Becoming a better listener can help you make positive changes and improve your business relationships. Through this, your customers know you are invested in their feedback. This makes your relationship stronger and encourages them to promote your business.

Providing a survey of some type for the customer or client to respond with their feedback should be done each time you do business with or sell a product or service to your clients and customers. You can add this survey to your invoice or better yet, provide a post card type of survey (with return postage paid).

This could also be done via internet or the with the Personal Touch, by talking with the client or customer and let them do the talking while you LISTEN.

Debra Monte, the Green Inspector of At Home Inspections, Inc.

• Use Address Verification System (AVS). AVS checks to make sure that the address entered on an order form is the same as the address that the cardholder’s billing statements are mailed to. People using stolen card numbers will never use the real cardholder’s billing address on an order form. Merchants should be cautious of orders with differing addresses *Using AVS will lower processing fees. However, AVS only works with orders that are conducted in the US.

• Be cautious of orders from foreign countries. A large majority of fraudulent orders come from places like the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Merchants who are victims of fraud are usually out at least the first $50 of the fraudulent transaction. Orders that are for large amounts, pay a lot for next day shipping, or are for several of the same expensive item need to be handled with caution because there is a greater likelihood of fraud.

• If a sale seems “too good to be true” it just might be, contact Fidelity before shipping, we can help validate the legitimacy of the cardholder info for you.

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Starting this year, the United States will phase out incandescent bulbs in favor of more energy efficient alternatives. There are no longer any 100 watt bulbs being made in this country and that will be followed by 60 and 40 watt bulbs by 2014. The switch to more energy efficient lighting is expected to save consumers $40 billion worth of energy costs over the next 20 years and cut global warming emissions by at least 52 million tons of carbon per year.

Energy efficiency is a good thing, but we will have some new challenges when it comes to lighting interior spaces. The incandescent bulb that we have been using has a very similar color spectrum to the sun. We are used to it. We are accustomed to seeing things through the slightly yellowish light that the incandescent bulb provides.

Likely replacements will be some form of halogen or compact fluorescent bulb. Halogen is a crisper white light and fully dimmable. Halogen is not as efficient as compact fluorescent and LED- light emitting diodes- bulbs. Compact fluorescents use 70 to 80 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs, but they make furniture and fabrics look pale gray or green, and people’s skin look sickly. They also take time to reach full light. You can’t go through your home and replace every light with a CFL. There are times where you need a very focused source of light.

The best option for a bright source of light is a LED bulb. With and LED bulb, you have the ability to choose whether you want a cooler or warmer light. Cool light is good for task lighting and warm light is best for ambient-general- and accent lighting. It is very important to understand the characteristics of LED light in order use it. LED lights are measured two ways. CCT or correlated color temperature and CRI or color rendering index. The color rendering index goes from 1 to 100. It represents the quality of light and its ability to render color correctly. The higher the CRI is, the truer the color. For good quality color, look for an index of at least 80. The CCT measures the relative color appearance of a white light source, and whether it appears more yellow or blue. Warm lamps have a lower CCT- 2,600 to 3,000. Cool lamps have a higher CCT- more than 4,000. Again, cool is best for task lighting and warm is good for ambient and accent lighting. Halogen and LED bulbs are still expensive.

A new initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy is expected to bring more affordable and design-friendly LED options to the market. The “Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize” will reward the first manufacturer to design an LED alternative to the incandescent bulb that meets performance, quality and cost expectations.  In the meantime, you will need to know how to use the new types of lighting.

If your pets get infested and flea eggs drop from them into your homes, an adulticide would have a good chance of affecting those eggs so they do not hatch. If they manage to hatch an Insect Growth Regulator should be used so that the developing larvae never make it to the adult stage.

People often complain they are being “bitten” by bugs, and we usually can assume that fleas could be there if the other signs are in place too – pets with fleas, flea feces or eggs on the pets’ bedding. But, it’s good practice to collect a sample with insect glue traps to monitor the success of a treatment.  The other concern is that you should expect fleas to continue to be seen for at least a couple of weeks after the first treatment. These may be the fleas that were in the pupa stage during the initial treatment, and killing them while in their protective cocoon is difficult to impossible. This is the reason for requiring the customer to vacuum heavily daily after the first treatment, so you get all those fleas in pupae past that point.

If everything is done right by the pest control company and the customer, the fleas should be controlled. If they are not, then something else is going on. This could be missed hot spots where larvae are developing, fleas coming in from outside or new fleas on the pets.

Click here to set-up a service.  Central Pest Control will help you stay pest free as the temperature continues to rise.

According to folklore, Phil’s seeing his own shadow means there will be 6 more weeks of winter. Had Phil not seen his shadow, it would have meant “there will be an early spring.” Not that we have had much of a winter so far this year, but I am not complaining.

Tour operators arrange packages for the traveling public.  They feature packaged excursions for a large audience; packages which might include airline travel or cruising, with hotel accommodations, meals, tours, everything wrapped up for mass distribution.  The traveler only has to pack a bag and be ready to leave at a specific time from a specific place.

