thank goodness for family!

This week we were so happy to have our nephew Kevin visit to see Olive Branch. Besides enjoying the company of family, we got to show Kevin the store he invested in back when we were scraping together dollars to start up. He scraped his own dollars up and felt that green building was a great way to invest. Although the money was something we desperately needed, the faith that we were doing something he believed in was even more important to us. Having someone that believed in us propelled us and still does. Every customer and friend that is behind us keeps us going. Moreover, using our own savings and retirement was a risk but we felt a huge responsibility to the dollars given to us by someone we love. We still do. ( We're waiting for Kevin's sister Tammi to come out and see her part of the store too.) Kevin lives in hard-hit Detroit and can see that things need to be done differently. We were so proud to show him what we're doing and what's going on here at the store. And someday we hope those investment dollars translate into a payoff!

lynn, co-owner Olive Branch

Andrew Laskey

Today Andrew Laskey is going to work his last day with Olive Branch. He has another job that he worked 30 hours a week for
and they have now hired him full time. I am happy for Andrew because he will have greater challenges and the opportunity to
show off more of his skills. I can't say enough about Andrew. He helped launch Olive Branch Green Building Supply to another level. I am so appreciative for all your hard work Andrew. One day when Olive Branch needs a full time web designer and graphic designer I hope you will be available to negotiate with.
Andrew rides his bike to work everyday. He leaves North Park and rides up that darn hill behind the Padre stadium and out to the Kearney Mesa area. He is the shining example of taking action to do things differently. Thanks Andrew and Best wishes to you always. Lisa

Cost of Water

The cost of water is due some respect.
I have given a few talks on The California/San Diego water system. Where it comes from, where it is stored, how its supplied, what it affects, and the importance of the Delta Smelt, the fish that tell us how healthy are water system is. I have always loved water. To swim, bathe, play in, and pipe to.
I love the rain, waterfalls, and bird baths. I became a Journey Level Plumber in 2000.
I really have 1 sentence I wanted to say in my blog. I'm just using filler info right now and I will write that sentence
in a few.
In 1980 I was really interested in "Disaster Preparedness" I wanted to help people be able to sustain
themselves in the event of a crises or natural disaster. I went to a few shows with the local fire departments that
gave lectures on safety. And I sold goods at those shows like a wrench you would tie to the gas and water shut off valves so it would be right where you needed it. I learned back then that 90% of our water is imported and the piping system that brings it to us passes over "Fault Lines". So if we had a large enough Earth Quake are supply can be cut off.
So we all know the importance of water. But do we really know the price???
Well I don't really want to pay more but I was shocked when I learned how cheap our water is. No wonder it is wasted so
carelessly by some.
1 gallon of San Diego Water costs 1/3rd of a penny. The price increase will bring it to 2/3 rds of a penny.
This life saving, life giving product needs some some respect. What if we were charged what bottled water costs.
$1.20 per gallon??? Do you think water might earn its respect then!

What an Earth Day Week!!

Last week, Lisa was out visiting her mom in the hospital (who is going home today or tomorrow; thanks for all the well-wishes) while the rest of us did our best to hold down the fort here at Olive Branch. I could not have done it without the help of our dear employee Andrew (who will be leaving Olive Branch to accept a full-time web design position with a raise and benefits - a loss for us but we are so happy for him) and our customers-of-the-decade Kim and Dean.

Kim & Dean worked the Earth Day Festival booth at Balboa Park along with Ramon from our partner Living Green Design Solutions and, no kidding, they all did a better job promoting Olive Branch than I did. They were out there for 10 hours (!) raising awareness about sustainable materials, telling people how to get to our store, and most of all laughing and having a good time (for example, let's talk pros and cons of using UltraTouch recycled denim insulation for bedding). It was a great positive and supportive event and I'm pretty sure the projected 60,000 to 70,000 people all showed up!

Earlier in the week, I filled in for Lisa at the Jack-in-the-Box corporate office Earth Day event (and got free fries and a Jack pen) and had a great time talking with many people who told me that they had no idea how many sustainable products are actually readily available right here in San Diego. And as I speak, Lisa is doing another in-house corporate event at San Diego Regional Center for Developmental Disabilities in Kearny Mesa.

The word is getting out and you all are spreading it. More and more people are hearing about Olive Branch and we have only been open a little over a year with absolutely no advertising. We would not be surviving if people didn't want to buy eco-friendly materials and products. And guess what; they do!

Lynn

co-owner Olive Branch Green Building Supply

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Enter to win Lukker! We're raffling off a piece of Christopher Original over the next couple months at Ray at Night and other local events. This Saturday, March 13th will be your first opportunity to enter. Come see us at theOlive Branch during Ray at Night this Saturday from 6pm-10pm. If you're not able to attend a local event please visit the Contact page atchristopheroriginal.com to enter. There will be new art debuting this Saturday, including "Brisil", so don't miss out.....come to Ray at Night! Official Raffle Rules: 1. Entry must be complete with first name, last name, and email address. 2. One entry per person. 3. Drawing will be held June 12th and winner to be notified by email. 4. Artwork must be claimed within 14 days of announcement. 5. By entering the raffle you will be automatically subscribed to our email list. 6. You must remain subscribed to our email list to be eligible. If you would like to be removed from our mailing list please follow the link at the bottom of this email. Lukker Brisil

Olive Branch has a monthly speaker series. I want to invite anyone to suggest a topic that they would like to hear about. We have wonderful resources available to us. I know so many people invested in their field and have a passion to share their information with others.

We will also do workshops. I am looking forward to Jen Guerin

of JG colorstudios showing us how to apply American Clay.

www.jgcolor.com www.americanclay.com/

No snow here!

Meet Claudia Conners, Gloria Christman, and Joan Warder. These three friends along with other friends walk 3 miles every Friday at the San Diego Bay. I took their photograph near the San Diego Visitor Center off Mission Bay Dr. exit.

Claudia has lived in San Diego for 75 years and when I asked her what is her favorite thing about San Diego she said the weather. It was 9:15 AM at 61 degrees and Claudia was reading the newspaper on the hood of her car while waiting for her friends to arrive. Olive Branch had just made an insulation delivery and I couldn't resist swinging by the bay. I had just heard on KPBS that throughout the nation there were over 4,000 flights cancelled. Hearing that made me just grateful to be a San Diegan.

These native San Diegans were a joy to meet: strong, healthy, beautiful women and when they smiled it made my heart smile. I told them that I hope I am surrounded by friends like them when I am their age. Thank you ladies.

Local business helping a local business.

The Animal Healing Center at 1228 Vega St off W. Morena Ph#619-276-5900 purchased some Ultra Touch Cotton Blue Jean Insulation from Olive Branch.

Beth, Keith, Rex and Rex’s mom are shown here outside the center. The feeling was quiet, peaceful, clean, and loving. Thank you Beth Weingardt and the Animal Healing Center we appreciate your business.

Lisa, co-owner Olive Branch

http://www.socalwatersmart.com/

Look for this symbol on the left side of the above website. This represents how much rebate money for high-efficiency toilets is left. We at Olive Branch want our customers to take full advantage of the benefits offered when making a purchase. We appreciate your business and we work hard so you can rest assured your best interest is in mind.

Olive Branch wants to be around for a long time. We see our business as an investment of passion to identify safe, healthy, and beautiful materials to remodel and build with.

Lisa, co-owner Olive Branch