- April 29, 2009 - Touting themselves as "the social network for world changers," Ecofactory announced its emergence from a lengthy beta testing period on April 22, 2009. Also the day designated as Earth Day, April 22nd marked Ecofactory's official launch of their website Ecofactory.com. Gabe LeBlanc, the editor of Ecofactory expressed his excitement when he said, "It was a much longer road than I anticipated, getting the site up and running, I mean...but our team has done a really great job pulling it together." LeBlanc, a self-proclaimed relative newcomer to the green movement says he doesn't pretend to be an expert on environmental issues, but does say he has learned a lot over the last year while developing the project. "I was drawn to the green movement and the idea of launching Ecofactory a little over two years ago. Business and economics got in the way, but something about being a dad really created an emotional event that got me thinking green." LeBlanc goes on to say, "Al Gore's film was an important catalyst for me as well and I'd like to thank him personally. Thanks Al!"

Essentially, Ecofactory is three websites rolled into one. The brunt of their published content comes in the form of environmental news. Their coverage also includes a lot of social events, conflicts and health issues. "We have opinions, and feelings about what we write, but I feel it is important to offer as fair and balanced reporting as possible," says LeBlanc.

The second major segment of Ecofactory is their Community section. This social area allows registered members to make comments, post blogs, engage in forum discussions, and even peruse a green directory looking for organizations or environmentally friendly companies. Users will also find developing features coming online in future months that they will already be familiar with from such social networking giants like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn. "I think a lot of users will become really excited about updating their profiles and we believe the social segment of Ecofactory will eventually dwarf the other regions of the site," says Gabe LeBlanc.

The last section, the Shop Green section, is said to be launched in the coming weeks. This area will offer green products from companies around their world. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to one of several organizations and charities while the rest will help to fund the project.

Nate Kharrl, a young and energetic writer working on the project as well. Nate's been an real asset to the Ecofactory project," says LeBlanc. "He is focused and dedicated to making each phase of development occur when it should," continues LeBlanc, "and I am glad to be working with him."

"Working on Ecofactory has been amazing," adds Kharrl, a 22 year old from Fresno, California. "It's no surprise that we encountered an immense amount of enthusiasm and creativity from people around the world, even while the site was in beta."

Daniel Tinajero, as the Art Director creates much of the art and worked closely with Gabe LeBlanc to come up with the final site design. "I really enjoyed working on this project," says Dan, "though it's not done yet. There is always something to work on. I think that's a good sign though. We want to give people what they want and so in that sense, the project is never really done. There's always more enhancements, more features, and more details to attend to and I think what we've created is something special and something people will really like."

Ecofactory is not the first business entering the green market, but the folks at Ecofactory think their project might be unique. "It's well known that a lot of businesses are doing anything they can to make money in the green movement," says Nate Kharrl, "but we've built something substantially different. The fact that Gabe wanted to create this interactive community site from the ground up before developing the means to bring in revenue speaks droves, I believe. He didn't even let things like ad placements or promotional areas compromise his vision. We all wanted to make sure there was something meaningful for every visitor, even if they were just passing through."

"We're still dreaming up new ideas and getting feedback from our growing membership," adds Nate. "I'm looking forward to a full implementation of our points system, currently in testing, that rewards members for interacting with the green community on Ecofactory. I hope that Ecofactory will grow into a central hub in the green community and offer a cultural crossroads where thinkers and innovators from every shade of the green spectrum can gather. I also hope that Ecofactory may become a meaningful resource for those looking to create a sustainable human existence on Earth. That will be the biggest reward for all the hard work we've put into the project."

Ecofactory

Ecofactory

Ecofactory is the social network for world changers. Bringing individuals environmental news while giving them a place to interact with environmentally conscientious people, makes Ecofactory a meaningful community resource. Ecofactory also offers a green directory to help people quickly find green companies and green organizations in the local area and abroad. Ecofactory's Green Events Calendar offers individuals an excellent resource to learn about important upcoming green events.

More from Ecofactory