Is Your Plant On This Map? Better Check.

I spend a lot of time covering 2.0-type tools for this forum, as well as a couple other sites, and every once in a while come across something that's relevant enough to pass on to the manufacturing community.

I found this link making the rounds late last year. Called MapEcos, it's a "mashup" map of industrial facilities in the United States that was designed by some business school students and faculty in order to, as one of its architects says, allow consumers and activists to find out EPA and other data about the plants in their neighborhood.

"They can search by name, location, industry, and emissions level, while the site provides detailed information about the volume and health hazard of each facility's toxic chemical emissions. Where provided, some facilities also have information about operational policies, management systems, activities, staffing, and investment."

http://mapecos.org/images/mapecos_screenshot.png

Anyway, this MapEcos project is self-billed as "an interactive map that presents a balanced view of industrial environmental performance."

Now, we all know the term "balanced" has lost some of its meaning, but fairness is something we still believe in here in the world of responsible media.

Therefore, I thought it would be important for those of you on the manufacturing side of the data equation to have the chance to represent yourselves, as well as doublecheck that the data that are given on your behalf are correct, not to mention to take advantage of the new opportunities for transparency that these 2.0-type tools bring.

Check it out at http://mapecos.org/.