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Allison Friedman

Weston, Massachusetts
Greater Boston Group

A Sierra Club member since the 1990s when she was a member of the Sierra Student Coalition, Allison Friedman recently co-founded Rate It Green, an online community for anyone interested in green building.

Rate It Green features a product and service directory with a user-driven ratings system. Members can rate products and services, share their experiences, ask questions, and hold discussions on the site’s forum. Architects, engineers, designers, builders, contractors, homeowners, students, and anyone else with a green building question or story to share is welcome to join. Membership is free.

"I'd been searching for a way to combine my love for the environment with my business experience," Friedman says. “My hope is that the site will help newcomers and experts alike discover new products and learn about materials and services from people who have actually worked with them." Rate It Green is open to the public for browsing, and companies can list their products and services free of charge. 

After completing a Public Policy major at Brown University, Friedman spent ten years in the restaurant industry, first with a large food service company, then creating and operating a Southwestern restaurant. "I treasured those experiences," she says, "especially giving people their first jobs and helping them advance their careers. I always encouraged people entering the work force to set high goals. We should aim to work hard, but also enjoy our work. Too many people don’t get enough time to think about what they might really like to do every day.”

Friedman went on to attend business school at MIT, where she was an officer of the school’s Socially Responsible Business Club. But her interest in green building was fueled when she attempted a green home construction project and had trouble finding and buying quality green products and services. "It concerned me that so many resources either cost a lot of money or were restricted to trade professionals," she says. "I determined to help others have an easier experience. People are eager to learn about green building, and many who have this knowledge and experience are willing to share."

Picking a green career, Friedman says, can mean taking risks and dealing with skepticism, even disapproval, along the way. "My challenge has been to combine my social and business skills for the public good. It took awhile for me to find myself, but I think I've finally done so.”

Published: September 14, 2007