Hate To Say We Told You So…

,

A couple weeks ago we raised the topic of increasing natural disaster rates and the impeding “Frankenstorm” headed to the Eastern side of the US and Canada has basically proven our point. Along with raising the possibility of increasing natural disaster rates being tied to climate change, we also pointed out the suggestion for looking into weather and natural disaster home insurance…point and case.

Now, we aren’t speculating that this possible natural disaster is related to climate change…though it could be…we’re just saying that these incidents don’t seem to be decreasing at any rate, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to look into those insurance policies we were talking about. For more information on the oncoming storm, view the video below. Any questions? Give us a shout on Twitter @enviromint.

image courtesy of NASA Goddard Photo and Video

/by

The Future of Energy

,

…Or so they say. New studies and experiments attempting to find a suitable alternative to combustible fossil fuels as an energy source have come up with a possible solution in the form of a synthetic gasoline made from air and water.

The concept of a sustainable energy to replace gasoline is a touchy topic at best. An economic structure has been developed around the oil and gas industry. Pull the pin, and this industry falls apart. The problem being that in this situation we are preserving an industry that is detrimental to the planet because it’s beneficial to the economy. So we really need to ask ourselves which is more important: Earth or money.

The argument is certainly affronting to certain audiences, however the choice that must be made is plain and simple. Either we replace gasoline and oil as energy sources and phase out or integrate the economic structure surrounding them, or we destroy the only planet we have to live on.

Back to the topic of the synthetic gasoline developments – the aforementioned source of energy expected to be the staple in replacing combustible fossil fuels, and taking less of a toll ion the environment to boot. The question is when/if this discovery will ever see the light of day, or whether it will be buried amongst other innovations after being subsided by larger dominant oil companies. These companies could go so far as to pitch law suits claiming the attempt to strip people of their livelihoods…but it seems as though this will eventually have to happen regardless, should we decided to take our planet’s condition a tad more seriously.

What would you like to see in the future of sustainable energy? Solar? Wind? Battery? New fuel alternatives? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below, or on Twitter @enviromint.

 

image courtesy of paulinaclemente

/by

Home Renovation – Real Estate’s Booster Shot

,

We’ve said it before, so we won’t drone on about it , but we have to start somewhere. Housing has been in an obviously crippled state as of late, and in the spirit of exploring methods to instill stability, let us examine a theory that may in fact aid market recovery: home renovations.

The housing slump has forced many of those who were planning on selling their homes to stay put as a result of prices taking a nosedive. However, this may be a blessing in disguise. Why? Because if homeowners decided to use this time to their advantage and put more money into their homes, there may in fact be a chance that markets may begin to raise in average price. Reason being, is that these homeowners, instead of sitting on the time that’s been given to them before they can sell their home, should invest some time and effort into renovating and remodeling their current homes before finding a new one to increase the market value of their home.

If done on a large scale, markets could raise in appraised value thanks to some due diligence. If all the house values in a particular area are rising due to come renovation projects, then they will collaboratively raise the appraised value of all their properties…Just something to chew on.

 

For more real estate environmental updates stay tuned to the blog and check us out on Twitter @enviromint

image courtesy of eye of einstein

/by

The Power of Customer Service

,

Lately we’ve had a bout of bad experiences with horrible customer service, so here we are addressing the issue. When it comes to people doing the absolute bare bones minimum required of their job description as opposed to taking an extra 30 seconds to go the extra mile – heck, not even the extra mile, we’re talking the extra centimeter – there’s honestly very few other social experiences that can achieve the same result: blind rage followed by a stream of tears.

Okay, that have been exaggerated a tiny bit…but the thing is that we do a lot to help people on a day to day basis that doesn’t fall into our job descriptions, and we do it for the sake of being nice, and because we can. Why? We do it with the hope that you’ll be able to reach into your thankful soul and emit some positive energy towards us, or remain a devoted client that much longer, and even spread the word to your friends, all because we kept a smile and helped another human out just because we could.

Despite this, as you mosey on through life you sadly get tossed the total opposite; a range of “people” who couldn’t care if you were asking them for an e-mail address or where they parked their car so you can go raid their parking change. Or even worse, when they won’t even bother trying to help because of a minor policy stipulation…that’s the real rainbow-maker right there.

Customer service IS marketing. Yes indeed ladies and gents. In a world where opinions can be instantaneously and very publicly expressed, where people are also more likely than not to share a bad experience over a good one (for instance, you don’t tell the world about every time you have a meal you like – and if you do you need to lay off the Instagram – but you probably wouldn’t hold back on shooting out a tweet about a god-awful burger you just had), you need to watch yourself and become slightly more considerate, if not for you and your business’ sake, then for the sake of the person sitting across from you or whoever’s on hold as you’re reading this. Good customer service is one of the best marketing strategies you can adopt, period.

