Olive Branch Green Building Supply

Greener than us

2011-09-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

At Olive Branch, we are lucky to have a skewed view of the green world. In the world of our store, people are committed, caring, concerned and enthused about recycling, sustainability, the environment and humanity. We ourselves feel quite good about doing our part, giving back to our local community and promoting products we can feel good about. We do our best to be green in our own lives but we do fall short . . . and this is no more obvious than when we compare ourselves to our best customers. Our very best customers (well, we have many but), Kim & Dean, set the bar so high that we there's just no way we can reach it! Let me count the (green) ways: Kim takes the bus to work and Dean rides his bike several times per week (from Clairmont to La Mesa). When they do take a car, it's a hybrid. They have photovoltaic, dual-flush toilets and on their well-thought-out (as opposed to impulsive or frequent) renovation, they're installing flooring from sustainably sourced forests and putting American Clay on the walls. They buy local and do research prior to even small investments. Did I mention they're vegan? For fun, Kim and Dean like to go to the shore and protect our most precious resource from contamination by picking up trash. Other fun activities for them include supporting green events or taking the bus to an community festival or activity. And the best part for us is that they are our biggest supporters! They volunteer at our Earth Day booth, help organize at our Speaker's Series and cheer lead in ways that I can't even articulate. All in the name of the planet. They're greener than us and we're so happy they are!!!

lynn wilson
co-owner
Olive Branch

Product testing

2011-04-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

A cool thing for both us at Olive Branch as well as our customers, is that we get to use (hence "test") the products we carry. I am a lover of paint, and I love it that I can run down to the store and mix up a color to put in my house even if it's 10:00 on Saturday night (I know, not everyone's idea of a fun Saturday night). The cool thing for customers is that we have tested Yolo paint extensively. And I love this paint. It goes on smoothly, dries quickly despite the lack of toxic-chemical-drying-agents, looks beautiful, and an especially nice feature is that is cleans easily. I take very good care of my paint brushes, and before Yolo I hated how the chemical-laden paint hardened near the base of the brush before I even finished painting sometimes.

We also had a left-over piece of IceStone, which we installed as a hearth for our wood-burning stove. I can't believe how beautiful it is and it must wear terrifically as a countertop because ours is on the floor and gets ashes and wood and dirt on it and it is still shiny and gorgeous.

Here at the store, we have Marmoleum Click flooring, and even though it's not rated as a commercial floor, it's held up great and is an absolute dream to clean. Dirt truly does not stick to it. We also have a Caroma dual-flush toilet in the store and can attest to it's effectiveness and cleanliness using an amazing .8 or 1.6 gpf of water.

Most exciting, we just were trained and installed American Clay wall surface on one side of our store. The look and feeling is awesome and each addition like this makes the store more of a pleasure to be in. It's so remarkable when I walk into a non-green store, the sharp scent of chemicals is amazing. It feels good here in the store and I am so pleased that we are selling these feel-good products to others!

Success at Olive Branch

2011-02-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that Olive Branch Green Building Supply is successful. We incorporated on Earth Day (April) 2008. Here we are February 2011 feeling really good about being in business. We acknowledge San Diego for going green and choosing healthy, non-toxic, recycled material. Our customers have come from Vista, Chula Vista, Alpine, Rancho Bernardo, Clairemont, Del Mar, Solano Beach, Carlsbad, Bankers Hill, Mid City, North Park, really from all over the county, its just great. We thank you for your business and we appreciate your referrals and we would like to invite you to "click" on our "speaker series" and come talk to the professional about your project.

www.olivebranchgbs.com

2011-02-04T13:31:00.000-08:00

OLIVE BRANCH THROUGH AN EMPLOYEE’S EYES

Hi, my name is Brett Huelsman and I am a member of the Olive Branch team. I haven’t been here long, only about three months, but it’s been an amazing experience so far. I have met a lot of great people who are committed to keeping our Earth healthy and clean, which is exactly what Olive Branch is all about.

