Frances Sanderson

I wrote a previous post about energy education websites for kids., entitled, Great Kids Websites for Energy Education. I am a former Teacher with an Early Childhood Degree and I am always on the lookout for educational sites that are fun for kids. I feel that for us adults, changing the way we use energy is a slow process, but for kids, lessons learned at a young age come easier and they help form lifelong habits.

My favorite author is Theodor Seuss Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, as most of you know him. My favorite story is The Lorax. (More info on Theodor Geisel at the Seuss Website of Springfield Museum in Massachusetts.)

The story of The Lorax is all about saving the trees. This website on the EnergyStar website however, is one that takes it a step further. There are hidden pictures of appliances, coloring pages of the characters of The Lorax, and word searches for ways to protect the environment.

I give this site a thumbs up and recommend it for ages 5 through 10. And Parents, do check what's out there for your children with them. We let our children play all kinds of games which bring out aggression and competition, as well as creativity. I'm not going to preach here. I'm just asking you to balance their experiences with knowledge that will help their futures, at least environmentally.

Feel free to add any sites you feel are worthy of noting. We all learn when we share.

By the way, www.EnergyStar.gov is a great site for adults, too!

Frances Sanderson, Franklin, NH REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker^®

How do you rate a home for it's ability to produce as much energy as it uses? Well, the possible answer is a Building Energy Quotient Rating System.

You may have heard of zero energy homes or net zero homes. These are homes with zero net energy consumption and zero carbon emissions annually. Sounds great doesn't it? But how would you rate such a house?

In keeping with their mission statement, ASHRAE, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, has just published a final draft on an Advanced Building Energy Labeling (ABEL) program which will guide new construction and existing construction towards net zero energy building (NZEB).

ASHRAE's mission statement is as follows:

'To advance the arts and sciences of heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigerating to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world.'

ASHRAE has been working on a labeling program and the details are in the report which came out in June 2009 (This report can be read @ http://buildingeq.com/files/ABELFinal.pdf.) The labeling program gives a score of A+ to F: A+ being a building that has zero net energy consumption and F being one that is unsatisfactory.

It won't be ready until it has been tried first and until Canada adopts the ENERGY STAR rating process, but it will attempt to be a system that can be applied globally.

What are the benefits of having a Building Energy Quotient Label?

Well, according to the report and final draft:

Why an ASHRAE Label and Certificate?

• Building owners and operators can see how their building compares to peer group buildings, as measured against the highest performing buildings, to establish a measure of their potential for energy performance improvement.

• Building owners can use their energy rating differentiate their building from others to secure potential buyers or tenants.

• Potential buyers or tenants can gain insight into the value and potential long-term cost of a building.

• Operations and maintenance staff can use the results to inform their decisions on maintenance activities and influence building owners and managers to pursue energy efficiency upgrades and demonstrate the return on investment for these projects.

Probably the greatest benefit from implementation of a building energy labeling program is the use of market-based forces to influence energy efficiency investment opportunities. Building owners will make investments in energy efficiency improvements when such investments will have the greatest impact on their bottom-line. Also, owners will invest in the technologies and practices that make the most sense for their building. When potential building tenants and owners have information on the properties in which they are interested (particularly in a consistent format) they can understand the full cost of their investment and place a value on the energy efficiency of the building. The label will help building owners differentiate their product in a technically sound manner.

Beyond the benefit received by individual building owners and managers, the increased availability of building data-specifically the relationship between the design and operation of buildings-will be a valuable research tool for the building community.

As the world looks to reduce its energy use, information is the critical first step in making the necessary choices and changes. With labeling mandatory in Europe and disclosure of a building's energy performance becoming required by several states, now is the time to introduce a label that can provide both technical ratings of building energy performance and energy use disclosure for mandatory programs.

As an EcoBroker^®, this is exciting news to me. Okay, it's another way to market a 'green' home too. I'll be looking for an update on the bEQ label to post. Until then, check it out for yourself here.

Frances Sanderson, Franklin, NH REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker^®

Paris Landry and her Mom, ‘Mike' own a bake shop and catering business in small town, Hill, New Hampshire. Like most small businesses in this town of 1100, we get most of our business from referrals. This blog post is the best referral I can give for Pastries by Paris: a catering business that truly "caters" to your every need. I know this for a fact as Paris catered my daughter's wedding two weeks ago (July 25, 2009) and it was no small feat, let me tell you.

We had an outdoor wedding in our yard with over 250 guests attending. Being a REALTOR, I had a sketchy budget to work with, which required last minute changes not only to the menu, but to the serving equipment, as well. The menu included a Pig Roast, accompanied by assorted rolls, seafood and vegetable kabobs, fruit salad, pasta salad, potato salad and regular salad bar for our vegetarian guests. Our daughter is a fussy cake eater so Paris made a separate angel food wedding cake for the wedding party as well as two sheet cakes for the guests. We didn't have the amount of tables that we thought we would, so she brought additional equipment to be able to serve the guests, at no additional charge, I might add. With the temperatures that day reaching 80 degrees, she and her helpers sweat through the afternoon with smiles on their faces. All of our guests remarked about how great the food was, and are still talking about it to this day.

I asked Paris if she would let me interview her for this post. Here are some of the highlights of that interview:

Q: Hi Paris. I'd like to talk about the fact that Pastries by Paris offers a catering service as well as offering baked goods. Did you know right from the start that you would be providing a catering service when you opened your bake shop?