All good things take time. To gain a high public opinion of your business operation, you need to nurture every seemingly insignificant interaction you come across. People talk a lot, and on an unprecedented scale to boot. Letting one moody day of yours get between providing nothing short of exceptional service, even though it’s not exactly “your department”, will come back to bite you. Who cares?! Just help the poor guy out. You know how to do it, so choose to do so instead of copping out and finding some rule or policy that you can shove between the two of you like a really thin white Berlin Wall. Step up to the plate – not only does it feel good to help people out, but your business will guaranteed reap the benefits…just give it some time. All it takes is one great customer experience with the right person to spark their public stream of positivity about your business, which will no doubt be heard far and wide by their friends. A few of these great reviews, and voila – people know you as the “good guy”. It’s that easy.

For more office and productivity tips, real estate news, and the environmental updates, check us out on Twitter.

 

image courtesy of isforinsects

/by

Weather Insurance – The Untapped Resource

, ,

Considering that the past year has been the warmest year on record in many portions of the world as a result of climate change, property investors and insurance brokers alike should be using this key indicator to promote what may be an overlooked area of consideration – weather and natural disaster insurance.

Homeowners in the UK are already receiving forewarning regarding these types of insurance due to homeowners making weather and storm-related claims that are being rejected as a result of their lacking maintenance of their properties, as opposed to suffering extensive storm damage.

Climate change wears a cape of natural disaster – in other words, things are only going to get worse from here until climate stability is established worldwide. Examples of speculated natural disasters caused by climate change are the “two tropical storms, Alberto and Beryl, formed before the start of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, the first such occurrence since 1908.”  Another indicator of this phenomenon is the “12 natural disasters in the United States that each caused more than 1 billion in damage, ranging from wildfires in the Southwest to a blizzard in the Northeast.” Yes, that is correct, 12 natural disasters in only one year.

So now that all the key indicators are in place, we’re gonna go out on a limb and say that over the next few yours as our climate situation gets progressively worse, do yourselves a favour and look into weather and natural disaster insurance. At this point these events are unpredictable and unpreventable, and nobody likes being unprepared, so this is our fair warning that these insurance policies, though they may not seem to be of immediate importance, they very well could be.

Share your thoughts with us in the comments below or on Twitter @enviromint.

 

image courtesy of http://www.arteyfotografia.com.ar/18613/fotos/419503/

 

 

/by

A Vacation In Mordor

,

Ever wonder what it’d be like to vacation in a desolate wasteland? Well, now you can stop imagining and get…excited?

The environmental impact of the Alberta tar sand mines is about to be literally covered up and built over top of. Yes, that’s right ladies and gents, the tailing ponds resulting from the massive amount of water required to extract oil from the sands are being proposed to turn into a Lake District…Now you can have your family fun in the remains of industrialization’s greatest environmental disaster (well, one of them at least). This area, according to Nathan Vanderklippe of the Globe and Mail, has the potential to be “a recreational haven complete with campgrounds, boating, fishing – even swimming.” Now doesn’t that sound nice?

Now the only problem is taking what looks like a pitch-black lake, masking it, and turning it into a cover-up campground operation. Before you know it they’ll probably refer to tailing ponds as the foundation for a future haven. An ambitious idea, minus the fact that instead of improving the environmental conditions in the area, or ceasing the creation of these massive tailing ponds (now hey, there’s an idea!) they’re to be turned into a multi-generation development that will take an approximate 40 years to even consider environmentally stable (because, let’s face it, safe is a bit of a stretch). Even better, this 40-year process won’t even start until the mining is done, and who knows how long that could take.

What are your thoughts on the matter – should this concept be applied to more environmental atrocities? Should there be a movement to inhibit this development? Or should we go along with it and make the best of a destructive situation?

Share your reflections in the comments below, or on Twitter.

 

image courtesy of celebdu

/by

Thanks Again – RLPNSC

, ,

Last weekend we were lucky to take part in an amazing weekend conference for the Royal LePage National Sales Conference. Upon our return – in typical fashion – we were bombarded with extra work, and only just got a moment to catch our breath.

That being said, we’d love to extend a thanks to those of you we were lucky enough to meet and talk with. We had a wonderful time and hope to have the opportunity to return next year, so hopefully see you next year!

For those of you who still have questions for ourselves or our associates EstateVue (with whom we shared a booth) please reach the following contacts via e-mail.

EnviroMint – Eric Joseph – eric.joseph@enviromint.co

EstateVue – Cory Alexander – cory@estatevue.com

Follow us on Twitter for more real estate and environmental news.

