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.
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Green Building Optimism for 2025 and Beyond - December 2024 Green Building News
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
Happy New Year!! I hope this year has delivered progress on key goals and wishes and that you remain solidly optimistic about the future of green building in 2025 and beyond. If yes, let's discuss. And if no, let's also discuss. That's the idea of building a community together where we can grow as we support our mutual goals, and we also support each other's growth as well.
Our team is excited about 2025, even though I also remain anxious short-term about environm… Show more
The Toitu Earth-Sheltered House - Comfortable, Energy Efficient & Unique - October, 2024 Green Building News
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
The title of this news may seem a bit provocative, but hold on to your construction hats. We just got word that Green Builder Matt Hoots of Sawhorse, Inc. will be working on the Toitu House, an earth-sheltered home that really could last several hundred years, as in 500 (we will have to wait to find out)! Some claim an earthen home can even last 1000 years in theory.
What does earth-sheltered mean? Earth-sheltered homes can be partially or completely… Show more
HVAC Project Progress Update - September Green Building News
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
I hope this September news finds you well and feeling great about your green building goals for this year and beyond. I want to hear about your progress, and also your challenges as well. We can all learn from each other! I am happy to share that we've almost completed a personal HVAC upgrade project where we installed two VRF heat pumps and replaced our boilers with new 96% efficient equipment. Why both? Read all about it in my upda… Show more
All Electric Summer: Opportunities to "amp up" your electrification expertise
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
It’s a great time to learn about electrification! Whether you are just learning about today’s energy efficient electric equipment and appliances, or you’re already somewhat expert, there’s really something for everyone to learn or contribute this summer, as several leading green building organizations are hosting some terrific educational offerings. And most are free! Check out Rate It Green's open green building calendar for these and more green bu… Show more
All About Heat Pumps
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
If you feel that recent news has been all about heat pumps, I agree! It seems there's a growing push to educate consumers and increase demand, as part of support for wider electrification and decarbonization efforts. Why are heat pumps so exciting? As you may already know, heat pumps are 300-400% efficient, as they move energy instead of generating it, and without onsite fossil fuel combustion. The numbers seem almost unreal. Heat pumps a… Show more
What Happens In Vegas... (Will We See You There?) Let's Create Some Great Green Building Content!
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
I know, the leading image for this email shows some serious wattage and doesn't really make me think first about green building. And yet, suddenly it seems like everyone I know is heading to Vegas next week for the International Builders' Show. That includes Green Builder and Rate It Green Content Partner Matt Hoots of Sawhorse, Inc.! I encourage you to connect with Matt to say hello, or to share your expertise or to introduce your company and what y… Show more
Looking Forward - Engaging Together as a Green Building Community
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
Thank you for being a part of our green building community, and welcome to our first newsletter of 2024! With this email, we bring you so much positive energy and a reaffirmation of the spirit of what we do. As Green Builder and Rate It Green Content Partner Matt Hoots said the other day, "The only way we are going to keep progressing toward solutions is to continue the conversation and share.” I wholeheartedly agree!
I am excited to report that I am&n… Show more
Happy New Year, 2024!! Looking back at Top 2023 News, and Some Sneak Previews for 2024!
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
Happy New Year! Thanks for all you do, and here's to an AMAZING 2024!
We expect great things from this new year! Whether you celebrate recent COP28 Results or feel anxious about insufficient progress, perhaps we can agree that 2023 was a year of foundation building and stage setting. We can then think of 2024 then as a year of great framing, where the structure and promising opportunities really come together more rapidly, where we can see tangible gains… Show more
Reframing Perspective: What Can "Positive" (Nature Positive) Look Like?
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
There are so many pressing crises, it can be overwhelming to decide what to do first or next. At a time when we need to take immediate and drastic action to mitigate the worst climate change consequences, some of which have already arrived, how is it possible that there are ongoing and disastrous wars and famine, extreme weather crises, raging fires, disease, and areas that are literally becoming uninhabitable for human life, among other global challenges which are hard to fully i… Show more
Making Smart Window Choices for Meeting Comfort, Health, Energy & Sustainability Goals
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
Do you have window questions? We've got some information and answers! Green Builder Matt Hoots of Sawhorse, Inc. has been busy answering Rate It Green Member questions and also interviewing manufacturers to learn about their energy efficient window and doors as well as the latest technological advances.
Matt recently recorded a series of conversations to answer key window questions, including:
How do you decide when and whether to replace windows? &n… Show more
Need an Electric Charging Station? Biodisesel?
Need to charge your EV? Look no further.