A: ‘Yes, I knew that I would end up operating a kitchen ever since the day that my parents kicked me out of their kitchen.' (She gives a hearty laugh as she says this. It's a deep jovial laugh that's sincere and infectious.) ‘I love feeding people.'

Q: What is the smallest function that you have catered or are willing to cater?

A: ‘Shoot. I've done private parties of eight. I end up being their private chef. Anytime I'm cooking for people I enjoy it. I end up feeling like part of the family.'

Q: How about the largest function you have catered or are willing to cater?

A: ‘The largest one I have done was 275. It was wild. The groom was in a Van Halen cover band so they played for the rest of the evening after the ceremony.' ( Can you tell Paris loves music? The first time I walked into her shop she was listening to Grateful Dead. She said that music helps her relax while she's working.)

Q: Why did you choose Hill for the location of your business?

A: ‘I grew up around here and my family is local. Besides I feel extremely loyal to the community. I've closed my storefront recently but I still stock the Hill Village Store with my baked goods. I have faithful customers and they've all been very good to me. Besides, catering can be done almost anywhere. I just needed a place to house my business.'

Q: You and I have talked about dealing with food allergies when catering an affair. What are the typical food allergies you can provide alternatives for and what is your favorite recipe for someone with a gluten allergy?

A: ‘People these days are now experiencing compound allergies. I can do a vegan product, a gluten-free product... I just did something like a brownie for a girl who has sciliac disease, just so she didn't have to have the feeling of ‘missing out'. My favorite gluten-free recipe is a flourless dark chocolate torte.'

Q: Would you care to share that recipe with the readers of this post?

A: ‘You can find this recipe online, but I have an open door policy on my recipes. I don't believe in keeping secrets. If someone wants my recipe, I would be happy to tell them. Except for Nana's recipe for chocolate mayonnaise cake. As a matter of fact, I usually don't tell them that there is mayonnaise in it. I tell them there are eggs and buttermilk in it. After all, that's what mayonnaise is... eggs, milk and vinegar.'

Q: Lastly, are there certain pointers that you would like to pass on about how to have a successful business transaction with a caterer?

A: ‘The type of caterer you want is one that has grace under pressure. Not a single function has passed where I didn't have to do something unexpected. One wedding, for instance, I'm cooking with one hand and on the other hand I'm making a boutonnière. As far as what the client can do to help is remember I'm your caterer... not the DJ, not the bartender, not the photographer and so on. Full service catering is more involved and costs more. It's like being a stage manager. (Paris was a stage hand in her high school drama club. Thus, the reference to stage hand.) Make sure you specify if you want the caterer to actually organize the entire function if you don't know how to do it.'

I truly enjoyed the time I had with Paris during this interview. As I started out saying in the beginning of this piece, our best business comes from referrals. I would like to refer Pastries by Paris as my local caterer of choice. She makes beautiful cakes, too!

Frances Sanderson, Franklin, NH REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker^®

If you are like me, you want your business to be based upon referrals and you want your service providers to do good work. I read an article today that summarized my philosophy on how you can achieve both and I would like to share it with you.

The title of the article is "Confessions of a House Painter". It is an interview with Joe Nicoletti, President of Chameleon Paintworks, a custom and decorative paint company in Santa Monica, California. The interviewer? John Montorio. And the article was in the well-known magazine, House Beautiful, September 2009. (Unfortunately, at this printing, the article does not appear to be online yet.)

The article begins with the question, ‘What makes you crazy about estimating a job?' and then, Mr. Nicoletti's answer, ‘The assumption that my time doesn't matter and that I'm ready willing and able to offer advice at great length and at no charge'. How many of us have had that feeling?

What caught my attention, however, and what motivated me to write this post today, was Mr. Nicoletti's response to the questions: How Do You Manage a Client's Expectations? And What Can I Do to Make Life Easier For You? Great questions from the interviewer, Mr. Montorio!

In response to the question about client's expectations, Mr. Nicoletti mentions the word ‘Communicate'. I would like to add to that by stating ‘clear communication' is key. As the customer, visualize and organize your ideas on paper. If you plan to do some work yourself, organize your list of tasks into two columns. (Before you do this, however, ask yourself how much your time is worth and how skillful are you? If you have to do a job twice because you aren't very skillful, you aren't going to be saving any money by doing it yourself, now are you?) Be ready to listen to what the service provider is suggesting. As the service provider, show the client that you are listening. Be flexible as the job progresses. Make sure you have adequate time set aside to do the job right.

Let's review what good listening looks like: Eyes on the speaker. Stop moving around, and stop playing with whatever is in your hands. And for Pete's sake, shut off your cell phone.

Once the job is done, here's what keeps them (and you) coming back. ‘What Can I Do to Make Life Easier For You?' We all want to be shown respect, am I right? Well, here, in Mr. Nicoletti's words, is how we do that...

‘Be open to my suggestions. Make me feel like a partner, not an employee. Sure, I want to make money, but I also want to do good work, feel a sense of accomplishment and pride, and yeah, even have some fun along the way. Tell me every once in awhile, "Hey, that's really looking good." And when the job is done to your liking, say "Thanks." Makes a world of difference.'

Well said Mr. Nicoletti! And great interview, Mr. Montorio.

Frances Sanderson, Franklin, NH REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker^®

It's been raining FOREVER! So what did these fine folks do? They turned their balcony into a tropical paradise.

I liked the idea so much that I hit the local dollar store for my own Luau supplies.

How much were the supplies? $2.00 The resulting repite from the rain?

PRICELESS!

Remember that props are important to maintain a good attitude. Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Frances Sanderson, Franklin, NH REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker^®