News
Green Building & Eco Friendly News
We are excited to share green building industry developments, news about our Member Companies, and of course current Rate It Green information. Please feel welcome to submit interesting news you have found. Note that Rate It Green does include news announcements as a part of some sponsorship offerings.
You can also learn more by following Rate It Green on social media. We greatly appreciate your likes, follows, and general votes of support.
Whole Forest, awarded Best in Show for Flooring by the IFDA at ICFF 2019
Congratulations to Whole Forest, awarded Best in Show for Flooring by the IFDA (International Furnishing and Design Association) at ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) 2019!
Whole Forest, a hardwoods manufacturer specializing in sustainable forestry, offers a range of carbon-negative wood products from cutting boards to tables to countertops and flooring. “We saw a big opportunity to reduce carbon emissions in two industries that together release almost half of all climate emissions,” says preside… Show more
Kari Klaus of RealtySage, Selected to Represent US at Global Entrepreneurship Summit
Kari Klaus, founder of RealtySage.com was selected by the State Department to represent the US at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit at the Hague in June.
Realty Sage (formerly Viva Green Homes) uses big data and AI to implement, verify, and analyze critical energy efficient, renewable and smart technology data in a software as a service (SAAS) residential real estate platform. RS automates this data into listings and to provide an instant Sage Score to identify homes with beneficial features.
The… Show more
Kirei Turns 107 Million Plastic Bottles (and Counting!) into Acoustic Panels
Rate It Green Member Kirei reported this June that the company has helped save 107 million bottles from the landfill, with plans to keep that number growing. The company's PET EchoPanels are 100% environmentally sustainable, while Coco Panels and Kirei Boards (pictured bellow) are made from all natural, environmentally friendly, reclaimed products.
According to the company, "It is the responsibility of companies like Kirei to ensure that our production is ethically and environmentally respectful throughout every sta… Show more
Chicago Commits to 100% Renewable Energy By 2040
Chicago has become the largest US City to date to commit to 100% Renewable Energy by 2035, and additionally the City Council voted to electrify the city's bus fleet by 2040.
Sierra Club documents similar 100% commitments by additional cities, counties and states: https://www.sierraclub.org/ready-for-100/commitments.
According to the Sierra Club site as of June 2019, "Across the U.S. over 90 cities, more than ten counties and two states, have already adopted ambitious 100% clean energy goals. Six cities in t… Show more
LA County - Summer Dates for Hazardous Household and Electronic Waste Collection
LA County's Household Hazardous and Electronic Waste Collection Program (HHW) gives county residents a legal and cost-free way to dispose of unwanted household chemicals that cannot be disposed of in the regular trash.
For dates and accepted items: https://www.rateitgreen.com/green-building-community/discussions/sustainable-building-communities/household-hazardous-and-electronic-waste-program-collection-events-june-september-los-angeles-county/3689
To read about the ewaste problem:
https://www.lacsd.org/solidwaste/swfaci… Show more
Green Building Melting Pot - A Quick Look at Our 100 Most Recent Company Members
Who’s joining the Rate It Green community, and how are we evolving? We were curious at to what we'd learn if we took a snapshot of the most recent 100 companies to become Rate It Green Members.
I was pleased to see the diversity we’re seeing as we grow. 12 of our most recent organization members are Building/Contracting organizations, which makes sense, but we saw higher percentages of other service organizations, including cleaning/remediation services (9), plumbing (9), and real … Show more
Amherst’s Hitchcock Center Becomes the 23rd Living Building Worldwide
Amherst's Hitchcock Center for the Environment is the 23rd building globally and the 4th in Massachusetts to earn the prestigious Living Building certification from the Living Future Institute. The net zero energy building harvests and recycles its own water, contains composting toilets, and was constructed with responsibly sourced, nontoxic materials.
At a May 2 award ceremony, Director Julie Johnson said she sees the self sufficient and healthy building as a “hopeful place” and critical to confronting climate cha… Show more
Washington Becomes the 5th State to aim for 100% Clean Energy
This past week, Washington joined California, Hawaii, Nevada, and New Mexico to become the fifth state in the United States to aim for 100 percent clean energy. Senate Bill, 5116, was signed by Governor Jay Inslee in Seattle, Washington. The bill declares coal power will be cut out by 2025, along with 100 percent clean electricity for the entire state by 2045.
