Commercial Construction – Efficiency in Business Starts with Energy-Efficient Buildings
Every Dollar Saved is a Dollar Earned as they say. Indeed, it would be hard for any CFO or Accountant to dismiss this notion. Therefore, every increase in efficiency in a business that saves money, is like money in the bank. The Department of Energy, the construction industry and America’s corporate manufacturers are looking for ways to save energy, reduce pollution and keep more of what they make. By doing this it gives an edge to the manufacturing sector so they can compete with foreign competition, while reducing energy costs and pollution.It is a WIN-WIN for everyone and all the parties involved are doing everything they can to increase productivity workflow, streamline the manufacturing process and reduce costs using advanced clean and green technologies to do just that. In fact, if you think about it, this is exactly what the residential home builders are doing in order to stay in business. They know energy efficient homes are more desirable to the few new-home homebuyers currently in the market. It is a matter of cost control and high-tech innovations that is needed to compete. I believe this recent DOE-Department of Energy press-release speaks to this realization:Energy Star Commercial Buildings and Plants on the RiseWhile green and efficient homes are drawing considerable interest in the building industry, the number of energy-efficient commercial buildings and manufacturing plants is also growing, with a 25% increase last year in the number of such buildings earning the Energy Star.In 2007 alone, more than 1,400 commercial buildings and plants earned the Energy Star label, bringing the total to nearly 4,100, with Energy Star buildings located in every state, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Energy Star is a joint program of DOE and the EPA, and commercial buildings that have earned the Energy Star use nearly 40% less energy than average buildings, producing 35% lower carbon dioxide emissions. About 500 of the Energy Star buildings use 50% less energy than average buildings. Energy use in commercial buildings and manufacturing plants accounts for nearly 50% of energy consumption nationwide.The Energy Star buildings include about 1,500 office buildings, 1,300 supermarkets, 820 K-12 schools, and 250 hotels. In addition, more than 185 banks, financial centers, hospitals, courthouses, warehouses, dormitories, and big-box retail buildings have also earned the Energy Star.More than 35 plants that are manufacturing automobiles, cement, and ethanol have also earned the Energy Star, including for the first time three petroleum refineries in Louisiana and one each in Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, and Texas. In total, these award-winning commercial buildings and manufacturing plants have saved nearly $1.5 billion annually in energy while avoiding 25 billion pounds in carbon dioxide emissions.What this is telling the American People is the more efficient homes are indeed, on their way. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone lived in an efficient eco-home? Well, that is the DOE, EPA and National Homebuilder’s Associations plan and what a plan indeed. Think on this. Not long ago our Online Think Tank also took a look at ways to modernize manufacturing facilities and give them an energy savings boost. We must consider ways to improve commercial construction and the manufacturing processes inside.
Adventure Travel Planning Made Easy
I found myself gazing into the eyes of a gorilla toddler in the heart of Africa. That playful “child” walked right up to me and sat at my feet as I backed up against a wall of sharp nettles with nowhere to go. There were no barriers between us; nothing that separated us.The toddler’s mother was unconcerned with my presence, and the dominant male let it be known who was boss with his powerful displays. I was right there in the middle of them while on my gorilla trek, and it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life.Soon after that trip I started researching new and exciting adventure travel experiences, and before I knew it I had had a wealth of adventure travel planning information at my fingertips. So, I thought I would share it with others.First, I’ll give you a list of things you need to do, and at the end I’ll tell you where you can find – in one place — the solutions for each and every point. You may want to add some things of your own, but this list will give you a great start.
Get a list of activities by destination. If you’re off to Alaska what can you do there besides dog sledding and snow shoeing? You need to get some activity ideas so you don’t miss out on something you’d enjoy just because you didn’t know it was available.
For those looking for new experiences, make sure they’re a good fit for you. How much risk is involved? What level of fitness do you need? Do you have the right skills? Get these questions answered.
See if the travel and adventure experience is within your budget. Check out different travel companies and compare costs. If it’s an overseas adventure travel destination you’ll also need to check the currency conversion rate. You can shop by destination for a given experience to see which one gives you more bang for your buck.
Make sure you prepare for any possible health concern. There are several sources for global health watch information, and it’s a good idea to check more than one of them to give you a well-rounded view of your destination.
Get some travel insurance. You can find insurance to cover a variety of scenarios from medical needs to trip cancellation. And it’s pretty inexpensive when you consider the security it offers. How much is peace of mind worth to you while you’re in a foreign land?
Confirm that you’re passport is in order. Timing can be an issue. For instance, if you’re a citizen of the USA and at the time of your trip you have less than six months until your passport expires you’re going to have some problems. Be smart and make sure your passport is in order and also check to see if you need a visa for your specific destination(s).
