What Does Community Learning and Sharing Look Like? (This!)

Rate It Green Members and Friends - 

What does community learning and sharing look like? Ideally, our community looks like as many colleagues, friends, and visitors as possible all communicating robustly and leaving each visit or communication thinking they’re better for the experience. Our code and our web pages aren’t our community.  You are.  Your profiles where you share about yourselves, your words in a discussion or article, a video you might make, heck your suggestions for improvement and your patience, it all adds up to something precious. You’re also included in this discussion and in our community if you’re reading this email!  There's clearly so much yet to do to make it so everyone can live, work, learn, and play in sustainable and healthy buildings, so let's all work to be the best and biggest resource we can be for each other, and others.  

Community learning and sharing looks like David Bearg sharing the history of his Concord, Massachusetts home. He's looking for a new owner for the micro farm he’s expanded with his own two hands, over decades, and he’s also a pioneer with an engaging story to tell.  Hopefully David and others who want to buy, build or renovate sustainably will see Matt Hoot’s video on How to Get Full Value for your green home.  Matt walks through some key points in the building process where action is needed to optimize home value, thanks in part to some helpful pointers from Christopher Matos-Rogers.  Community learning is also Clayton Shepardson sharing his thoughts on and curiosity about adaptive building.  As Clayton researches, he’s writing a series about how and why buildings and building codes must and will change to become more ready for changing needs, conditions, and environmental factors. Clayton actively welcomes comments, and debate.  

Sometimes, learning can be a little unexpected and fun.  In this brief video about Siemens EV chargers, it was great to learn about Ford's 150 lighting chargers.  I can’t wait to use a vehicle as a back up battery.  It’s also a super idea to give credit where due.  Corbett and Grace Lunsford have been sharing great green building content on their own channels, and they gave Matt permission to add his perspective in sharing their words and work. Check out Matt's reaction videos featuring Corbett’s interview about Intelligent Sensors and Grace and Corbett’s conversation with Matt Risinger (also a super information sharer) about Making Homes more Disaster-Proof.  I also look forward to more of Matt’s Green Building Myth Busting videos...  Learning by example is of course a great idea as well.  You might imagine I’d mention the #1920sMakeoverATL deep energy design retrofit! Matt and the project partners are kind of having too much fun.  Check out the first virtual project tour! 

Collaboration has definitely been a theme lately (You might say it's been "building.").  Stay tuned for more information by and about the #GreenInfluencerATL an Atlanta-area group of building and sustainability professionals who meet in person and also share on online to learn about ways to make Atlanta more sustainable.  The group had their first meeting in-person with Subzero/Wolfe/Cove, and enjoyed a competition to see which boils faster, induction or gas.  #GreenInfluencerATL members also toured a Mitsubishi Electric manufacturing training and testing center. Did you know that electric heat pump awareness is only 15% - let’s brainstorm how to fix that!  

It’s no secret that I didn’t approach the green building industry as an expert. I messed up my first attempt at a sustainable renovation in the early 2000s, and I thought, ok, I am going to help others connect and share the information I wish I'd had.  That’s kind of our whole mission right there, whether you are here as a Friend or Visitor (Welcome!), or a Rate It Green Individual or Company Community/Organizational Member.  Everyone has something to share, and everyone has something to learn.  And the more we gather, and the more everyone talks, the more we can all learn and get done together. 

I am asking to you take that chance, on putting yourself out there, and also to take a chance on all of us as a group.  Do you have some news to share, or an idea?  A new product to tell the world about?  Do you have an event coming up?  Do you have a story to tell, or a vexing question running around in your head (Don’t we all?).  I guarantee you someone would benefit from reading or hearing your words. Likewise, when we share an opinion, we want to know your opinion.  When we have a project example, we want to know if you’ve been in a similar situation and what you did.  When you tell your stories or what you do, we all learn from you.  And when someone asks a question, chances are plenty of other people were wondering the same thing.  

I hope one of these examples resonates with you and makes you think of even one idea or contribution you can share, or something you want to see.  I was happy to receive responses and questions about a few of the pieces from our last emails (I am excited about 3” HVAC ducts, too!!).  That’s one sign that our community sharing and learning is working.     

We really are the sum total of what we create together.  Thanks for your interest, participation, and future participation in creating meaningful and impactful green building information.  We make or facilitate one valued connection and conversation at a time, and I indeed feel I walk away from each of these experiences better for it.  Thank you for your trust that we’re hosting and amplifying your words with great care. 

Thanks also for reading our news!  Click here to see the full letter as it went out.