Along with this bill, four other pieces of legislation signed into law make this the most significant legislative session for “advancing clean energy solutions in state his… Show more
Submit an Abstract for Greenroofs.com Virtual Summit, September 1-30, 2019!
Submit an abstract for Greenroofs.com #VirtualSumit2019, Septeber 1-30!
The Mission of the Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summits is to inform, share, and create a global social media experience online for learning and networking via the power of the Internet.
What are you thinking, doing & designing regarding the theme of "Cooling a Warming Planet with Living Architecture"? How about an idea for a greenroof video tour or interview with a colleague or two?
The Call for Videos for the 20… Show more
New York City to Require Green Roofs as Part of Climate Mobilization Act
The New York Citty Council passed the Climate Mobilization Act just prior to Earth Day which includes a requirement for all new buildings and buildings scheduled for major renovations to plan for vegetation, solar panels and/or small wind turbines in roof designs.
According to Council Member Costa Constantinides, “The Climate Mobilization Act is a down payment on the future of New York City — one that ensures we lead the way in the ever-growing fight against climate change.”
The benef… Show more
World Green Building Week - September 24-30
It's Green Building Week September 24th-30th! This is a time every year when the USGBC, World GBC and partnering chapters and organizations work to promote and really celebrate sustainable building materials, products, companies/organizations - and people - in a way designed to support cooperation and growth in green building generally.
The campaign's focus this year is on residential green building and change - what steps can each of us take to start or continue chanigng our habits and reducing th… Show more
California Votes in Carbon-Free Electricity Generation, with a 2045 Target
Following Hawaii's lead and pending Governor Brown's expected signature, California lawmakers voted at the end of August to require 100 percent carbon-free electricity generation by 2045.
California currently gets 29% of electricity, up from 11% a decade ago. The state currently has a commitment to obtain 50 percent of its electricity from wind, solar and geothermal power by 2030. This legislation increases that commitment to 60 percent by 2030, and then to 100% by 2045... read more. Show more
Ireland Will Become the World's First Country to Divest from Fossil Fuels
We know that UK church plans to dump $21 billions of fossil fuels if the companies do not align to climate change goals by 2023. Now, the practice levels up to a national action in Ireland. The Republic of Ireland will become the first country in the world to sell off its investments in fossil fuel companies, after a bill was passed with all-party support in the lower house of parliament on July 12th (Yessenia Funes).
The bill is expected to pass the upper chambers of parliament easily (Yessenia Funes). If that happens… Show more
UK Church Plans to Dump $21 Billion in Fossil Fuels if the Companies Do Not Align to Climate Change Goals by 2023
One of the UK's largest charity fund managers, The Church of England's parliament, has voted 347 to four in favor with three abstaining to sell $21 billion worth of investments in fossil fuels if the companies do not align to climate change goals by 2023.
The vote applies to the Church of England Pensions Board, the Church Commissioners and the CBF Church of England Funds.
To read more, please visit:
Kanika Sood
Financial Standard
https://www.financialstandard.com.au/news/church-threatens-to-dump-21bn-of-f… Show more
India will Abolish All Single-Use Plastic by 2022, with an Immediate Ban in Delhi
The world’s oceans will be filled with more plastic mass than fish mass by 2050, the World Economic Forum study reported in its 2016 study.
Combating plastic waste, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to get rid of all single-use plastic in India by 2022 with an immediate enforcement in Delhi.
According to the Economic Times, India's plastic consumption is 11kg per capita in 2014-2015, which is a tenth of US's. Even though the plastic use per person is much lower in India … Show more
Toyota Sails the World's First Hydrogen-Powered Vessel on a Six-Year Voyage
A few days ago, we talked about hydrogen fuel research vessel was proven to be feasible. See Discussion "Carbon Free Research Vessel is Now Proven to Be Technically and Economically Feasible." Now, there is an even crazier news. The world's first autonomous hydrogen-powered ship is going to its six-year world voyage, sponsored by Toyota.
This race boat, Energy Observer, uses solar, wind, wave-generated power, and hydrogen that collected from seawater to fuel itself.
As we mentioned before, … Show more
Carbon Free Research Vessel is Now Proven to Be Technically and Economically Feasible: Team Designs Zero-Emissions Research Vessel
Marine research activities can be carbon free now, thanks to a ship design developed by Sandia National Laboratories.