Travel agents play a major role in creating the tour packages.  They are responsible for preparing the package, working with airlines, cruise lines, charter bus services, hotels, restaurants, and destination tour companies.  Many travel agents are independent vendors who prepare customized packages, not the one size fits all types.  These agents are more likely to work with individuals, couples or small groups.   They are travel experts and have a extensive knowledge of most tourist destinations.   Find the travel agent’s job description at the US Department of Labor’s website:  http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos124.htm.

Tour operators and travel agents will most likely contact the DMC for local tour and guide services.   Clients might be met at the airport by a “greeter” who insures that the client is brought directly to the destination site (airport transfer service), confirms hotel and all other reservations, tickets are in hand and serve as an escort for the entire trip.  The DMC is the specialist, who knows destination site “inside and out.”

The DMC, sometimes referred to as a local tour operator, can also prepare local tour packages.   These packages could include airport transfers; hotel, restaurant and attraction reservations, walking/bus tours or escort guide service to an event.  The DMC might work closely with convention/conference/event planners for spousal or family programs or after-hours “fun” activities.  Guides that hired by the DMC would be licensed by the local government and/or members of a local guides association, e.g., Guides Association of NYC, www.ganyc.org, to insure quality tour and guide services.

Next in the series:  What to look for when selecting a DMC?

PRELIMINARY PREPARATIONS

• Pack large plastic trash bags to protect your luggage during your stay
• Pack everything inside your luggage in smaller plastic bags
• Pack a small flashlight to be better able to search for indications of bed bugs.

WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT YOUR DESTINATION

REMEMBER; ONLY 25% OF BED BUGS ACTUALLY HIDE IN THE BED. Most hide in surrounding hiding places in the room.
When you enter your hotel room, it is important to make sure to place your luggage in the large plastic bags you packed and place them in bathroom on the floor. Bed bugs do not like the cold tile surfaces of a bathroom floor. Inspect your hotel room thoroughly, especially around mattresses, box springs, upholstered chairs, sofas, drawers, headboards, carpets, closets, electrical outlets, telephones, clock radio, television and wall hangings. You can use a hot air hair dryer and a playing card to draw them out of cracks and crevices.
Evidence includes dark fecal spots, dried blood spots, molted bed bug shells, eggs, and of course bed bugs – or alive. Pull the sheets off the mattresses and inspect all edges and folds in both the mattress and the box spring.

Keep your suitcase in plastic trash bags. Don’t leave your shoes on the floor. Keep them inside your plastic trash bags. Only take the clothes out that you will be wearing and close luggage plastic bag immediately afterwards. Put all dirty clothes in plastic trash bags.

WHEN YOU RETURN HOME

Inspect your possessions for any hitchhiking bed bugs and be sure to thoroughly check the clothing you are wearing. Wash & dry your clothing in extreme heat. Over 140 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe or you should have it dry-cleaned.

Click here to visit our website for more information on bed bugs.

Our parents and Grand parents were some of the greenest people around long before Green was a lifestyle, it was just a color! Think of some of the simple things that they did:

1. They dried their clothing on a clothes line or clothes wrack – no need for an expensive dryer that used up electricity and/or gas.

2. They not only grew their own vegetables, they canned them – making em last all year and some even shared or sold them.

3. They went outside and enjoyed nature – took us fishing, hiking, camping and picnicking – loved the great outdoors.

4. They drank water from the tap – no plastic bottles, could you imagine gramps spending $1 – $3 for water!  (You could use a filter like Britta to filter out impurites and chemicals now)

5. They ate at home or made a lunch – no fast food or take out to the extent we use them today, restaurants were for special occasions.

6. They played card games, board games, and/or outdoor physical activity games – not video games and much less television, if they had one.

7. They simply bought less, they used what they had until it wore out , until there was a need to buy new.

8. They ate left overs and or previously prepared wholesome foods.

9. They wore hand me downs, shopped at thrift stores and yard sales, they started the flea market!

9. They made and fixed things – sewing, knitting, baking, homemade crafts, furniture, they even repaired their homes, etc…

In recent years people have equated “living green” with buying specialized — and often higher-priced — Green Products. For the most part, that’s faulty thinking.

True green living costs less, NOT more. The fact is that if you’re a typical American, the most earth-friendly thing you can do is Not buying pricey green products, but simply to buy and consume less. It’s just that simple.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, if everyone on the planet consumed at the levels that we do here in the U.S., it would take three planet Earths to provide the resources necessary to sustain us. Americans are only 5 percent of the world’s population, BUT we consume 30 percent of the world’s resources. According to U.S. Census data, the rate of per capita consumption (i.e., the amount of “STUFF” we consume) has increased by more than 50 percent in the last 30 years.

So the good news is, what’s good for the environment is usually good for your wallet, too. Here are some examples of how you can save some green while living green:

Cleaning Products. Specialized green cleaning products are definitely better for the environment, but some of them can cost much more than their toxic equivalents. Don’t despair. Good old-fashioned products like baking soda and white vinegar can be used to clean nearly all household surfaces. They cost only pennies per application and are even lighter on the environment than many specialized green cleaning products.

