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.
USGBC Introduces 4 Safety Pilot Credits
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in line with rising healthy building awareness generally, the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced 4 new LEED Safety Pilot Credits:
Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Space
Re-Entering Your Workspace
Building Water System Recommissioning
Managing Indoor Air Quality During COVID-19
The credits are part of a set of actions the USGBC plans after presented a reinvisioned Healthy Economy Strategy this spring. According to the organization, "U… Show more
Greenbuild Goes Virtual for November, 2020 with 3 Pre-Conference Summits, and the Main Conference/Expo November 10-12
USGBC's Greenbuild Expo and Conference made a decision to go virtual for 2020, with three pre-conference online summits planned for September and October and the Conference & Expo taking place November 10-12. This year's summit topics are: Green Business, Global Health & Wellness and Resilience. While there are clearly great benefits to connecting in person, this seems like a wise, conservartive decision given the current global health crisis and uncertainty. The Greenbuild team can work to both expand and focus… Show more
IWBI Lowers 2020 WELL AP Exam Registration Fees and Plans to Donate 20% of all 2020 WELL AP Registration Fees
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) announced today that through 2020, it is lowering the cost of registration to pursue its WELL AP credential by over 50 percent, to $299US. Students as well as individuals who are out of work or who have lost their jobs due to the current health crisis, will be charged only $99US, with IWBI covering the difference.
According to Rick Fedrizzi, chairman and CEO, IWBI, “These weeks when so many of us are responding to the stay-at-home edicts that are part of the virus defense present a … Show more
Stephanie Horowitz of ZeroEnergy Design, Interviewed by Architectural Digest on Architecture and Climate Change
ZeroEnergy Design's net-positive farmhouse in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
Stephanie Horowitz, Managing Director at ZeroEnergy Design, a Rate It Green Member, was recently interviewed for an article by Elizabeth Stamp of Architectural Digest: “How the Architecture Industry Is Reacting to Climate Change.” The article discusses the energy use and CO2 emissions that building construction contributes, and the opportunity and responsibility the field has to make an impact.
… Show more
IWBI Announces Three Impressive Initiatives to Support the Green & Healthy Building and Wider Communities in this Time of Crisis
The International Well Building Institute (IWBI) has announced a number of initiatives designed to help and support the green and healthy building and wider communities in the time of crisis surrounding the coronavirus.
First, IWBI will be setting up a Task Force to help bring together experts and further inform WELL Building Standard improvements, but also general prevention and preparedness, and recovery efforts.
Existing task force members:
Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., MBA, former president and CEO of t… Show more
Green Builders, Let's Gather! IFLI Hosts a Happy Hour, Fridays at 3 - 5 pm EST
The International Living Future Institute has issued an offer and a call to gather!
"Talk Living Buildings, sustainability, and regenerative design with other advanced practitioners - without leaving your couch!"
The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) is hosting a global "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere" Happy Hour* every Friday, from 3 PM - 5 PM EST, until everyone can gather again in person. Join IFLI for 30 minutes, or the full two hours. It's casual and up to you… Show more
3-Part Webinar Series: Quarantine and Responses to COVID-19: What We Know, What You Can Do (Recorded 3/19, Available free, no registration required)
Healthy Indoors, The Building Performance Workshop, and the Maine Indoor Air Quality Council offered a series of three webinars on Friday, March 19. The webinars are now available as recordings, with no registration required.
These are comfortable, fairly approachable conversations, definitely by experts. When they get too technical, someone on the panel usually brings the conversation back to what everyone might need to know for living in our homes in a way we didn't initially plan for them, and what to… Show more
Global GreenTag Launches the World’s First Modern Slavery Transparency Declaration
“The time has come for Modern Slavery to be removed from history,”
-Mary-Lou Kelly, Global GreenTag, Managing Director
Global Green Tag has launched the start of a world first Modern Slavery Transparency Declaration, the Global GreenTag MSD, at the New York Build Expo where delegates were invited to become part of a global stakeholder consultation process to ready the Declaration for industry by the end of April 2020.
According to Mary-Lou Kelly, Global GreenTag Managing Director ,“The … Show more
Microsoft Pledges to Go Carbon Negative by 2030
Microsoft took an impressive climate leadership position this week when the company announced a promise to remove all of the carbon the company has ever put in the atmosphere directly or by consumption - back to the company’s founding in a garage in 1975. The company plans to be “carbon negative” by 2030.
According to a company statement by President Brad Smith, "While the world will need to reach net zero, those of us who can afford to move faster and go further should do so."
To r… Show more
Google's Nevada Data Center to be Powered by a $1 Billion Solar Farm
Google’s new data center in Henderson, Nevada will be powered largely by a $1 billion solar farm. The project is one of the largest corporate solar deals signed in the US, and maybe the the world’s larges such deal once battery-backed storage is included. Expected to be completed in 2023, the farm will produce up to 690MW of electricity. 380MW of lithium-ion batter storage will also be on site.
The planned site consists of 7,100 acres of public land and is located about 33 miles northeast of Las Vegas … 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
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
First US Offshore Wind to Start Operations in 2022 off Martha's Vineyard
Offshore wind is finally coming to the US. The Vineyard Wind Team projects that their 84 turbines just south of Martha’s Vineyard will generate 800 megawatts of electricity when they start producing energy in 2022. This is more energy than is currently produced by the nearby Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Massachusetts, slated to close June 1.
According to Erich Stephens, Chief Development Officer at Vineyard Wind, wind power is now sufficiently less expensive than previously that developers are taking notice. … Show more
EFI Releases Significant Decarbonization Report: “Optionality, Flexibility & Innovation: Pathways for Deep Decarbonization in California"
At major green building regional and national events, decarbonization is growing as popular topic, and across all sectors. But how can we achieve drastic decarbonization goals? California often leads the way and shows by example how the rest of the country and world can operate more sustainably (and with economic gains, in fact), and this case is no exception. The Energy Futures Initiative has just released a report, “Optionality, Flexibility & Innovation: Pathways for Deep Decarbonization in California,&rs… Show more
AIA Announces the 2019 COTE Top 10 (with Great Timing on Earth Day)
The Americal Institue of Architects (AIA) has made its annual Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top 10 List of global projects exemplifying excellence in design and environmental performance, including considerations of social and economic criteria. Eight of the projects are located in the United States, with one in Canada and one in Kenya.
The Top 10:
Frick Environmental Center, Pittsburgh, PA (Ranked "Top 10 Plus," for post occupancy data and/or lessons)
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Amherst… Show more
Fred Davis of the Fred Davis Corporation Honored with a NESEA Distinguished Service Award
At the recent BuildingEnergy19 show, Northeast Sustainable Energy Association leaders honored Fred Davis with the 2019 Distinguished Service Award. Fred has been an energy and lighting leader since before these fields became cool again. Back in high school, Fred started the Ecology Club. After college, he worked as a retrofitter and enertgy auditor - in the late 1970's. Fred became an Operations Manager, helped create companies, served on boards, mentored others, and created and chaired conferences, all before (and mu… Show more
Rubio Monocoat Featured in 2 Episodes of "Heart of Oak"
Rubio Monocoat was recently featured in a popular builder-oriented TV show on the East coast called Heart of Oak. Heart of Oak is based on the South Shore of Massachusetts and follows PJ Antonik and his team from Oak Development & Design as they turn tear downs into beautiful, customized homes. PJ found Rubio Monocoat's one-coat application and matte finish particularly appealing. Read more! 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