Shopping for Furniture or a Mattress?

Posted by Jessica, BiOH Polyols Marketing Manager on June 25, 2009

Good news! You’re search for products with soy-based BiOH Polyols just got easier! We are excited to launch our retail locator… making it simpler for you to find products made with BiOH polyols in your area. Products made using soy foams with BiOH polyols help reduce our dependency on petroleum, leave a smaller environmental footprint, and support farmers.

You can search for all products made with BiOH polyols or for a specific product such as furniture or a mattress. (Plus, we’ll be adding more products where BiOH polyols are used soon!) Enter your zip code or city and state. Adjust the mileage radius to your preference. And then… tah-dah!

You get a list of retailers and the manufacturers they carry that use foams with BiOH polyols. You can print this list to take shopping with you or make note of the brands to look for at your favorite retailer. Now I’ll warn you that since we are several steps back in the supply chain, many of the retail sales employees may not be aware of the products that contain soy foam with our BiOH polyol ingredient or why they are a better choice!

This requires a little extra effort on your part to seek out those manufacturers listed and possibly to educate them with our fact sheet. Please know that your efforts wil make a difference! As more people ask for products with BiOH polyols, you will drive change for others to adopt soy-based foams that leave a smaller environmental footprint and save petroleum!

We are just getting started and still adding locations… so check back often! The list isn’t fully complete yet; for example, the Eco Platinum Plus carpet cushion sold through all Home Depot stores is not in the database right now. And we don’t have full retail lists for all of our manufacturing partners yet… so feel free to continue to search our furniture and mattress partner sites directly as well. But we hope this tool helps make your search easier!

I’d love to hear your feedback on the retail locator… and then learn about your shopping experiences at those retailers as you looked for products with BiOH polyols!

PS - Please share this information with anyone you know who may be shopping for furniture or a mattress!

A Picture is Worth… New Garden Gloves!

Posted by Jessica, BiOH Polyols Marketing Manager on June 22, 2009

With summer time in the northern hemisphere in full swing, we thought it was time to kick off a new helping out challenge… and figured there is no better time than summer to think about water consumption and protecting groundwater.  I kept hearing references to “rain gardens” but didn’t know much about them. So I decided to do a little research on the topic – quite interesting! 

Rain gardens are made with plants in a small depression and often on a natural slope. They are designed to soak in rain water runoff from roofs, driveways, patios or lawns. Rain gardens are effective in removing chemicals and sediments from the rainwater runoff, and they allow for more water to soak into the ground. We’ve added some additional resources on rain gardens from The Groundwater Foundation in our Green Living section.

We thought that one of the best ways to get motivated to plant a rain garden is to see examples of successful ones…. So we’re asking those folks who have a rain garden to post a picture of their rain garden with some details to our BiOH® Facebook page to help others learn. The first 10 people to post pictures and details of their rain gardens will receive a FREE pair of Classic garden gloves made from recycled plastic water bottles. Spread the word!

For those experts, any rain garden tips to share with others? And for those (like me!) learning about rain gardens, what questions do you have?