Play it safe by reading all relevant travel advisories. There are pockets of turmoil in the world, and you can avoid them if you know where they are. You would be wise to check out more than one source in order to get a comprehensive perspective to ensure your safety.
Use online travel guides. There are several good online travel guides to help you dig into the details when planning your adventure travel trip.
Ask a travel expert for tips and insider information. Many adventure travelers don’t know about a free resource that lets you tap into a network of travel experts for tips and insider information on destinations all around the world. You can access this new service at the website listed below.
Check the weather forecast for your destination right before you leave. As you know, weather can change in a flash. So, get the local weather forecast and make any adjustments to your vacation schedule (and what you need, or don’t need, to pack) before you head out the door.
Check the time differential. Find out how many hours your destination is ahead, or behind, your local time so you can prepare to adjust ASAP.
You can spend your time surfing and searching the Web for all this information if you like, but all adventure travel planning points listed above can be taken care of quickly and easily at one Web site…and it’s all free. You can find it below.Copyright © 2010 Adventure Travel Mentor
6 Tips To Create A Marketing Plan For Online Success
Whether you run an e-commerce store, have recently launched an online startup or you run a local service business that targets people who use the web to search for your services, you need an online marketing plan that sets out your activities.First, you need to carry out an audit and analysis of your business and the marketing environment. That means you need to research your target markets and identify segments that are interested in your products or services and assess if you have the resources.Your audit will also include analysing your competitive forces to see how well resourced they are and if you can take them head on or use a flanking or guerrilla marketing strategy. Finally, you will look at the macro forces like technology, politics and social factors that are outside your control and that could impact your business.So, here are 6 tips to help you create your marketing plan:1. Create Marketing ObjectivesFrom your audit, you will discover what is most important to your business and that will form the basis of your objectives. Your objectives are unique to your business and are statements of what you want to achieve.They are short-term goals usually covering a period between 6-12 months and they should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-related (SMART). An example of a SMART Objective is:”Increase organic traffic by 20% with Millennials by 31 December 2015″Now that you’ve created your objectives, you will move on to the next stages of your online marketing plan and focus only on activities that help you achieve your objectives.2. Know Your CustomersYour audit will help you identify potential segments that you can target with your products or services. Very few businesses have the financial and people resources to target all segments in the market, so you should pick the segments that you have identified as having the most potential.A potential market is one that has the money to afford your products and is large enough for you to make sales to cover your operational costs and also make profits. So, to maximise your revenue or sales, you could opt for a multi-segment strategy that you target multiple groups with your products or services.There are many online tools you can use to identify your target demographics and where they are based and some of these you can find in Google AdWords, such as the keyword and display planner tools. Also, you can use survey tools like Survey Monkey to understand the needs of your target markets.3. Monitor Your CompetitorsHaving identified your competitors from the audit, now you need to pick three or four that you will monitor and benchmark against your business metrics. This is where your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) become more relevant because you are comparing your progress against business rivals.The web provides many tools to monitor competitors and one of the popular ones is Alexa. Another one is Compete and these tools and others provide you with details about your competitors’ visitor demographic and geographic data and how they are performing on metrics such as traffic volumes, time on site and popular keywords.For social media, a tool like Social Bakers is handy to assess and monitor your competitors’ performance in the social sphere, which is now more important than ever.4. Decide On Your Promotional StrategyThe strategy section of your marketing plan is an in-depth section on how you reach your target markets with your offers. It covers your positioning in the market and marketing mix tactics like product, price, place, promotion, people, process and physical evidence.With promotion for example, you will identify all the online channels and tools that are relevant in your industry and some popular ones include PPC advertising, SEO, affiliate marketing, blogging, email marketing, social media and so on.The tactics you choose as part of your strategy will depend on what financial and people resources you have and this will feed into your budget.5. Create An Effective BudgetYour marketing budget should be large enough to allow you to implement your strategy. If it’s not, then you should prioritise your tactics and activities and focus first on those that will help you achieve your objectives, while meeting customers’ needs.Budget setting is a specialised skill and you should get assistance from a financial expert if you struggle developing this part of your marketing plan.6. Control Your Activities Finally, your marketing plan should include details of how you monitor your progress towards achieving your mission and goals and what you will do if things go wrong. This is an interesting part of the plan because it lists all the activities and who will be assigned to what activity and what the cost will be.Remember to get senior-level buy-in and ensure that everyone in your team understands what their roles and duties are. So, you should have a calendar or timeline that lists all these activities and continue to change it as things progress.