Ecolect: Creating A Sustainable Materials Database and Community
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.17.07
Ecolect is a new online sustainable materials database and community created "to be the largest, freely accessible sustainable materials library in the world."
The site was created to save designers time and money by answering these questions: where do I find sustainable materials, what makes them sustainable, and who else is using them and how. Though just under way, the database is filling up with sustainable materials regular TreeHugger readers will recognize, like AMF Safecoat paint, biobased insulation and Globus cork flooring. Since it's been created as a virtual two-way street, if you have a favorite sustainable material, they want to hear about it; drop them a line and you might see it up on the site a short time later.
Perhaps the coolest part about the new site is that it's designed to be an interactive experience; users can create a real dialog between themselves by uploading pictures of their projects completed with the featured materials, writing reviews and providing case studies. That way, when you go looking for something, you'll be able to see what other, real world people think about it, rather than just reading design and performance specs on a computer screen.
Created by Rhode Island School of Design graduates, Matt Grigsby and Joe Gebbia, Ecolect has headquarters in San Francisco and Providence, Rhode Island, and they'll be celebrating their launch this Thursday, October 18, with a party in the city by the Bay. Teaming up with sustainable retailer Branch for a party:
Ecolect Launch Party @ Swissnex
Thursday, October 18, 6:00-9:00pm
730 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
Get more details at their blog and check their site often for updates and additions to the growing list of sustainable materials. ::Ecolect
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