Ecolect Launches First Free Online Sustainable Materials Library.

Ecolect.net featured at Icsid/IDSA World Design Conference

PROVIDENCE, R.I. & SAN FRANCISCO -- Live from the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design/Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) CONNECTING '07 World Design Congress, Ecolect announced the launch of the first free sustainable materials library for the design community. The innovative site enables professionals in such fields as product design, architecture, and graphic design to quickly find and research a growing range of sustainable materials online at www.ecolect.net.

Created by Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) graduates and award-winning entrepreneurs, Matt Grigsby and Joe Gebbia, Ecolect was created to save designers time and money by answering three important questions: where do I find sustainable materials, what makes them sustainable, and who else is using them and how.

"We saw a unique and unmet need in the marketplace," said 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 build a tight-knit global community, where individuals from around the world can go to learn and connect around the issue of sustainable design."

Ecolect offers its users an easy-to-use web site featuring only materials with sustainable attributes, content that stimulates discussion about what sustainability is, and how it is defined; the ability to contribute user reviews and images of materials in use; case studies on successful sustainable design and a blog on how ecology affects the world.

"This year's Congress will be exploring the implications of an evermore connected world, and we are pleased to have been asked by the conference organizers to showcase Ecolect to conference attendees from around the world," stated Ecolect co-founder, Joe Gebbia. "Like the Congress itself, Ecolect will be creating connections between multiple communities to promote the use of sustainable materials along with providing easy access to our free online library of sustainable items."

About Ecolect

Ecolect was founded in 2005 to provide the tools and resources to make it easier to design responsibly. Its mission is to be the largest, freely accessible sustainable materials library in the world. Founded in Rhode Island, the company has offices in Providence and San Francisco. For more information about Ecolect, please visit www.ecolect.net.

NOTE TO EDITORS/REPORTERS: Ecolect will be hosting a launch reception at Swissnex Annex located at 730 Montgomery St in San Francisco from 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 18, 2007 during the CONNECTING '07 World Design Congress.