preserve (plus a little bonus at checkout)

every once in a while i run across a product that stops me dead in my tracks. few and far between you find the company that is so far ahead of the norm and much closer to where we should be, and when this happens to me it makes me... well, giddy.

today, while doing the weekly grocery run i had one of those giddy, track stopping, few and far between moments.

nothing crazy- i just happened to need a new tooth brush. usually i remember this at the local drug store but the past few runs i have plum forgot. if i had remembered at rite-aid, i would have grabbed for a reach toothbrush, soft with a red handle or maybe green, and been on my way. but today, i remembered this little piece of info at whole foods. having just replaced my kiddos brushes last week at whole foods, and having been pleased with the selection, i made my way to the dental hygiene section to have me a little looksie.

and here is what i found:

a pure piece of genius, if i do say so myself.
not much to look at from the wrapper? well, let me fill you in on the ever so awesome details. my friends at preserve (a company that was birthed to help preserve the planet... hence the name) has a deal with stonyfield farms (the yogurt guys) and they also have a recycling bin deal with whole foods locations nation wide where they collect #5 plastics. they then take their collection of #5's and melt them down to make a slew of products. the newest one... the preserve toothbrush that sells for $2.55. well, what's so special about that, one might ask? the little toothbrush comes in a postage paid mailer that allows you to ship your used toothbrush back to the good folks at preserve, where they take your handy dandy #5 and melt it down again into a new toothbrush. pure genius!

not only is it less expensive than the reach i typically buy, but it's a fresh approach to recycling. by keeping the #5's together you run less of a risk of contamination (yes, lots of stuff that you put in your curb side bin never makes it to the recycling process because of the folks that may be a little bit less aware of what is in fact recyclable). while giving a recycled product (#5 yogurt cups and the like) a second life, it goes one step further. it gives it a third, fourth, fifth... life.

they also do the same thing with those brita filters that aren't recyclable in most communities. they do this same thing with razor handles, too. and in case you were wondering, they are bpa free and come in fancy colors.

even better... you can buy a years worth from the website for a mere $13 and the first one comes in a handy recycled case, allowing you to get a new brush every three months. amazing!

could it get better than that? yep! if you enter stony20 in the checkout coupon code box, you can get 20% off. my friend jill discovered this-- seriously, you coupon people are pretty awesome. i didn't even think of looking and if i had thought of it... i wouldn't know where to look. jill, i'm impressed!

so go on... get your picnic plates for your memorial day bbq, your toothbrush and whatever else it is that strikes your fancy... just don't forget to do it while saving 20%!