Throughout my life I have always been interested in our eco-system and how to keep it running smoothly now, and well into the future. I still remember one of my favorite days as a kid in elementary school was Earth Day. I went to a small rural school that gave each student a small tree to plant on this special day. I can still remember my devastation when I found out the person that my Dad had hired to mow our lawn while we were on vacation had accidentally mowed over my most recently planted Earth Day tree!

In addition to my interest in the green movement, I also have a passion for policy and government. In December of 2008 I completed my Juris Doctorate at the University of North Dakota School of Law. Two years into a three-year program I still had no idea what I wanted to do when I actually finished law school. This all changed when I took an elective called Environmental Law. Finally, an aspect of law that doesn’t involve dissolving marriages or chasing ambulances! Green policy was much more my style.

After I graduated law school I accepted a position as a Legislative Analyst for the Hawaii House of Representatives. What a cool experience this was! It even became more awesome when I was told that I would be following the committee that handled all of the environmental policy making. Hawaii is an especially green state, so it was such a treat to be able to see their lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, brainstorming on how to create green energy and jobs. One of their initiatives that intrigued me most was the use of ocean waves to create clean energy.

Being a part of Olive Branch and their vision is truly something that makes me happy. I come to work everyday knowing that I am doing something positive and that I’m helping people achieve their green aspirations. As of now, “going green” is more of a personal choice for most people. However, it is my belief that Olive Branch is a pioneer in the green movement. Soon, there will be more policies at both the State and Federal levels that will incentivize and in some cases even mandate the use of green building supplies.

Many of the great leaders we read about in history books were pioneers. They had a passion for an idea that was not yet the status quo, but they believed in themselves and their ideals. If you’re passionate about ensuring that our planet is clean and healthy for years to come, stop by and see us at Olive Branch. Please don’t feel obligated to make a purchase, we just want to meet you and include you in our green family. We look forward to seeing you!

American Clay Product Introduction

2011-01-27T20:15:00.000-08:00

Coming soon to Olive Branch! Would love to see all you creative types play in the mud!!!

American Clay Product Introduction

2011-01-27T20:14:00.000-08:00

Tank vs. Tankless Water Heaters

2011-01-20T17:10:00.000-08:00

I get asked my opinion on what I would suggest for a water heater, Tank or Tankless.
In this blog entry I will evaluate this often asked question.

A 40 gallon water heater typically has a 40,000 btu output. A tankless water heater to replace a 30 or 40 gallon water heater has 199,000 btu output. This means you need to upsize your gas line to 1" or 1 1/4" for an inside install or install an exterior tankless right next to your gas meter and run a very short 3/4" gas line. I'll just say right now that I would only recommend a tankless if it is installed outside next to the gas meter. This method of installation results in zero venting costs and more space for the inside.

My #1 recommendation is to go with a 40 gallon tank water heater. 40 gallon is a more popular size, so the cost difference is not that much more than the 30 gallon. We import 90% or more of our water in San Diego, and the conveyance system crosses over 2 fault lines. If we had a serious earthquake and our water lines broke, you would then also have 40 gallons of stored drinking water instead of just 30 gallons.

Water is the deal here in San Diego. My customers often tell me they will put buckets under their faucets to catch the cold water coming out of the hot water line until hot water finally comes. (I don't like this because slip, trip and falls are a serious risk in a bathroom and water is 8 lbs a gallon)

Contrary to popular belief, a tankless water heater saves gas, not water. Tankless water heaters are noisy, so if outside next to the bedroom or kitchen window, you will likely be annoyed or distracted. Tankless water heaters do not produce instant hot water. You will have an average of 45 seconds of cold water coming out of your hot line, which is the same for a tank water heater. However, a recirculation pump will improve your hot water time with a tank water heater.

I hope this blog helps anyone who is looking for information on which type of water heater is best for their particular needs!

Lisa
Olive Branch G

thank goodness for family!

2010-08-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

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!!

2010-04-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-10T13:00:00.001-08:00

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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

2010-02-18T18:11:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-15T20:02:00.001-08:00

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.