Hydrogen fuel cell technology has existed for decades. Its advantages include zero-emission and zero-noise. Using hydrogen fuel cell in a ship will protect research samples collected from air or water in vulnerable ecological zones and protect marine animals that have sensitive hearing.
Despite its benefits over diesel, the feasibility of a hydrogen fuel research vessel has never been proven un… Show more
Majority of Americans Say Climate Change Affects their Local Community, and the Government is Doing Too Little
Almost 60 percent of Americans say climate change is currently affecting their local community. Most Americans say the federal government is doing too little to protect water (69 percent) and air quality (64 percent). Two-thirds of Americans believe the government is doing too little to reduce the negative effects of climate change (67 percent).
The survey was conducted in the United States from March 27 to April 9 by Pew Research Center. The result, based on 2541 respondents, finds that the perceptions of climate chan… Show more
A Hyper-Efficient Water Filter to Desalinate Seawater has been Developed, by a Lab at Zhejiang University in China
Researchers Zhe Tan et al.* from Zhejiang University in China have developed a filter that is more than tripling efficient than the currently popular ones on the market. In their paper Polyamide Membranes with Nanoscale Turing Structures for Water Purification, they credited the inspiration to famous English mathematician and biologist Alan Turing’s “Turing structures” in 1952.
The researchers brought two different antagonistic substances spreading at various rates to combine a membrane. As the mem… Show more
The First Solar Panel Recycling Plant in Europe Opens in France
Veolia Environment S.A., a French transnational water, waste, and energy company, has opened the first recycling plant for solar panels in Europe. Veolia is aiming to build more recycling plants as virtually all French solar panels will reach their end of life in 2018.
The new plant in Rousset city, southern France, recovered 1,300 tons of material per year in 2017. It is estimated to recycle 4,000 tons by 2022.
Gilles Carzuaa, head of electronics recycling at Veolia said, “This is the first dedica… Show more
Green Building Melting Pot - A Quick Look at Our 100 Most Recent Company Members
Who’s joining the Rate It Green community, and how are we evolving? We were curious at to what we'd learn if we took a snapshot of the most recent 100 companies to become Rate It Green Members.
I was pleased to see the diversity we’re seeing as we grow. 12 of our most recent organization members are Building/Contracting organizations, which makes sense, but we saw higher percentages of other service organizations, including cleaning/remediation services (9), plumbing (9), and real … Show more
Spotlight on GreenCE Inc., our Newest Premium Listed Company
We’re pleased to introduce GreenCE, Inc. as a sponsor for the Rate It Green platform. GreenCE is an AIA Education Provider and USGBC Education Partner based in the Portland, Oregon area. GreenCE provides free AIA continuing education for design professionals seeking their mandatory CE hours. In addition, the organization offers no-cost LEED specific hours and the only free LEED Exam Prep program in North America.
“We are very excited to be working with Rate It Green. Collaboration and innovation are the core principle… Show more
Rate It Green's Open Green Building Calendar
We're excited to announce the launch of Rate It Green's open Green Building Calendar. More than the tool itself and the events we can now host and promote, this calendar represents the idea of expanding collaboration. As a platform, Rate It Green of course facilitates online connecting and discussion. But we all know that when we can get together in person, we can also learn and collaborate in tremendous ways.
What's so exciting about a Calendar? Lots! For one thing, the calendar will accept events in ANY&… Show more
Post Election '16 - What Can You Do?
Rate It Green is not a political organization to be sure, but this community resource supports the natural environment by working with others to lessen the impact of the built environment. We promote healthy and sustainable building practices, and it's our goal to help as many people and companies connect and share informatoin to help green building become mainstream. As such, our goals pretty much make it clear that we support safe air and water, healthy and green materials and buildings, resouce and energy efficiency , reuse a… Show more
See you in New Orleans!
Allison Friedman will be attending the Healthy Building Materials Summit and Greenbuild October 21 - 25, in New Orleans. Email afriedman@rateitgreen.com if you are also attending and want to meet in person. Here's to a great week! Show more
Build YOUR Ideal Rate It Green!
With Rate It Green's Community features now live, it's now time to build YOUR ideal Green Building Community! Ideas for participation include:
Create a Profile, and show off your talents and expertise
Register Your Company and List your Products and Services
Rate Products and Services you have worked with
Start or join a Discussion, and ask or answer questions
Create or Join a group of folks with similar interests
Submit a "Comments" for a Directory listing
Reach out to other M… Show more