School kids nowadays can rattle of the 3 Rs quickly.  Reading, Writing and 'Rithmatic? No. I mean the 3 new Rs.

Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.

The Monroe Clinic has an expansion project underway, and they are doing a stellar job implementing the new 3 Rs into their construction plans.

A few existing homes were acquired by the Clinic and had to be removed in order to accommodate the expansion project. Before razing the homes, all of the cabinetry, appliances, light fixtures, radiators, windows and other reusable parts were removed. The Clinic donated them to Habitat for Humanity of Green County. The donations will help the new Habitat homeowners have better quality fixtures than they might normally be able to afford while reducing the mortgage cost at the same time.

Other parts of the homes will find interesting lives after recycling. Bricks and foundation materials were saved to be used for things such as the garden border in a Habitat home. They will also live on as the base for the new parking lot for the Clinic and a fire pit that a local Boy Scout troop is constructing.

During the construction process, the Monroe Clinic is also working to reduce waste. As anyone who has worked in the trades knows, construction sites can be very wasteful places. The Clinic is utilizing practices to divert at least 50% of construction waste to other uses in order to prevent them from ending up in landfills. In the work done to date, they have been surpassed their goals and have been able to divert 65% of the construction waste to other uses.

The Monroe Clinic is also showing forward thinking in the new addition itself. The project was developed using LEED principles. It will include such things as green space, limited use of asphalt, heat reducing roofing and more.

Kudos to the Clinic for setting an example for the community and showing how easily green building concepts can be incorporated into local building projects!

Like most rural communities, Monroe has a very strong community of people who are willing to lend a helping hand when needed.  There are many service groups in our area - Kiwanis, Jaycees, Knights of Columbus, Optimists.  You can find a listing of the many groups in our area via our website. 

We have thrown our membership hat into the Optimists ring.  If you are not a member of the Optimists, consider attending their meeting this week.  The morning club meets from 6:30 to 7:30 am every Thursday morning at Swiss Alps.  Come for breakfast, listen to the weekly speaker, talk with the members and start your day in a different way.  Breakfast is only $5, and guests attending their first meeting get it for free.  If you are not a morning person, there is also a noon group that meets at Turner Hall for lunch.

The Optimists have the motto of "Bringing Out the Best in Kids."  Through various fundraisers, the local Optimists clubs raise thousands of dollars every year to support many local groups, give scholarships to local students and help the families of children with cancer.

The Optimists rally around local families who have a child diagnosed with cancer.  Usually our groups help pass support on to families in other communities, but this fall they are coming together to help a local family dealing with a cancer diagnosis. 

This week, they are doing a food drive to help make sure the family has this basic need met.  With so many of the family's resources going elsewhere right now, food is needed.  Please consider dropping off what you can to help.  A collection box will be at the Swiss Alps restaurant through Thursday, November 20.  If you can, please stop in to donate either before Thursday's meeting or when you stop in to check out what the Optimists are all about.

Please join me in welcoming Monroe's newest Downtown business!

Kookaburra's joined the line up on the north side of Monroe's Downtown Square last month. Located between Town and Country Styles and Merle Norman, Kookaburra's features culinary goods from stoneware to spices, from Le Creuset to Bob's Red Mill.

There is something for every level of cooking ability and a wide variety of giftable sets, so do not just walk on by.  Pull the wooden spoon door handle and walk in.

You will be greeted by Laura Winters, a cheery woman in a retro apron. She may be packing up spices on the large center island or cooking up something tasty on the stove in the middle of the store. She will encourage you to try some of the samples distributed around the store. Take her suggestion! The Hot Pepper Jelly is fantastic, and she suggested using it as a dip for egg rolls, which would be perfect, but is not something I ever would have thought of. 

Walk around a browse her selection of culinary tools and treats. She carries Le Creuset pots, stoneware and silicone goods. The demi-teapots are adorable, and like all Le Creuset, our grandchildren will probably be using them long after we are gone. There is also a large selection of Stonewall Kitchen mixes, jams, stoneware and utensils. The toaster tongs have been a huge hit in our family.

As you walk toward the back of the store, you will find a collection of dried spices and other culinary basics. There are bags of spices and a handy collection of tinned spices. All are high quality, aromatic spices. It was great to be able to pick up a packet of cayenne pepper, paprika and bay leaves without having to run all the way to the grocery store.

Laura mentioned plans to add other high end tidbits like vanilla beans and espresso powder, neither of which can be found anywhere in Monroe, forcing serious cooks to shop out of town until now. There is a large collection of Bob's Red Mill stone milled flours and gluten-free mixes as well as children's cooking items such as aprons and cookie kits. Fido will appreciate the handcrafted gourmet dog treats. Just be sure to warn the kids that the cute little hamburgers and faux royal icing topped cookies are for the dog or they will surely want to dig in.

Kookaburra's is open daily, and on Wednesdays, they are open until 7 pm. Stop in today or tomorrow (November 15 and 16) for their Open House celebration. Laura will surely be cooking up something on the store's stove, and it is guaranteed to be tasty.

Pick up an entry form for Kookaburra's Cookie Contest while you are there. The contest will be on December 6, but entry forms are due by November 29. There is a $2 entry fee, and the winner will receive a Kookabura's gift card.

On second thought, don't pick up that entry form.  I am entering and I want that gift card!

