Ecomodo – ‘The Marketplace of Good Returns’

 

Best Green Use of Online Media

 

Background & Objective

Ecomodo has a simple goal – to get communities lending and borrowing to make better use of the resources they already have. Lending and borrowing is good for people, pocket and planet. It encourages social engagement, saves people money and maximises the utility of the resources we already have.

The carbon impact of people following their dreams, pursuing their interests and doing the boring jobs can be greatly reduced if people borrow instead of buying. The need for this is illustrated well by the amazing fact that the average drill is used for only 12 minutes in its lifetime. The total lifecycle impact from the collection of raw materials, manufacturing and distribution, to disposal is unacceptable when the purchaser was probably within a few metres of an idle drill in a neighbour’s shed.

 

Concept & Implementation

At its core, Ecomodo is like a tupperware box – it’s clean, functional and fresh. The power of Ecomodo is driven by the variety of items that our users add to lend and in turn borrow, our unique feature set and the wealth of stories we can tell around our service, that when combined deliver the rich flavour we need to drive mass consumer change.

Ecomodo’s outward presence is expressed in many ways through different media- there are tailored stories for diverse audiences to inspire and drive appeal that reflect the many uses of Ecomodo (DIY, gardening, holiday, party, hobby, green or frugal living, fundraising, CSR). They easily dovetail into to other campaigns by equipping people to make a difference (the big lunch, 10:10:10, Big Society). The use of lending circles connected to real world communities drives familiarity and trust at a very local level.

 

Audience

Ecomodo has attempted to reach beyond the established ‘green’ market, to make a substantial difference. Their success requires motivating green behaviour across social groups which currently do not prioritise environmental issues. To achieve this they have developed a strategy of ‘stealth green’ by building sufficient alternative personal motivations into the service and our campaigns to capture the attention of many people.

 

Results

Ecomodo is at the beginning of a journey, launched 5 months ago, with the goals of creating a sustainable business around driving a new market in lending and borrowing.

• Nearly 1000 members are signed up across the UK with particular depth near Edinburgh, Newcastle, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton, London and Guernsey. (Service only available in the UK at present)
• Nearly 600 items are available to borrow across the UK including bikes, kayaks, power tools, tents, megaphones, skills such as aerial photography and bicycle mending, and spaces such as greenhouse space and spare rooms.
• 67 members have set up lending circles for their neighbourhood, workplace, club, PTA or charity.
• National & local, press & media coverage .
• Positive reviews across the social web including a tweet from Stephen Fry.

 

Budget

Total actual costs to date have been £80k.

www.ecomodo.com

 

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