When did Green Irene 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 eco-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 Green Irene?
No, both men and women like the idea of work that improves the environment and provides a valuable service. And companies like the concept of adding a complementary line of services and products to their existing business. As of November 2009, 32% of our independent distributors are men (25%) or companies (7%) while women are 68%.

Is there a typical “Green Irene”?
There is no typical Green Irene. Our Green Irene 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 Green Irene 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 Green Irene.

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 Green Irene Eco-Consultant if I live outside the United States?
At this time, Green Irene operates only in within the United States (including Hawaii and Puerto Rico). 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 Green Irene sell?
Our products are not Green Irene-labeled products, but Green Irene 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.

May I attend a Go Green Workshop being done by an Eco-Consultant in my area?

We cannot invite you to attend an event at someone else’s home since the host is the one who opens up his/her home to the group. But if you’d like to see a Go Green Workshop in action, why not host a Go Green Workshop in your own home? Just let us know you’d like to host when you contact us.

May I shadow an Eco-Consultant on a Green Home Makeover appointment to see firsthand what is involved in being an eco-consultant?

No, we cannot have an Eco-Consultant invite you into a client’s home, but the best way to learn exactly what is involved in a Green Home Makeover is by engaging an Eco-Consultant for a Green Home Makeover right in your own home. Just let us know you’d like to schedule an appointment when you contact us.

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 Green Irene 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.