Whether you are a full out greenie driving an EV and looking for a vegetarian lunch* in this rural community or a mainstream buyer who still forgets to recycle sometimes, you should consider working with an EcoBroker® when buying or selling a home.  An EcoBroker® has specialized knowledge that can help you in the home buying or selling process. 

Being an EcoBroker® is about more than just talking PV panels and geothermal heating. It also means I have received additional education about issues many people do not consider environmental, things like asbestos, radon, indoor air quality and more. That little planet in a nest graphic that I have on our website and blog actually has a meaning.  I have earned the right to use it by becoming a Certified EcoBroker®. 


BENEFITS FOR BUYERS
As an EcoBroker®, I can help you find homes that are healthy, comfortable, and cost-effective.

• Save Money: EcoBrokers® know energy-efficiency and the monthly cost-savings you can realize with insulation, windows, appliances, and heating and cooling systems.

• Find Homes with "Green" Features Easily: With interest in energy-efficient, healthy, and safe home features, EcoBrokers® make it easy to either find homes with these attributes or to help you make improvements.

• Live Comfortably: EcoBrokers® help you improve your home environment by addressing indoor air quality, ventilation, use of low VOC paints, radon testing, and reliable water testing.

BENEFITS FOR SELLERS
Anyone can price your home. It takes marketing to really sell It.  Promoting green features sets you apart from the competition.

• Sell for More: EcoBrokers® understand the benefits of green features in your home and are able to effectively promote them, selling your home's value and increasing your sales price.

• Distinguish Your Home from the Competition: Many home owners do not promote the energy efficiency and environmental attributes of their homes, missing a large market.

• Attract More Buyers: Over 90% of buyers identify energy savings and home environment as key factors when deciding to buy a home

EcoBroker® is an education and designation program for real estate professionals who care about the environment and want to promote energy-efficient and "green" features in homes and buildings.  Since environmental issues are near and dear to me, becoming an EcoBroker® was a natural step on my real estate eduction. 

That little cloud logo, the EcoBroker® logo, is the symbol of environmentally responsible and sustainable practices in the real estate industry. Certified EcoBrokers® help our clients and the planet get the most when buying or selling a home. 

We are here to help everyone.

*And if you want that vegetarian lunch, try visiting Cafe Claudeen in Monroe.  They have great coffee and teas, superb desserts and have a veggie option or two on the rotating lunch menu.

Re/Max and Children's Miracle Network have long teamed up for a good cause.

Many Re/Max agents give a portion of each commission to Children's Miracle Network. In our office, every single agent follows this practice, making a a Miracle Office. My husband and I believe in giving generously to the Children's Miracle Network. Instead of giving our clients the standard floral arrangement or bottle of wine closing gift, we give a generous donation to CMN in their names.

This holiday season, we are also helping out Children's Miracle Network by supporting their Miracle Festival of Trees. Please consider sponsoring a tree or help to decorate one.  There is a box on the front page of our website (www.MonroeAreaRealEstate.com) with the fundraising trees and information in it.  (My apologies for not simply posting it here, but this site does not allow the script to run)

In our area, Children's Miracle Network helps fund programs at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Milwaukee. Please consider making in a donation yourself or in someone else's name as a holiday gift this year.

Are you looking for something different do?  If you have preschool or elementary aged children, look no farther than the Monroe Public Library for an ever changing list of events.  Miss Kris and the Children's Room will be bringing back Celebrando story time once again this fall and winter.

Celebrando story time is an evening presentation of stories in both Spanish and English. Songs or flannel board games may be presented, and a craft and snack follows the stories.

Children do not need to be bilingual in order to attend as everything will be presented in both languages.

This story time event happens the second Tuesday evening of the month and starts at 6:30 pm.

The first of this season's series will be on November 11. The stories will be:

• Ana Cultiva Manzanas (Apple Farmer Annie),
  
• Nuestro Autobus (The Bus For Us), and 
• Gracias, Día de Acción de Gracias (Thank You, Thanksgiving).

There will be flannel board games about colors and a craft featuring making turkeys.

Bring your family out and be sure to say hello!  Miss Kris will be reading the English versions of the stories, and I will be the reader for the Spanish stories.  After an impromtu Celebrando story time last spring where I was the Spanish reader, Miss Kris and I decided to work together on this year's series as well.

The remodelling at the Green County YMCA  has been going on since later summer.  It is now complete, and what a great job they did!  It is a much more intuitive space now and more user-friendly for those of us living and working in the Monroe area. All the great Y programs for children and adults are still in place, including partnerships with many of our local employers and health insurance companies.

Members have often questioned why the main entrance was not the doors by the parking lot, and the YMCA has listened. With this renovation, the front and back spaces have been flipped.  Members and guests now use a bright and airy entrance that is right next to the main parking lot.  The offices are here, along with a large window into the gymnastics room.  Parents can sit on the comfortable sofas while while waiting for children in gymnastics instead of making due with spots on the floor at the edges of the room.

The youth center and childcare rooms have been moved to the former front of the YMCA.  The babysitting room is in the same place, but now the childcare room is right next door, a much more logical set-up.  The youth center is called the Y Lounge, and it now occupies the entire space once devoted to the front entry and offices.  This expanded space has air hockey, foosball, games for youth, a Wii, Net Nanny protected internet access, a homework area, and sofas to lounge on.  The doors to the gym are still there, which is a great idea given the way that many teens utilize both spaces.

The Green County YMCA has long been a popular place for Monroe area residents, and this remodeling job shows part of the reason why. The facility has always done a great job with keeping up with our community's needs.