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RISD Grads Debut Sustainable Materials Library

The site will include community news, articles, photos of projects, and case studies.

Mairi Beautyman -- Interior Design, 10/24/2007 12:00:00 AM

In 2005, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) graduates Matt Grigsby and Joe Gebbia teamed up to introduce the first free sustainable materials library. The results of their labor, Ecolect.net, launched last week at the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design/Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) Connecting '07 World Design Congress.

Targeting designers, architects, and graphic designers, the site shows users how to find sustainable materials and what makes them sustainable. But the site is more than a list, is an open forum inviting discussion about the definition of sustainability. With opportunities for user reviews and testimonials, it plans to show who else is using the green products and how.

"We saw a unique and unmet need in the marketplace," says Matt Grigsby, co-founder of Ecolect. "From there, we set out to not only create the world's first free and accessible sustainable materials library, but also to build a tight-knit global community, where individuals from around the world can go to learn and connect around the issue of sustainable design."

Additional features include community news, articles, photos of projects, and case studies.

Ecolect has offices in Providence, RI and San Francisco.