How to Use the Bon Ami Cleaning Cake! from Bon Ami on Vimeo.
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Bon Ami is celebrating its 125th anniversary by issuing a limited run of its original 1886 Formula Cleaning Cake
KANSAS CITY, MO. – May 26, 2011 Bon Ami is celebrating its 125th anniversary by issuing a limited run of its original 1886 Formula Cleaning Cake, once a staple in households across America.
A symbol of the company’s long-standing commitment to natural ingredients, only 1,886 cakes are available, sold online at www.bonami.net and www.alice.com while supplies last. Made from the same recipe of ground feldspar and tallow soap developed in the 1880s, the cakes are pressed, cured and cut into bars by hand.
Bon Ami has a tradition of thoughtful, thrifty products. In the late 19th century, most household cleansers were harsh and abrasive. Bon Ami’s innovation came from taking the softer mineral feldspar, a waste product from quartz mining, and combining it with mild tallow soap to create a cleanser that polished away dirt and stains but was also gentle on surfaces and people.
While the cake fell out of favor in more modern times, the recent cultural return to both thrift and thoughtful home keeping, and steady requests by fans to bring back the product inspired Bon Ami to make a limited batch.
Like the 1886 Original Formula Cleaning Powder, available in can-form year-round in hardware stores, the Cleaning Cake is a household workhorse, cleaning old glass windows, tile, stainless steel, mirrors and pots and pans, yet it’s simple ingredients are biodegradable. To use on most surfaces, simply wipe a damp sponge or cloth across the cleaning cake, then use the cloth to clean. Then rinse with water until the shine comes through. No paper towels required – just a little elbow grease. One cake is good for hundreds of cleanings.
“Households used this product for more than a century. It’s not only effective, it’s truly one of the most thrifty and ecological products for cleaning,” said Carolyn Beaham West, Bon Ami’s brand ambassador and a member of the family owners. “It requires no fancy technology to use, has minimal, recyclable packaging, is versatile and lasts for months.”
The cakes are sold for $9.99 packaged in a beautifully designed paper box, which uses no glues or sealants. A commemorative tin with a cleaning cloth will be available later this summer for $14.99.
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About Bon Ami
Founded in 1886, Bon Ami weathered the Great Depression, chemical revolution and an endless stream of fads by keeping its products simple. The Bon Ami anniversary 1886 Formula Cleaning Cake joins a full line of natural household cleaners, which last year grew to include liquid cleanser, all purpose spray and dish soap, in addition to the popular flagship “yellow can” Powder Cleanser and “red can” 1886 Formula Cleaning Powder. Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., Bon Ami is an independent, family-owned company. Its products are available in hardware stores and grocery stores nationwide.
For more information about Bon Ami visit www.bonami.com and www.facebook.com/bonamiclean.
The Fabulous Beekman Boys will speak at San Francisco Green Festival Saturday April 9th 12pm on the Main Stage
SAN FRANCISCO – March 23, 2011 The largest sustainability event in the world
celebrates 10 years, one million attendees at the San Francisco
Concourse Exhibition Center April 9 – 10. This one-of-a-kind weekend
experience offers opportunities for community members to meet their
favorite authors, actors and community leaders; shop more than 300
eco-friendly exhibitors; participate in educational workshops; enjoy
live music and local vegetarian cuisine; and sample organic
chocolates, wine and beer.
Ten stages and pavilions feature more than 125 inspirational and
educational speakers, including Amy Goodman, The Fabulous Beekman
Boys, John Perkins, Dr. Sharif Abdullah, Zoe Weil, Favianna Rodriguez
and Mark Hertsgaard, to name a few.
Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Dr. Brent Ridge are not your average couple. They have transplanted themselves from New York City to Beekman Farm in upstate New York, where they are raising 80 goats, two pigs, a dozen chickens and a narcissistic llama. These guys have urban professional backgrounds and they’re now making goat milk soap.
Technically, Josh isn’t new to upstate New York. He was born there, but then raised in rural Wisconsin. He is the New York Times bestselling author of I Am Not Myself These Days and Candy Everybody Wants and also a new book called The Bucolic Plague which is about moving to the farm. He is a monthly columnist for OUT magazine and a contributor to NPR.
Born and raised in North Carolina, Brent is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He was Vice President of Healthy Living at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and he writes for care2.com and The Huffington Post.
Brent is described as having a type A personality, while Josh is more laid back. Friends who visit them upstate attest to the difficulties they face trying to live the simple life. Turns out, it’s not so simple.
The Green Festival marketplace showcases more than 300 green and
socially-responsible businesses and organizations. Attendees browse
organic eco-fashion, green pet supplies, fair trade décor, nontoxic
children’s products and much more.
The San Francisco Food Bank and KPIX CBS 5 host a food drive at Green
Festival, in which community members bring nonperishable cans to
donate for free admission. According to the Food Bank, 197,000 people
struggle each day to feed themselves and their families in San
Francisco.
“The generous donation of food collected at Green Festival will aid
the SF Food Bank in delivering nutritious and delicious meals for over
35,000 families throughout San Francisco and Marin,” says Events and
Food Drives Manager, Jessica Brittsan. “Every donation helps in the
fight to end hunger in our community.”
A joint project of Green America and Global Exchange, two leading
nonprofit organizations dedicated to environmental and social justice
for more than 27 years, Green Festival inspires and promotes the
connection between change and sustainable progress for people,
communities and businesses. Green Festivals empowers people to live
healthier lives-socially, economically and environmentally.
“Whether you go to shop, learn, try new organic foods or experience
art and music, Green Festival has it all, with the goal to motivate
every person to think, participate and make more planet-friendly,
sustainable choices in their every day lives,” says Green America and
Green Festival Founder, Denise Hamler.
Thank you to Corporate Innovators: Ford and Bon Ami. Receive
complimentary tickets when you visit your San Francisco area Ford
Dealer. Test drive one of Ford’s new green hybrid and electric
vehicles right at the Green Festival.
Thank you to Green Festival partners: Clif Bar, TreeHugger, KPIX CBS 5
and KCBS Alice Radio 97.3.
Engage with Green Festivals online at www.GreenFestivals.org,
www.Facebook.com/GreenFestival and www.Twitter.com/GreenFestival for
the latest news about San Francisco Green Festival and additional
Green Festivals in 2011.