alonovo.com is gathering, mapping and normalizing data for the shopping area of its new web portal. In the process it will be generating a significant amount of software for the effort, and Grass Commons will be given the authority to license (open source, of course) and build upon that software. The arrangement was reached by Grass Commons founders Ethan McCutchen and Lewis Hoffman, both of whom are independently employed by alonovo for data and research work, and alonovo founder George Polisner.

alonovo.com, a grassroots effort working with a consortium of humanitarian, environmental, interfaith, progressive and union organizations, is unified by an innovative, sustainable and mutually beneficial business model and seeks to help millions of concerned citizens make informed, socially-responsible purchases. They plan a major website launch for summer, 2005.

Grass Commons will help insure that the new site’s future compatibility with the Network of Integrated Consumer Knowledge (NICK).