2010-02-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-06T11:01:00.000-08:00

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

green behavior

2009-11-25T17:06:00.000-08:00

What makes us go green? As a behavioral scientist, I am excited to see research that begins to answer this questions. As with most research questions, however, research studies typically provoke more questions than they answer. We don't exactly know why we engage in green behavior, but we are getting an idea of what things might make us behave "more green."

A few things we've learned about what might promote people to recycle:

(1) Being reminded helps a lot.
A study in a university setting showed that just by posting signs to remind individuals to recycle (in proximity to a convenient way to do it), recycling increased by 29%.

(2) If we get feedback on how we're doing, it helps a lot.
In another university setting, as a result of just posting the number of aluminum cans recycled the previous week, recycling increased by 65%.

(3) Making recycling fun can help a LOT.
This is not a published study, but it is definitely my favorite. Just by making bottle and can recycling a game, this recycling unit was used 100 times in one night compared to a neighboring unit being used 2 times. http://bit.ly/5kcgKx

(4) If we think others are doing it, we'll do it too!

A really interesting study conducted in a hotel showed that the little signs asking guests to save water definitely make a difference in promoting towel re-use. Moreover, a sign telling guests that 75% of the other guests are reusing towels helped even more. And even more interesting? A sign telling guests that other guests that stayed in the specific room they were staying in was even more influential. That's right, for some reason, when the guests knew that other guests that had stayed in their same room were towel re-users, they were more likely to reuse themselves.

As a follow-up, there is a study in progress to evaluate whether individuals will be more inclined to save water and energy if their residential use bills give them the numbers about how much their neighbors are saving.

Humans are interesting animals, aren't we?

Bright Green Future and MoveSD

2009-11-02T20:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I made it up to the UCSD campus in La Jolla for the afternoon session on the second day of the Bright Green Future Conference. All afternoon speakers from a wide variety of fields gave short, presentations, providing a lot of information and insight in to the current state of the green development in San Diego. For example there was Bill Powers from the Sierra Club's Smart Energy Solutions Campaign who wants to put solar panels on every building for distributed energy production, rather than investing in more costly transmission lines from centralized sources outside the county. Joel Pointon from SDGE discussed how fortunate San Diego is to be the first city in the country to receive Nissan's plug-in electric car, the Leaf, as well as an infrastructure of charging stations to support it. We should also thank Richard V. Anthony for helping to bring us recycling with Zero Waste San Diego, and we should all support him with his next goal of a city wide composting service, COOL2012.

All of the speakers were engaging and together showed the breadth of sustainable initiatives in San Diego, but one in particular that captured my attention was the presentation from Alan Hoffman from Move SD. For the past five years this non-profit has been working to bring quick, effective, and affordable mass transit to San Diego that is collectively referred to as their FAST plan. This is especially appealing to me since I don't own a car. Because it is cheaper, the weather is always perfect, I live in the city, and I'd rather not contribute to a costly and harmful addiction to oil, I either walk, bike, or take the bus to get where I'm going.

So far not owning or driving a car hasn't had much of an impact on my life. Most everything I need is within a couple miles, but there are the occasional trips that remind me why not having a car in San Diego can be such a hassle. Taking the bus from North Park to La Jolla was one of these trips. Two buses and one transfer is not that hard to manage, but the hour and a half spent on those buses compared to what would have been a 20 minute car ride demonstrates the inefficiency of San Diego mass transit. Research from Move SD shows how although currently the trolley lines look great, they do a remarkably poor job of connecting areas of dense residential and commercial.

(http://www.movesandiego.org/pdf/FASTPlanFlyer090416.pdf)

Their vision for San Diego is modeled after Brisbane, Australia which uses dedicated bus roads called quickways to keep the buses out of regular traffic and always moving. Under this model there are fewer transfers, fewer stops (more express routes), and shorter wait times due to high frequency of buses. This network besides being faster than the current bus or trolley system would also be based upon researched commuting patterns, so it would be more accessible , direct, and get people closer to their destinations. Increased public transit efficiency also gets more cars off the road, improving traffic for those still driving. Even more remarkable is that the FAST plan would cost less than what SANDAG's Regional Transportation Plan has already budgeted.

