sustainability of their operations.

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