 

/by

GMO Companies Losing Traction

,

Monsanto and other companies responsible for the production of GMO foods and products are in the midst of a raging PR and lobbying battle over California’s Proposition 37 – a bill which, if passed, will require all genetically modified foods to be labeled and identified as such in Californian grocery stores, as they are currently flying under the radar as regular food. Monsanto has shown nothing but ardent resistance to this motion, donating over $4.2 Million to lobby against it. Despite these efforts, recent speculations and polls indicate that the proposition might in fact be going through. According to one poll, 67% of registered Californian voters support Proposition 37, while only 25% are opposed.

Russia has also put its foot down by ceasing the importation of Monsanto corn for fear that it may cause cancer, as results of a recent study imply. A longitudinal study was conducted over a two-year span where test groups of rats were compared for medical abnormalities after one group being fed regular corn and another being fed Monsanto corn. The test results revealed that the group of Monstanto corn-fed rats developed more tumors and pathologies than the regular corn group.

All-in-all, it seems as though the veil is finally being lifted and revealing the true nature of GMO production companies, and the high potential detriment of their products on consumers. Let us know what you think in the comments below. Should GMOs be labelled, or passed off as regular food in grocery stores? Will Proposition 37 pave the way for a larger, possibly global policy revision in relation to GMOs? Would you feel safer having GMOs labeled in your local grocery store?

For more environmental and real estate news, be sure to follow us on Twitter and check the blog regularly.

image courtesy of Frapestaartje

/by

Southern Security

,

Canada’s property market, as we talked about in our post last week (The Market’s Flip-Flops), has been shaky as of late – and that’s understating the fact. With predictions of another market slump on the horizon, property investors are spinning their heads in circles to keep their eyes open for the right investment move. Problem is that nobody’s drawing their guns just yet because of the probable impending doom the property market’s about to suffer. So, what’s a guy supposed to do?! Take it down South.

Literally, take your money over the border and into the United States. At the moment the US market is starting to legitimately recover, with housing prices growing by 2% over the last quarter. Now, this may not seem like much, but we assure you it’s better than gambling on the probably 8% value decline the Canadian market’s about to supposedly suffer. According to BMO chief economist Sherry Cooper, there hasn’t been a better time to buy property in America’s sunshine states in over 40 years. Right from the horse’s mouth folks. The rising stability in property prices and lack of impending double-dip housing decline make investing in US properties more appealing than ever to Canadian investors.

For more real estate news, office tips, and environmental updates, stay tuned to our blog and follow us on Twitter.

 

image courtesy of NASA Earth Observatory

/by

How To Avoid A Heart Attack At Work

,

Some days are difficult. Others are even worse. Let’s face it, no matter how much you love your job, there’s always gonna be days that are tough to get through, whether it’s from having way too much to do, or having little to no motivation whatsoever. You know that anxious feeling like you don’t know where to even start? That’s what we’re talking about. It seems to be a vicious cycle because if you don’t tackle the pile right away you tend to get even more anxious about how much work you have to do, and so on and so forth – don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. So, here’s a couple tips to get you through your overcrowded “where do I even start” work day.

Make a list – One of the easiest ways to get all your eggs in one basket is to write down absolutely every little thing you need to get done before the end of your work day. If you’re super busy and were hoping  to get everything done and have time to spare to get ahead on something else, but are getting worried about not having the ti- STOP. Take a deep breath, and stick to your list. If you get everything done in time, then move onto getting ahead on some other stuff. If not, leave it until another day. Nobody’s going to follow you home over it.

Check it Twice Prioritize – Once you’ve compiled your tasks, sort them from highest to lowest importance. This is the most effective way to manage your time in terms of figuring out where you need to be the most focused. If each task equally as important as the next, pick one, stick to it until you’re done, cross it off the list, and move on to the next task; which brings us to our next point.

One Step At A Time – Yes, we all know you’ve heard this probably since elementary school, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Multi-tasking is a virtual impossibility, especially if your head is already cluttered and your heart rate’s starting to rise. Pick a task, take a deep breath, push everything else out of that little brain of yours, and get it done. Once you’ve completed, scratch it off the list, and get going on the next item on your list.

It’s Just Work – At the end of the day, you must remember that it’s just a job. Unless your employment hangs in the balance (in which case you’re probably a little late to be reading this) or your life is in danger, then you need to take a step back, breathe, and realize that this is just work. Despite the fact that it may feel like a life or death situation (because the pressure’s making you feel like you’re about to have a freakin’ heart attack) the clock is still going to turn over to 5 o’clock, and you’re still going to get up and go home to your family, cats, television, or whatever else you may have in store after work. It’s going to be just fine despite the crushing weight of the world being on your shoulders at this point in time. Keep calm and chive on…Now, get back to work!

For more office tips, real estate, and environmental news, be sure to follow us on Twitter and check our blog regularly for updates.

image courtesy of Kai Hendry

/by