The detail of research and planning Move SD has done on this project may be the most impressive thing about it. They give the impression of almost being ready to simply hand over the blueprints to the city. I hope the city is listening, and that sooner rather than later we can see some implementation of FAST. How long will it take me then to get to UCSD for the next Bright Green Future Conference? I can't say for sure, but I hope it will be enough to convince at least a few more people to leave the car in the driveway.

-Andrew
andrew@olivebranchgbs.com

Natural Step

2009-10-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

Recently I read Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns can Change to Sustainable Practices, and I was very impressed. In the book they provide a framework for what a sustainable society or community should be and the methods needed to achieve that goal. Developed by scientists in Sweden, the Natural Step is essentially four simple rules that become guidelines for developing sustainable solutions. Already many municipalities throughout Sweden and several major corporations have successfully adopted these strategies with universally positive results.
The four rules are simply this:

To become a sustainable society we must...
1. eliminate our contribution to the progressive buildup of substances extracted from the Earth's crust (for example, heavy metals and fossil fuels)
2. eliminate our contribution to the progressive buildup of chemicals and compounds produced by society (for example, dioxins, PCBs, and DDT )
3. eliminate our contribution to the progressive physical degradation and destruction of nature and natural processes (for example, over-harvesting forests and paving over critical wildlife habitat); and
4. eliminate our contribution to conditions that undermine people’s capacity to meet their basic human needs (for example, unsafe working conditions and not enough pay to live on).
(taken from: http://www.naturalstep.org/en/faq)

I think there is so much to like about this. First, it's simple and to the point. It removes all the details that can stir people away, thinking it is too large of an issue to tackle, and gets to what is absolutely essential to sustainable living. Secondly, there is no real political or ideological spin that can drive people apart, since these four principals are derived from facts everyone can agree on. Finally, due to its simplicity it is highly scalable, from the choices an individual makes in his or her home to the actions of communities, businesses, states, or even nations.

The book has some great examples of how the Natural Step has been applied and what other communities can learn from these cases, or you can learn more about them on their website www.naturalstep.org. Maybe the most important lesson to take from this organization is not their specific framework, but that change is possible. For many of us it may seem that becoming a sustainable society is an impossibility and that in order for us to live and grow we must always take at the expense of the Earth. The communities who have followed the Natural Step or other examples like it around the world have proven this notion false and have shown that living in concert with the environment is a goal all of us can achieve.

-Andrew

compost passion

2009-10-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

As I posted in an earlier blog, we started composting as a result of not using plastic liners in our trash. I am in love with the compost. I haven't even used it for anything yet, but the rich, dark, heavily scented and alive mulch just brings me a tiny bit of joy! As with others who are starting to compost, it's been a process as I learned how to adjust the recipe to discourage flies, reduce unpleasant odors and encourage decomposition at a reasonable rate.

What I'm noticing now, is that I'm not alone in my passion for the compost. Anyone I've met that has a compost talks about it with a serious emotional attachment. For example, a good friend of mine in northern Cal wrote a few months ago complaining about her frustration with not being able to find a compost bin. She then wrote recently with the following note: "I found a bin about a week after my rant to you about not being able to find a bin locally. You can bet I've let the city (and anyone else who would listen) know about that. After trial and error, last month I turned out a beautiful batch of rich crumbly compost and put it in the garden. This morning as I drank my cup of tea in the backyard - while admiring my plants and enjoying the activity of birds, squirrels and a lizard - I thought of you and Lisa. I had to write and say hi. I hope you are doing well!" Can't you just feel the magic of the compost? And the websites, blogs, and compost classes are further testament to the attraction of composting. I speculate it's the connection with nature, like gardening, only much easier. The transformation of our personal garbage to nutrient-rich and life-giving planting material is really amazing if not downright miraculous.

