What Will (Finally) Move the Green Building Needle? Your Opinion Matters, and It's Needed.

Rate It Green Members and Friends - 

We want your opinions!  Ok, I am of course always encouraging sharing your green building expertise, experiences, and questions, as we all work toward a time when all buildings are healthier and more sustainable! Here's this month's news, but first a preview.  We have TWO questions for you, and we're hoping for you to send information back however it works best for you.  Make a video, write something, or jist post and we will help you curate/classify the content.  I look forward to reporting back and sharing your answers!

1. What inspired or inspires you?
What's your passion, and why do you do what you do?  What keeps you going?

2.  What works?  What moves the needle? 
How do you "SELL" green building concepts successfully?  What advice can you give others?
What is already working for you, or what do you think will help move the needle (even if you haven't tried it yet)?

 

Here's the news introduction, and you can read the full letter and see about 60 GREEN BUILDING EVENTS IN THE NEXT MONTH here! Also, I will be posting some updates on this page

THANKS!
Allison

*** 

Thank you for all you do to make buildings more sustainable, healthier, comfortable, and overall just better.  I don't think anyone says that often enough.  Because your work does matter.  And, your opinions and voice can make a difference, too.  Now, a key question is: What are all the ways we can get everyone else as excited and inspired, so that others will take  action, too?  And so that we can move the needle and finally, really make green building mainstream?  

Read on!  We have TWO Questions for you to answer, if you accept this positive challenge! 
Make a video, write an essay, we will make you famous!*

This month, I am determined to stay positive (you'll see why it's not always easy, below).  I could not decide what to name this news dispatch, and I had some fun and came up with quite a few ideas.  They included:

• Do You Have FIVE Minutes?
• Do You Have TWO Minutes? (super original there, I know)
• What's Your Inspiration?
• Tell Us Your (Green Building) Secrets (because I just love parentheses!)
• This will be Fun, I Promise (I still think this could be true!)

So many possibilities there, and they're all true in a way.  This may all seem silly and light, but I don't mean the silly and I do mean the light.  In my last email, I introduced two recent articles, an Introduction to Residential Green Building Certifications, and a piece on The State of the Residential Green Building Market.  I was so excited and appreciative of the industry experts who gave their time and shared their expertise, and I was really pleased at the conversations that followed with a few of you out there.  Some of those conversations inspired us to make a fun ask this month.  I'd like to see if I can get you to share a little more with each other, but in a fun way...  

I have to admit that in discussing the state of the green building industry, there's hope and excitement, but also some of what I'd call some real and justifiable anxiety.  Many green builders label themselves optimists.  I do, too.  And yet, there's also a worry one senses about staying at a spot just below the tipping point for what feels like too long.  We can all be forgiven for asking, "Are we there yet?" Or, for sometimes just feeling out of patience because weren't we feeling at this same tipping point back in like 2005??   It doesn't feel as easy or as obvious as it should be to be green, to just be smarter and more efficient and healthy and comfortable and... Why isn't everyone on board with this already?!!!

Well, here's some good news.  I have had some conversations about what DOES work and what IS changing, and I think it's time for all of us to share some specific information and either cheer each other up, or if you don't need cheering, just share some ideas and expertise and optimism with those who might benefit.  I am always saying, and many of you seem to agree, that we should all share more information! If you have ideas that already work, or even ideas that you think will work, I want to hear them, and I think other people will want to hear your wisdom as well. 

So, what's different?  Well, I have two questions for you, and I'd like you to share them in whatever way seems like the most fun to you.  Take each on separately, chat about both together.  Whatever you come up with, we can help with the posting and curation part.  Reply to this email if that's best, post on Rate It Green (We can create a special discussion area for these posts!) or... How about sending in a video clip (reply, and we can talk about how to share that, or heck, just upload it to your YouTube and shout your wisdom, and let me know). Take 2 minutes, 5 minutes, or 10 if you have them and tell the rest of us (and everyone else):


1. What inspired or inspires you?
What's your passion, and why do you do what you do?  What keeps you going?

2.  What works?  What moves the needle? 
How do you "SELL" green building concepts successfully?  What advice can you give others?


If you can make a few minutes to say one or even many things, we can report on these strategies that people find are working, and maybe we can help others and move that needle more.  We ARE close.  Every person you or I teach about general or specific topics helps, from electrification to sustainably demolishing items that would have gone in a landfill (a personal favorite),  or teaching one more person what you know about IAQ (this list could be endless; insert what YOU like to teach about?).  We all always have more learning to do, of course.  And, we know we also have to do a lot more educating.  Share your words, and we will promote them to reach as many eyes and ears as we can.  That's my commitment back to you, for your effort.  

If you’re not a Rate It Green Member, I warmly invite you to join (free!) and to jump in!  If you are a Member, let's talk content and get you posting - I am here to assist!  If you can share your ideas on what's inspirational to you, or what you think will move the green building needle, I think you will find it's fun - and you'll feel great.  I want to hear all about it! 

Thank you, 

Allison Friedman
Founder, Rate It Green

Twitter: @rateitgreen
Facebook: @Rateitgreen
LinkedIn: Rate It Green
YouTube: Rate It Green Subscribe today!


*Just kidding.  We all know green builders aren't in it for the accolades!  While we can't guarantee to make you famous, we promise to share your sincere thoughts and contributions.  I don't love being in videos, to be honest, so I mostly wrote.  But I am trying to share in new ways and all the ways I can as it's too important to get the word out.  It's great to teach one person at a time, but we can do so much more online, especially at odd hours, through video content, and through social media!  Try it, you might like being a thought leader - and you might be one if you don't even know it! :)