Hybrid and Electric Cars.  There’s no denying the fact that hybrid cars get better gas mileage and have lower emissions than cars with a conventional internal combustion engine. Unless you are in the market for a new car, dropping $25,000 or more on a Hybrid or $30,000 plus on a new electric car will be a little hard to recoup in gas savings alone., but if you are in need of new transportation by all means check these options!  Even if your current car is a relative gas guzzler, it’s likely to be more eco-friendly (and much more economical) if you simply drive less, consolidate trips and carpool when possible, or use public transportation. Driving your 55-mpg hybrid to the office every day by yourself may make you feel green, but carpooling with four friends in an 18-mpg clunker uses much less gas and creates less pollution per passenger. So, it pays to carpool.  Of course, all driving options pale in comparison to what are always the greenest and cheapest options of all — using public transportation, walking or bicycling whenever possible.

Organic Foods. Foods raised without the use of pesticides or antibiotics are generally lighter on the environment and healthier for you. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, organic foods cost more — nearly twice as much for a gallon of organic milk, for example. While some organic foods may be worth the additional cost because today we are inundated with chemicals, a decision to simply eat lower on the food chain — more fruits, veggies, grains, legumes, poultry, etc. — even if they’re not organically grown, would be a boon to the health of both most Americans and Mother Nature as well, but of course buy locally grown whenever possible! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that Americans eat, on average, twice the recommended amount of meat, and only 14 percent of us eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Eating all organic foods would be nice, but eating a healthier diet — one that’s also less destructive to the planet — is a potential starting point. Eating less red meat and fewer dairy products and processed foods can also be considerably less expensive, particularly if you’re a smart shopper and plan your meals around what’s both healthy and on sale.

Energy-Wise Landscaping. What’s green but not green? Lawns are notoriously tough on the environment, with all of the fertilizers, pesticides and water they require. They’re also tough on our bank accounts: According to one study, lawn care services and supplies in the United States are a $12 billion-a-year industry. Consider reducing the size of your lawn or eliminating it entirely by mulching it over or replacing it with low-maintenance ground covers like pachysandra or creeping thyme. Ther are ways to learn about landscaping in such a way as to eliminate the need for supplemental irrigation and toxic chemicals — can save time, money and Mother Nature.  The U.S. Department of Energy says that strategically planting as few as three trees around your house can reduce your heating and cooling expenses by as much as 20 percent.  But not too close to your house.  Not a bad investment, given that landscaping also typically increases the value of your home when you sell.

Use and Re-use. Don’t be in such a hurry to buy the latest version of the hottest new thing. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, about 75 percent of household items Americans bought in the 1980s were to replace an item that was worn out or beyond repair. Today, only about 20 percent of such purchases are to replace a worn-out item. The other 80 percent are simply because we want the hottest new thing, even if our old hottest new thing is still working just fine; after all, who can live with the hottest new thing in last year’s model? By simply using things up and making things last, you’ll be living green and saving big. And when you do go shopping for something new, consider doing the truly earth-friendly thing and buying it used instead — at a thrift store or yard sale — or maybe getting it for free through freecycling.

Simple Energy Saving = Money Saving. Don’t think you have to invest expensive home improvements that promise to pay for themselves in energy savings. Always do the math yourself. You will find that many costly energy-saving measures — IE: replacing windows in your home with more-energy-efficient models — often don’t make economic sense unless you’re going to stay in your home for many, many years. In general, it’s smart to upgrade to energy-efficient appliances and other energy saving items only when the time comes to replace a worn-out older model. Most homeowners will save more money and more energy by undertaking simple, inexpensive, do-it-yourself projects first, such as installing low flow toilets conversion, filling gaps around the house that let heat/cooling escape, adding extra insulation in the attic, installing programmable thermostats, and turning down your hot water heater, weather striping and sealing doors and windows, etc… According to the Energy Department, the typical older home has enough easily repairable energy-sucking gaps around windows, doors, etc., to be the equivalent of leaving the front door open all year long!  Think about that, and then head out to the garage and get your tool belt and your caulking gun.

Of course a great way to $ave money and go gree is having a comprehensive home energy efficiency audit performed by a BPI-certified professional, such as the Green Inspector, who will uncover all of the energy losses and give you options on how to stop these energy losses, conserve energy and water, $ave money, make your home more durable, increase your comfort and health and safety.  I stress that a real energy audit should be completed by a professional who is certified by BPI – the Building Performance Institute, who has been specifically trained and qualified/certified in Building Science and uses all of the specialized diagnostic equipment to properly assess your home or office for energy losses and safety and health issues.

Debra Monte, The Green Inspector – At Home Inspections, Inc. 718-877-9745   www.NYHomeInspector.vpweb.com    InspectorMonte@gmail.com  Serving all of NY City and surrounding counties, as well as NJ, PA & CT for Energy Audits.