Try this experiment: ask others about their compost. I guarantee they will talk as long as you like and give you all the details of their tiniest contributions to their bins along with blow-by-blow histories of how they arrived at their current compost recipe with an energy and excitement of sports fans whose team won the national championship. And truthfully, I'm about a 1000 times more interested in the compost!

lynn, co-owner Olive Branch

Farming in Downtown San Diego

2009-10-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday my roommate and I decided to head downtown and lend a hand at San Diego City College's urban farm. As a collaboration between the college, San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project, San Diego High School, and Garfield High School the farm that was once a small patch of campus lawn in the summer of 2008 is now a productive farm that serves as a classroom, an example of local sustainable agriculture, and a source of fresh vegetables for city dwellers who stop by its farm stand every Tuesday morning.

For several hours Saturday morning myself and a few other volunteers, helped prepare a cover crop on one of the farms lower terraces. This crop will not be harvested, but instead the wheat and lima beans we planted will be cut down to feed the soil and make it more fertile for the next planting. It was a unique experience turning soil, watering, laying seed and compost for a lifelong city-dweller like myself, and even more odd that I had to go downtown rather than out in to the country to do it.

I hope that soon changes though and that City College's curious patch of agriculture surrounded by skyscrapers becomes the norm not an oddity. By farming locally in urban centers, and doing so organically we can simultaneously reduce our use of oil (for transportation and fertilization of food), reduce our waste through composting, and increase our self-sufficiency in case of disasters or emergencies that limit external supplies. Thankfully I think it may be a growing trend. San Diego Roots sponsors several projects around the county that you can read about here. There is also Greensgrow in Philadelphia, which is a great example of brownfield reclamation. Finally we can all learn something from Cuba where the fall of the Soviet Union coupled with trade embargoes forced the development of urban organoponicos to fight food shortages.

Down the street from Olive Branch is an empty, fenced-in lot. I walk by it often and think that maybe there's opportunity in that lot for North Park's very own urban farm. Until that happens though, City College's farm is a great example of what is possible.

-Andrew

the bees

2009-09-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

The bees. Ever since, as a city inspector, I was hearing reports of weird bee infestations in new developments, it has been in the back of my mind that something is wrong in bee world.

Turns out, our bees are in trouble, which means we are in trouble. One third of the human diet depends on plants pollinated by insects, predominately honeybees. They are dying, from inbreeding, captivity, and lack of natural diversity. The bee business consists of boxing and shipping them to the almond groves of California, a month later to the apple orchards in Washington, a month later the cherry groves of Montana. Then the grossest thing of all happens . . . Arlee Apiary bees are sent to a sandy lot near San Francisco, where they spend the winter living on corn syrup. 5000 hives are fed from a 300-gallon tank of corn syrup. Their lids are sealed until the warmer weather arrives and back to work they go to the same monoculture crops that make the bees nutritionally stressed. Heather Mattlila of Wellesley College, who studies honeybee behavior and genetics says, “one of the most devastating pressures on bees is the limit on what they can eat. Vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins - all the same things we need to survive, come from pollen,” which come from different types of plants.

“Bees have been around for 80 million years,” says Sam Comfort. Commercial bee colonies, faced with massive mortality rates are not faring so well according an article written by Morgen E. Peck. The national great bee die-off asks, “what has caused a third of all commercial honeybee colonies to perish each year since 2006?”

The answer is colony collapse disorder (CDC), meaning the bees are not strong enough to fight viral and bacterial infections, pesticide poisonings, and mite infestations. “We need to have a diverse set of genetic raw material so we can find bees resistant to disease,” says Steve Sheppard, an entomologist at Washington State University. “Genetic diversity is an important part of the solution.”

I care about the bees. Not just because our food is dependent on them, but because I believe it is morally wrong to destroy the natural environment and carelessly eliminate other species. If anyone wants to talk bees with me, please come on by!

Material for this blog post was taken directly and indirectly without permission from Discover Magazine.

Lisa, co-owner Olive Branch

Oh the sacrifices!

