And solving a very big problem. How to make eco decisions easy - for everyone. Even those who apparently don't give a shit about eco. (We know you do.)As we all become more aware of climate change, even the biggest sceptics have sneaking suspicion that it might be a good idea to make better eco decisions. We are certainly coming to learn the climate consequences of the bad eco decisions of the past. But life is busy, everyone has priorities - different priorities; sustainability is confusing;and most of us are high on consuming. Consuming is simply woven into the very fabric of our being, including our happiness and it's how we measure success. It's in our DNA. And our economies. Literally. GDP is a measure of how much more we have tomorrow compared to today. So if you live in a western country you are in a kind of social climbing arranged marriage, like it or not.
ekko.world's focus is to create better habits by working with reality. And that means pragmatic everyday solutions. We figure that if people are going to consume, then at least we can help them consume better. To make it easy to consume something good, made by someone good or someone supporting someone good. So now we just have to define what good looks like.
THE INFORMATION IS ALREADY OUT THERE. A TON OF IT. IT'S JUST CONFUSING AND CAN OFTEN BE AMBIGUOUS AS IT IS TWISTED TO SUIT A MARKETING PITCH. EKKO-SCORE IS A SIMPLE WAY OF TAKING THAT INFORMATION AND TURNING IT INTO SOMETHING THAT ALLOWS CONSUMERS TO UNDERSTAND IN A FLASH JUST HOW ECO A PRODUCT OR SERVICE REALLY IS. IT EVEN DEALS WITH A PERSON'S BELIEF FRAMEWORK - AND THAT IS THE IMPORTANT PART. We know that one of the single biggest reasons that people don't try harder to be more eco is that it's confusing, overwhelming and often dis-empowering. Anyway, the truth is that we all impact the planet in some way. So we've found a way, through an algorithm and using data that is already available, to help you to make the best decision you can, for your lifestyle. And that is what the ekko-score is. ekko-score works on 3 aspects of a product
It's bloody complicated making complex issues simple and keeping them smart, so we are working with an Australian university on the development of the ekko-score algorithm. We plan to launch it the first stage around mid year.
Right now we are working with ekko.world traders using a manual prototype that will form the base of ekko-score and test assumptions about different standards, certifications and information. (If you are an eco business and have not been asked to participate, please contact us and we will include you.)
We are changing the ekko.world design to better support this new focus and give us all feedback on the best ways to more easily expose the eco value and values of products, services and businesses. These changes build on what already exists on ekko.world, but makes the important things more visible.
Most of the changes to ekko.world support the way eco traders and products are presented and will help us to gauge how best to help both consumers and sellers of eco products. We have already amended the ekko.world home page to expose the Standards that Traders claim as you can see in the main image or on the home page. By simply rolling over an icon you can see the business orientation of the trader. Next we are adding the standards icons to Eco Directory thumbnails and Local search results.
In the next week certification icons will also be clearly visible wherever a product appears. This includes on Trader shop pages as well as category pages and Shop Home page.There is a heap of work to be done, but we are both heartened and humbled by the support from eco businesses. It means a lot to us and we also know that this solution will be of enormous benefit to businesses of all sizes as well as consumers.