Covington software consultant Dan Adams' interest in sustainable living practices was stoked by his home garden. The self-satisfaction that came from growing some of his own food led Adams to learn how to can, preserve and pickle.
"I started reading a lot and getting into general sustainable living practices," he said. "The more I did this, the more I realized the sense of fulfillment that came with it."
At the same time, Adams was running his own software constancy ItalkTech. In a sustainable practice of another type, he'd started the business in 2006 after being laid off from a tech company he'd worked at for nine years.
It wasn't long before his two passions merged resulting in
Earthineer.com. It's an online social networking community for people interested in green living practices. He'd been working on the site as a side project, but this year decided to devote his full-time efforts to getting the site off the ground.
"I decided that I was never going to get this done in my spare time, so I dedicated all of my time to finishing it," Adams said.
He developed Earthineer.com, which is just coming out of beta, as an independent study course at
Northern Kentucky University.
"This is meant to be a social network for sustainable living, eating locally and seasonally, and talking about renewable energy," Adams said.
The site has a spot for blog posts for sustainable living "experiments" like different composting, canning or wine making methods. It also has typical social networking features including personal profiles, news feeds and status updates. There's also a members' recommended books section. Though the intention is to create a national network, Adams is developing a trading section where members who live near each other can also share tools and goods.
"You'll be able to configure a list of things you want and can trade people for them. If one person has eggs and another has milk, they could meet up to trade," he said.
The site is designed not just for individuals but for like minded nonprofits, farmers and small businesses.
"I hope there is going to be enough information on the site on a national level that it will encourage local groups to meet and consume locally," he said.
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Dan Adams, creator Earthineer.com
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