2009-09-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I agreed to man the store while Lisa took a few hours off, presumably to get some chores done prior to her upcoming trip to see her mom in Mississippi. When she arrives late, she asks for another 30 minutes, because it turns out she has to make a few finishing touches on the Chilipepper recirculating pump she has installed in our bathroom. My first reaction was not one of support, I'm sorry to say. (For one thing, I thought she was putting a second coat of paint on the living room and going to the grocery store.) We are just testing it at this point, and so she installed it in our bathroom, which is a tiny 1927 craftsman bathroom with a pedestal sink, so now there is a small but ugly thing sitting on the floor with wires and extra supply line jutting out in my previously soothing and comforting bathroom. Not only that, it is LOUD.

Okay, now the cool part. What does this thing do? Well, this is a pump with a computer chip, and when you press the button, it starts pushing the water that is sitting there in the line into the hot water heater and continues in a big loop until the water reaches a certain temperature at which point (25-30 sec) it turns off and your hot water is sitting there ready to come out of the faucets. From my end what I see is that you press a button and then the machine comes on for 30 seconds, turns off on it's own, and then you turn the valve for the hot water, and OMG voila, hot water. No wasted cold water running down the drain. No expensive tankless water heater. Just hot water.

Lisa tells me we can put this under the house to hide the ugliness and muffle the noise (which is only for a few seconds anyway), and run the little button up through the floor so that we can just turn it on prior to using the hot water (anywhere in the house). So once we finish this phase of the test, we will try the more permanent test. If this works as good as it appears it might, then what a great product. We have so many water-conscious customers that are diligently saving their cold water in buckets while the hot water heats up. This could put an easy and efficient stop to all that it seems. Status updates to follow.

Lynn, co-owner Olive Branch

Light therapy

2009-08-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

I knew the natural lighting would benefit me when we installed the solatube at home, but now we have discovered something that may be equally beneficial: blue LED lights. Thanks to one of our lighting suppliers, we were just alerted to the benefits of this lighting. But first, I must say that I am trained as a researcher and am extremely skeptical of holistic and natural "therapies" unless there is scientific research to back it up. So once the lighting person told us that blue LEDs have an effect on circadian rhythms, I got interested and then excited when I checked it out.

Turns out there is a newly discovered cell in the eye that acts as a photoreceptor (in addition to rods and cones) that regulates our circadian rhythms (biological clocks). In short, this cell is particularly sensitive to the blue light wavelengths of light emitting diodes (LEDs). The blue light suppresses melatonin, which is in part responsible for sleep. So researchers tried using LED lights during the day, basically to inhibit melatonin in case it's too dark, like during the winter or if there's some other upset making you produce too much melatonin during the day (e.g., jet lag).

There are at least two studies I found in peer-reviewed journals that show improved mood in general and reduced depression for my favorite disorder, Seasonal Affective Disorder (see previous post about Solatube). As I type, my blue light is shining, but resetting your biological clock to make it easier to get up in the morning presumably requires only about 45 minutes of blue light when you first waken. I now drink my coffee to blue light. Now of course it could be a placebo effect, but I swear I am waking up more easily. I have to admit that for some reason I love the idea of this. I guess because it's something that can improve mood via a non-pharmacological approach which I'm sure many would agree is a good thing for a multitude of reasons.

I intend to try this out this winter; the acid test for anything light-related, since counteracting the effects of the brief daylight hours is paramount, for me at least. I'll continue to update as the evidence comes in. I'm recruiting my friends and others as experimental subjects in my own completely unscientific clinical trial.

And, oh yes! The blue LED runs on 2, that's right, 2 watts of power. How else could I feel good about this?

Solatube natural lighting

2009-08-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Lisa and I try to use all the products we sell, so we can test them and give out first-hand information and, if we love them, then we have no restrictions on telling everybody what great products they are. So our latest product test is a Solatube (natural light tube). We installed one in our dark hallway and maybe divine is too strong a word but awesome is not! I love it. Everyone who has one or knows someone who has one has told us that once the first one is installed, then whoever it is always gets more. I see why. I now want one in my office and my bathroom, just for starts! It's almost like a window got installed in the hallway. You can't see out of course, but the light coming in is exactly like the bright light from a window. Being an early riser, I also dig on the light coming into the hallway outside my bedroom as soon as it gets light outside. (You can get a diffuser that makes it dark if that's not your thing and you want to control the light.) As a self-diagnosed sufferer of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), I am loving this extra (guilt-free) light coming into my home!

