General
When did "CORE" start? We developed a business plan over the course
of several months in 2007 and then incorporated in November 2007. Over the
ensuing months we performed Green Home Makeovers and launched our online
training program in May 2008. Our first co-consultants were in the field
in June 2008, and we’ve continued to grow ever since.
What
expertise do I need to be an eco-consultant? Since
it’s a new field, we don’t expect you to
have been an Eco-Consultant before. We train you (via the web) on the topics
and on all of our services and products, including the detailed Green Home
Makeover Plan (which covers room by room improvements a homeowner can make to
live a greener, healthier lifestyle) and the Green Office Makeover. We want to
bring on Eco-Consultants who are passionate about living a green lifestyle, yet
non-judgmental.
What
hours
would I work? You set your own schedule and decide
when you
are willing to accept appointments and schedule Green Home Makeovers and other
in-person visits. Some people work 9 am to 3 pm a few days a week, others only
want to work on weekends and others only accept early-evening appointments
because that fits their lifestyle and that of some clients.
Do you
have to be a woman to be a "CORE" ? No.
Guys also like the idea of work that
improves the environment and provides a valuable service to their neighbors.
Is there a
typical "CORE" ? There is no typical "CORE"
Our "CORE" Eco-Consultants come from many backgrounds,
including stay at home mothers who are looking to conduct one or two
appointments a day or several days a week, people with full time jobs that want
to do eco-consulting as a second job in the evenings and weekends, and others
who are adding eco-consulting to the services they can offer in their existing
complementary businesses.
Would I be the only "CORE" Eco-Consultant
in my town? Our goal is to help you become the Green
expert in your community. We want you to have a large enough area that you can
be as busy as you care to be, though we don’t want you driving long distances
for appointments. We do not offer exclusive territories. More information is
available on this in our Agreement, which you can review when you express
interest in becoming a "CORE"
Do you need a college degree
to be an
Eco-Consultant? No, but we do require a high school
degree.
Can I do this as a summer job
in college or
high school? The opportunity does not lend itself
to a
short term or seasonal job because it takes time to build a client base through
word-of-mouth and local marketing. There are start-up fees and investments for
training that also aren’t ideal for a short-term effort.
What skills do you need to be
a successful
Eco-Consultant? You need to have a healthy curiosity
to keep
learning in an evolving field. You need to be comfortable interacting with a
homeowner or business owner and going through your consulting plan and explaining
your recommendations. You need to be friendly, organized and have excellent
follow-up skills. It certainly helps to be passionate and interested in
creating a healthier world, but you definitely won’t be successful if you are a
“Preachy Green Person.” You will find yourself in a basement checking the water
temperature setting on a hot water heater and screwing in a lot of CFL energy
efficient lightbulbs, but no mechanical skills are required.
Can I work from my home? Yes, of course. You do not need an “office” to
commute to since you visit with clients in their homes.
Can I be a "CORE" Eco-Consultant
if I live outside India
? At this time, "CORE" operates
only in within India
(including Nepal, Bangladesh,
Sri
Lanka). We hope to expand
to
other countries in the future, so sign up for our email newsletter to stay
informed on developments. Investment
What
products does "CORE" sell? All our products
are not "CORE"
labeled products, but "CORE" recommended products. That means
that we research and evaluate products in order to hand select what we believe
to be the “best in category” products. Consequently, we are always looking for
new products to add to our offerings and welcome suggestions from our
Eco-Consultants. Click here to view a sampling of our products offered.
What is the benefit of an in-home
consultation
when there is so much information available about going green on the Internet? The number of people who have adopted green practices and have become
educated
by doing research and making going green a hobby is very small. Most people
have taken few or no steps to “go green” and save energy, and those people are
the ones who would like to go green but haven’t made it a priority, haven’t
spent hours researching what to do and how to best do it, and don’t have the
time or desire to make going green their hobby. Those are the people we are
here to educate and assist. Or rather, the subset that can afford to spend $99
for a consultation and hundreds more to make improvements. The Green Home
Makeover is a niche service, but tens of millions of homes are in this “niche”.
I would have gladly paid someone to help me swap out my CFLs instead of the
endless trips to Home Depot and online research to find that Home Depot
actually doesn’t carry the “right” bulbs for my solutions. Every list of top 10
ways to go green has “switch to CFLs”, but it isn’t that easy when you get down
to it. It isn’t simply about heading down to the big box retailer - you need a
specific type of dimmable CFL for dimmer switches, you need candelabra CFLs for
chandeliers, covered CFLs for flood lights, covered globes for vanity lights, 3
way CFLs and my personal favorite - mini-spirals so that your lampshades
actually fit after you swap out the old bulb! And I would have switched to CFLs
long ago if someone had shown me the staggering savings that I see on my
electric bill every month now. I would have gladly paid someone to tell me
which low-flow shower head was the best one as opposed to staring at a wall of
30 low flow shower heads and guess which one would still provide a great shower
experience (many feel like a shower in a RV). The list goes on and on from nice
looking composter for my kitchen that doesn’t stink and doesn’t need worms, how
I can cut back on Phantom power, etc.
Instead my husband and I spent hours upon hours of time researching and seeking
out solutions, but most of our friends would never do that. So that is
where "CORE" fits in. The information on the Internet is
for the people who are willing to “do-it-yourself” and are happy to spend hours
researching the issues and then more hours finding the good solutions.
The
Ask "CORE" COREbase On the path
to a greener, more sustainable
lifestyle (or business), you and your clients will inevitably have questions.
New green products and solutions hit the market every day. The amount of
information about going green is overwhelming and often conflicting. You could
spend hours researching each question, but that approach will quickly become
all-consuming while you are trying to work on expanding your client base.
Who can you trust to provide
the best, and
most up-to-date, information about greening homes and offices? In your
role as an Eco-Consultant you are the knowledgeable green friend your customers
have been wishing for, but as a Green Irene Eco-Consultant you will be fully
supported by "CORE" HQ staff of green research
professionals. Researching all those questions, and getting you and your
customers the right solution, is their full-time job. (Some consider it their
dream job!)
What is Ask "CORE" ? Soon after starting "CORE" ,
we quickly realized that many of us are asking the same questions:
- • What is the best
type of HVAC air filter for a family with allergies?
- • What type of paint should I use in my baby’s
nursery?
- • How can I green my vacation or business
travel?
- • Can I get any tax credits for adding green
home improvements?
- • Can I buy wind power from my current
utility?
- • How can I stop all these unwanted paper
catalogs?
- • What are the toxins in my cosmetics? I am
buying a new mattress.
