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
16 States and Puerto Rico Create Green Banks to Finance, Pushing Renewable Energy On the Way
Previously, we discuss a big green trend is coming: green finance will fund the green transformation. Leading finance organizations such as Barclays, Citi, Goldman Sachs, HSBC and JPMorgan Chase see unlimited opportunity to fund the sustainability transition, along with the world’s governments, multinational development banks, pension funds and others. To view the discussion, please visit https://www.rateitgreen.com/green-building-community/discussions/green-services/do-we-have-the-capital-to-fuel-the-sustainable-transition/297… Show more
China, the Largest Importer of Trash, Refused to Continue to Be the Major Dumping Land
For decades, China was the world's largest importer of waste. However, Beijing imposed a ban of 24 types of scraps into the border, effective January 2018.
Before the restriction, China acted as a dumping ground for more than 50 percent of the world’s trash. At its peak, China imported 9 million tons of plastic waste in 2012 (Greenpeace). A recent study published on June 20th in the journal Science Advances found China has taken more than 116 million tons (105 million metric tons) of trash since 1992, the… Show more
A look into the future – Fresno community gets a head start on solar energy homes
California became the first state in the nation to require solar panels on all new homes and low-rise apartment buildings starting in 2020. As a part of the overall strategy, California is hoping to offset greenhouse gas emissions with the addition of solar arrays to these new buildings. The end goal for this new mandate is for California’s housing to achieve zero net energy. This means that the total amount of energy used by the building is equal to the total amount of renewable energy created by the building.
The California Energy Co… Show more
How The New Tax Bill Can Help Your Commercial Solar Business Financially
The new tax bill that was implemented this January provided good news for solar businesses and for companies interested in going solar. First, the bill reduced the corporate tax rate of commercial entities that include solar PV systems. Before, solar companies were saving money on operating expenses, but making up for it with a higher tax liability. The new tax bill lowered the federal corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 percent, making solar buildings more profitable for the company.
Additionally, the new tax bill included a revision on the de… Show more
Green Buildings Becomes Mandatory in Ajman, United Arab Emirates as of June 1, 2018
You might know that California became the first state in the United States of America to require all new homes to have solar power starting in 2020. But do you know that Ajman, UAE has required all constructions to go green, effective on June 1?
The policy was announced by the Municipality and Planning Department on Thursday, May 31, 2018. The decision is mandatory as of June 1 for all villas that have not yet obtained permits, or that require maintenance or a change in license.
Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid, the chairman of Ajman Mu… Show more
4 Passive House Dorms Planned for Bowdoin's Park Row this Summer
This summer Lavallee Brensinger Architects will help Wright-Ryan Construction’s team build four passive house dorms for the upperclassmen of the college to reside in. 22 students will live in each of the four buildings that stretch over 3.56 acres on the college’s Park Row.
These “passive dorms” are expected to use 50% less energy than traditional construction. The buildings will be connected to the campus central heating plant, while reducing emissions and efficiently using energy. The Passive House construction is … Show more
Dubai is Getting Green-- Dewa Signs Green Building Agreement
In May 2018, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) signed a contract with Green Business Certification Inc (GCBI).
According to the memorandum of understanding (MoU), the two organizations will cooperate research and development, training, and promoting green building.
The MoU will support DEWA's efforts to achieve the Demand Side Management Strategy to decrease water and electrical use by 30 percent by 2030 and the Carbon Abatement Strategy to decrease carbon emissions by 16 percent by 2021.
DEWA will follow the Platinum… Show more
California State Senator Kevin de Léon: "100 Percent Clean Energy is Within Reach"
California State Senator Kevin de Leon shared his optimism about renewable energy. Kevin de Leon said, the state’s policy not only turns environmental issue into economics opportunities, but also provide a green place for residents in California, who enjoy higher quality of air, healthier water, and billions savings on bills. Kevin de Leon announced, “All the evidence suggests 100 percent clean energy is within reach.
Under the California Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan, California's goals are far ahead of … Show more
The first LEED platinum certified Ice arena at Bentley University
Bentley University, located in Waltham, Massachusetts, recently has opened a new LEED certified multipurpose arena. This building is the first of Bentley’s architecture to earn a LEED certification; however, like many other schools across the country, they are trying to continue to implement more aspects of sustainability into the university.
Although there has been a developing trend in both green sport buildings and green colleges, Bentley’s new arena is the first ice arena to earn a platinum certification, the highest rating … Show more
Tesla and South Australia Will Turn 50,000 Homes into the World's Largest Virtual Solar Power Plant
Tesla's Powerball battery in a solar powered home -- Tesla
State of South Australia announced on February 2018 that Tesla and South Australia will turn 50,000 homes into a virtual solar power plant, which will become the world largest virtual power plant. The South Australian government said the project will generate 250 MW of electricity, which is half of the energy produced by a coal-fired power station.
The initial trial has begun equipped with a 5kW solar panel system. Tesla will offer for free its 13… 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