Lynn, co-owner Olive Branch

More on plastic bags

2009-07-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

A little rant: I'm so dismayed that the OTL tournament resulted in a plethora of white plastic bags littered all over Fiesta island. I'm a competitive marathon runner, and I run many many miles around the island. The days after the tournaments, bags were literally scattered everywhere. After my first lap, I took the next lap to gather up bags as I ran around and at least throw them in the trash cans, which are right there! I don't understand why the clean-up for the event did not include gathering up the trash that blew all over. It's especially troubling that the bags are right on our beautiful bay and will end up there if not picked up. I can't believe that I personally ended up being the clean-up crew out of all the hundreds of people that actually participated in the event. Oh well, I'm glad to have done my tiny little part to keep the bay healthy. I would love to see a ban like there is in San Francisco or at least a tax like is being proposed in D.C. since obviously there is no general motivation to reduce or even control our use of these toxic white things.

Snowball effect

2009-07-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

in a good way! I blogged recently on making personal commitments to going green and Lisa commented on getting rid of trash-can liners. "Let's put the trash in a bag and then throw the bag away! A bag just for throwing away!" Now that we've done it, it just seems so ridiculous that we ever used them. So the snowball effect is that, one, we didn't want to throw yucky food in the trash, so we started a compost bin. That has been amazing. Needs some fine-tuning so we can use it effectively, but I can't believe how much stuff we've put in there and how little it is and how beautiful the compost is. And then next, two, with our trash reduced dramatically just from those two measures, we became aware of "what the heck is in our trash, anyway?" Packaging. Hard plastic, plastic wrap, containers, food boxes. Buying without the packaging, it turns out, is hard! So I'm not sure if we'll make headway on the packaging or focus on something else while slowly figuring out how to get away from it. We have done a very good job of using reusable bags at the grocery store at least. If a white plastic bag accidentally comes home, it is actually painful for me with the inescapable images of our oceans and fish being filled with these sickening and non-decomposing useless pieces of petroleum based garbage!

Lynn, co-owner Olive Branch Green Building Supply

Green Washing

2009-06-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

It's just the height of disgusting that toxic, unhealthy greedy products are being promoted as green in my opinion. I'm not the only one taking offense. There are those who are taking it to the courts: http://www.law.com/jsp/ihc/PubArticleIHC.jsp?id=1202431342143 Gotta love it.

Lisa

2009-06-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

Lisa just finished the Old House Fair in South Park and is on her way back to the store. While I watched her handing out cards this morning, I remarked "you love selling." She told me "I just love talking to people!" And here's the thing: she is telling the complete truth. If you've been here and you've met Lisa, you already know it's the truth. If you haven't met her, you should: she'll socialize with you, talk green products and installation, listen to what you have to say and at some point make everybody crack up. Those of us who know her, love her! With visitors to Olive Branch she is truly in her element. It is a thing of beauty!

Lynn, co-owner Olive Branch

Green behavior

2009-06-05T17:49:00.000-07:00

In order to stay alive and keep meals on the table while Olive Branch is just starting to grow, I still have to “work” (although one of the purposes of Olive Branch is to make money to support ourselves, it does not fall in the “work” category because it doesn’t feel like work). With a Ph.D. and a credential as a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA-D) I have to get continuing education credits to keep my license current. Imagine my mood when I went to the recent behavior analysis conference in Phoenix and got all my credits going to presentations relating to sustainability! How could this be? Because, although technology will help us, it will not save us and ultimately it is our behavior that must change; and the behavior change must happen on a cultural level, as when we as a society took action on littering and smoking. The behavior analysts have a lot to say about how this might happen (although they have no simple answers) and I was fortunate to attend presentations by scientists such as the eminent Lonnie G. Thompson (paleoclimatologist) who can tell us what the priorities for change are. Back here in San Diego, I’m now very excited and fortunate to be in a position to find out exactly what people are doing. I would love to hear from anybody who can tell me (1) what behaviors they have changed toward going green and maybe even more important, (2) what motivated the change. For those of you reading this blog, leave a post and let us know what you're doing!

