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Get Reading! >> Science + Tech

Attention, green shoppers

by Michelle Cinelli
June 10 2007
 
construction

Homeowners faced with doing home renovations could check out this site, that lets them share info about environmentally-friendly renos, and find and compare companies that provide responsible materials and services.  

With the growing public concern for the environment, companies are turning green in an attempt to attract clientele with the same concerns, especially in the home decor and home design sector. But how does a customer know whether a company is reliable and green? Where can someone renovating their home go to find the latest and best green products?

RateItGreen.com is a website designed to help builders build in a green way, and companies and manufacturers to get the word out about their green building services. On the site the company says “Our goal is for members to be able to both post what they know, and [what they] learn from others.” Members can do this in a forum area where they can post questions and experts can respond. To do this you must become a site member, but it’s not difficult, and once it’s done you have access to a wealth of information about all kinds of green products. The whole purpose of the site is to find out which are the best green products out there by way of rating the products and talking to others about them.

People looking for a company to help them with their green living and building needs. You can participate in the forum and ask questions as well as rate products and services that you have tried. If you’re looking for a specific product or service you can look in a specific category or search by company. If you’re looking for flooring for example, you can search the flooring section and see that there are 75 different types in that category.  If you view all types it shows the rating of types of floors from specific companies. The rating is measured in leaf symbols, the more leaves the better. Only members can rate a company, and there are no rules on how to rate, you can base it on whatever you want. The site also provides links to articles and information about products and companies.

The site is fairly new and needs some more member involvement, but it is useful and when there are regular members commenting in the forum, and more ratings, the site has potential to become the one-stop site for green shoppers.