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/electricity_locations.html The US Department of Energy hosts an "Alternative Fueling Station Locator" on the web. No surprise: California leads overall. Alternate fuels include CNG, E85, propane/LPG, biodiesel, electricity, hydrogen, and LNG. Apparently, NY opened the first US public Electric Vehicle charging station in 2011. And more are following. Now, if we can just get mote of the cars on the road… Show more
Green Building Optimism for 2025 and Beyond - December 2024 Green Building News
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
Happy New Year!! I hope this year has delivered progress on key goals and wishes and that you remain solidly optimistic about the future of green building in 2025 and beyond. If yes, let's discuss. And if no, let's also discuss. That's the idea of building a community together where we can grow as we support our mutual goals, and we also support each other's growth as well.
Our team is excited about 2025, even though I also remain anxious short-term about environm… Show more
The Toitu Earth-Sheltered House - Comfortable, Energy Efficient & Unique - October, 2024 Green Building News
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
The title of this news may seem a bit provocative, but hold on to your construction hats. We just got word that Green Builder Matt Hoots of Sawhorse, Inc. will be working on the Toitu House, an earth-sheltered home that really could last several hundred years, as in 500 (we will have to wait to find out)! Some claim an earthen home can even last 1000 years in theory.
What does earth-sheltered mean? Earth-sheltered homes can be partially or completely… Show more
HVAC Project Progress Update - September Green Building News
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
I hope this September news finds you well and feeling great about your green building goals for this year and beyond. I want to hear about your progress, and also your challenges as well. We can all learn from each other! I am happy to share that we've almost completed a personal HVAC upgrade project where we installed two VRF heat pumps and replaced our boilers with new 96% efficient equipment. Why both? Read all about it in my upda… Show more
All Electric Summer: Opportunities to "amp up" your electrification expertise
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
It’s a great time to learn about electrification! Whether you are just learning about today’s energy efficient electric equipment and appliances, or you’re already somewhat expert, there’s really something for everyone to learn or contribute this summer, as several leading green building organizations are hosting some terrific educational offerings. And most are free! Check out Rate It Green's open green building calendar for these and more green bu… Show more
All About Heat Pumps
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
If you feel that recent news has been all about heat pumps, I agree! It seems there's a growing push to educate consumers and increase demand, as part of support for wider electrification and decarbonization efforts. Why are heat pumps so exciting? As you may already know, heat pumps are 300-400% efficient, as they move energy instead of generating it, and without onsite fossil fuel combustion. The numbers seem almost unreal. Heat pumps a… Show more
What Happens In Vegas... (Will We See You There?) Let's Create Some Great Green Building Content!
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
I know, the leading image for this email shows some serious wattage and doesn't really make me think first about green building. And yet, suddenly it seems like everyone I know is heading to Vegas next week for the International Builders' Show. That includes Green Builder and Rate It Green Content Partner Matt Hoots of Sawhorse, Inc.! I encourage you to connect with Matt to say hello, or to share your expertise or to introduce your company and what y… Show more
Looking Forward - Engaging Together as a Green Building Community
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
Thank you for being a part of our green building community, and welcome to our first newsletter of 2024! With this email, we bring you so much positive energy and a reaffirmation of the spirit of what we do. As Green Builder and Rate It Green Content Partner Matt Hoots said the other day, "The only way we are going to keep progressing toward solutions is to continue the conversation and share.” I wholeheartedly agree!
I am excited to report that I am&n… Show more
Happy New Year, 2024!! Looking back at Top 2023 News, and Some Sneak Previews for 2024!
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
Happy New Year! Thanks for all you do, and here's to an AMAZING 2024!
We expect great things from this new year! Whether you celebrate recent COP28 Results or feel anxious about insufficient progress, perhaps we can agree that 2023 was a year of foundation building and stage setting. We can then think of 2024 then as a year of great framing, where the structure and promising opportunities really come together more rapidly, where we can see tangible gains… Show more
Reframing Perspective: What Can "Positive" (Nature Positive) Look Like?
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
There are so many pressing crises, it can be overwhelming to decide what to do first or next. At a time when we need to take immediate and drastic action to mitigate the worst climate change consequences, some of which have already arrived, how is it possible that there are ongoing and disastrous wars and famine, extreme weather crises, raging fires, disease, and areas that are literally becoming uninhabitable for human life, among other global challenges which are hard to fully i… Show more
Making Smart Window Choices for Meeting Comfort, Health, Energy & Sustainability Goals
Rate It Green Members and Friends -
Do you have window questions? We've got some information and answers! Green Builder Matt Hoots of Sawhorse, Inc. has been busy answering Rate It Green Member questions and also interviewing manufacturers to learn about their energy efficient window and doors as well as the latest technological advances.
Matt recently recorded a series of conversations to answer key window questions, including:
How do you decide when and whether to replace windows? &n… Show more