Lynn, co-owner Olive Branch

Our customers

2009-05-16T17:58:00.001-07:00

One of our favorite customers, Chris, came in this morning to pick up her recycled ceramic tile and told me she was depressed. The reason? She had just come from the mall and was overwhelmed by all the excess and conspicuous consumption. These are our customers. They have made us realize that Olive Branch is bigger than us. We are the vehicle but we are by no means the impetus to the availability of green products. There are others even more passionate than us that desperately want to move as far away as possible from the throw-away society many of us grew up in. Lisa has written on our glass board by our desk "thoughtful process not impulse buy." That describes the people coming into our store perfectly. They may be coming to learn or to get more information or because they have already done their research and have just been patiently waiting for someone to carry the products they want. They come with great questions, often that we can't answer (we love that; we are learning too!). "Our" customers: it is an honor to be able to call them that.

doing the right thing

2009-04-25T17:45:00.000-07:00

Not a day goes by that someone doesn't walk in the store and tell us "we are so happy you are here." It is so validating and energizing to know that we are appreciated. People also constantly tell us they hope we "make it." We do too. The triple bottom line (people, planet and profit) is driving us. Things are changing and business is being done in a new way. Hopefully we are not too ahead of the wave to make it work.

Opening night

2009-04-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

Fun is the word for what we had on Saturday night. Although a few of our dear friends and supporters could not make it for various reasons, we saw so many old and special friends and could not have asked for better support. It's a bit anti-climatic today, coming back to the shop after weeks of preparation, regrouping for our next project but it's all an adventure! We are getting more and more manufacturers contacting us about carrying their products and so our research on investigating the "true green-ness" is cut out for us.

Here are a few pictures from the opening!

Finally opening for real!

2009-03-30T23:04:00.000-07:00

We have been working so long and so late (in fact it's way past my bedtime right now) but we are finally ready and open for sales at Olive Branch GBS! We have had the most amazing help. We are so lucky to have found Jamie Huffman our architect/designer for our custom sink cabinets. My dear friend Joel Martens has been our unofficial/official showroom design consultant who is just brimming with creative ideas about making our showroom look awesome (not the least of which is our low-cost and recycled material solution to hiding ugly but energy efficient florescent bulbs) and even as I speak I owe him a dinner. Our Yolo paint just arrived and they have made us feel a part of their family already. Other suppliers like our flooring supplier Ada Freed have been just so easy and wonderful to work with. We absolutely love our new location and our friends have been coming to visit us much more than in our old location, which wasn't far away but was not the entertaining, hip and walking-friendly area we are in now. So far, the one and only drawback of our location is that we are completely addicted to the incredible food and coffee and company of Linda and Greg at Cafe Forte around the corner! I guess we'll have to make good on our promise to ride our bikes to work to save lunch money and burn off those calories!

so much to share

2008-11-24T19:18:00.000-08:00

I have been to four green building conferences this year. First in New Orleans, then San Diego, then San Jose and finally Boston. What an education I have had. Scientists, scholars, politicians, clergy, the list is long and inspiring. I wish I could show you what is in my heart. There is emotion (energy in motion) that I hope to channel and make pragmatic. Out of all of that information, my favorite message was E. O. Wilson's observation that "Our moment of crisis gives us great opportunities and great possibilities."

Lisa

co-owner, Olive Branch

opening Olive Branch

2008-11-24T19:06:00.000-08:00

We are starting this blog to humbly disclose the behind-the-scenes agonies and thrills, as well as descriptions of our personal and probably embarrassing decisions and activities resulting from the massive amount of information, both green and mundane, involved in the opening of our business. We are hoping for support, criticisms that help us come to a screeching halt if we are going in the wrong direction, and humor related to our modest attempt to make a living while helping to sustain the planet.

Lynn

co-owner Olive Branch