Fairfield County, CT - Eco Evolution, a start up eco-friendly marketplace born during the 2020 coronavirus lockdown, is working to create a local Connecticut makers and creators cooperative to inspire community members to support local artists and creators by shopping local and cutting down on carbon emissions. With the goal of providing the community with product services that are good for people, good for the planet and created with purpose, Eco Evolution created this project to amplify the work of our very own Connecticut-based creators of products such as: candles, soaps, body products, jewelry, pet supplies, ceramics, photography, organic clothing, etc. The cooperative will be located inside of a larger retail and coffee shop called Eco Evolution, which will be located in Fairfield, CT. Eco Evolution and the ECOopertive will inspire conscious consumerism and help fight the climate change crisis by sourcing all-natural products locally.
The project’s organizers are calling on the community to join this initiative by donating to a crowdfunding campaign and/or volunteering in the effort. If the campaign reaches its $20,000 goal by its fundraising deadline of Earth Day, April 22, 2021, the project will receive a matching grant of $5,250 from Sustainable CT’s Community Match Fund, which is an innovative funding resource for public, community-led sustainability projects. For project details and to donate, please visit: https://www.patronicity.com/project/ecooperative_an_ecofriendly_creators_cooperative
“I am so excited to create a community space that is fun, purpose-driven, and amplifies the creative work of our state’s artists, creators, and makers,” said Brad Kerner, Founder of Eco Evolution.
This project will also provide free retail space for refugee woman creators who are a part of “our Woven Community” in Bridgeport and provide free workshops by cooperative artists for community youth. The project will also create capacity building opportunities for cooperative members on marketing and scaling up their creations.
Sustainable CT is an initiative of Eastern Connecticut State University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy that inspires, supports, and recognizes sustainability action by towns and cities statewide. The Community Match Fund — supported by the Smart Seed Fund, Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, and the Connecticut Green Bank —provides a dollar-for-dollar match to donations raised from the community, doubling local investment in projects. Anyone can lead a project and ideas can be proposed at any time.
"Through the Community Match Fund, we aim to put residents at the forefront of creating positive, impactful change," said Abe Hilding-Salorio, community outreach manager for Sustainable CT. "Match Fund projects are community led and community funded, demonstrating the power of people working together to make change in their communities."
Have a great idea for a public project in your community? Contact Sustainable CT at hildingsalorioa@easternct.edu.