IN THIS ISSUE

Upcoming events @ greenspace

New EcoTimber Sneak Peak

Nova Cork

Newsletter Sales & Specials

Eco Ramblings

I hope this holiday season finds you thankful for your food, happy, healthy and strong (the dinner blessing at our home)! Thank you for shopping at greenspace with and for your families this season. It has been fun and heartening to see so many dear customers (who have become friends) over the past couple of months. The most significant way we see new business is through referrals, and we are delighted on a daily basis to meet your friends, business associates and families, who grow our greenspace family.

One of the most popular gifts this season was the bamboo utensil set. Imagine how many plastic utensils will NOT be used because of this. I love it! Tiffins were also popular, as were LunchBots. While at Yosemite over Christmas, we noticed that in the cafeteria, they had teeny, tiny mugs for in-house use. People were taking the larger paper cups, in order to get more volume of hot wake-up liquid, then tossing them a few minutes later. My husband, Brian (closet environmentalist and most highly unpaid greenspace employee), noticed this as we sat with our thermal mugs that keep things hot or cold for 4 hours. We've been carrying these mugs around with us for over 15 years now, travel with them, and find them invaluable. We should have made a notch on the side for each plastic or paper cup not taken over the years. It has long been my goal to get them in for our customers, because I feel it's an important and easy lifestyle change to make that cumulatively has a huge impact. Luckily, our friends at Klean Kanteen have come out with thermal bottles in three sizes. We are saving our pennies and have our order ready. We will place it as soon as we are able, hopefully by mid-month.

Next week is greenspace's 3^rd anniversary! We will be celebrating on Friday, January 8^th, with 10% off in the store. As we head into the new year, I find myself reflecting often on what strong and supportive advocates each of you has been in our survival, and I want to take this chance to thank and honor everyone. As I visualize the future, I see our business as a long-standing pillar in the community. We strive to do right by our customers, stay on the cutting edge of all things green, and grow our offering. Ideally, we want to be the source you trust for daily living and building projects - pre-screened green! At the very least, we will help you sort through the shades of green available in the market and make informed choices you can live with and afford.

In spite of our customer loyalty, the economy has continued to pound us, and I'll admit that I've gotten discouraged at times. The first week of every month is often one of those times (which also means the last week of the previous month), as we pay the big bills. Almost every business owner I speak with and many unemployed folks have shared my anxieties. Each time I get discouraged, however, some person or the world finds a way to remind me to keep on keepin' on. Last week, it was all over the news that the recession is over. Consumer confidence is slowly creeping up again, according to NPR. We are seeing more contractors with new projects breathing a sigh of relief, more architects with projects on the table, more people with optimism. We wish for all a wonderful and prosperous, yet purposeful 2010.

On mornings we don't bike, I head with Nikki (shop dog) to the beach for a few minutes. As we run (okay, she runs and I pick up trash), I think about how lucky I am to be doing what I love in my life and career, and how beautiful this community and locale are. I have the rare opportunity to do my personal best by our sweet planet and all species, being humbled by learning and teaching and offering green options to those who seek them.

At West Coast Green a few years ago, I heard Ray Anderson, a green pioneer in the carpet industry, speak. I had heard him many times, but as a fellow green evangelist, was particularly inspired by one point he made. He spoke of how, once a person has chosen a more sustainable lifestyle path, he or she rarely changes his or her mind, instead continuing to strive for more and more changes, thereby inspiring others. He asked us: how many other causes could that be said of? In other words, once a person chooses the path of less impact, we have another convert in our midst, which means the cause can only grow. Going green is NOT just a fad. Today, as nasty as the economy has been, it is also creating permanent, sustainable, necessary change for all.

QUICK GLANCE

Tuesdays, 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th, 7:30 a.m.
greenspace
Green Business Networking Group

Friday, January 8th
Our 3rd Anniversary
10% off in store all day and night

Friday, January 8th

6:00-9:00 p.m.

greenspace

First Friday Art Walk

HEARTY THANKS!

Coming up @ greenspace

January 23rd & 24th
American Clay Workshops

1/23: 9:00-4:30 PM
American Clay Fundamentals Workshop
In the Fundamentals Workshop you will learn everything you need to know about applying American Clay earth plaster. Participants will learn the traditional 3 coat application technique, the easiest method for newbies.  By the end of the workshop you will be ready to plaster small or large projects on your own.

1/24: 9:00-4:30 PM
American Clay Artistic Techniques Workshop
In the Artistic Workshop you'll learn how to create artistic effects with  plaster through different application  and compression techniques.  The Artistic Workshop is only open to those who have taken the Fundamental Workshop.

Cost:
Day 1 - Fundamentals: $200 / person
Day 2 - Artistic: $230 / person
2-Day Suite: $400 / person

Coffee and tea will be provided. Please bring a bag lunch. Space is limited! Contact greenspace to enroll: 831.423.7200

January 5th, 12th, 19th and 25th, 7:30 a.m.    
Green Business Networking Group

Ken Foster, of Terra Nova Landscaping, has started a green business networking group, and we meet at greenspace each Tuesday morning at 7:30. We are looking for new categories of green business owners to join our group, and duplicates to create another group. We can handle about 30 business representatives. Here are the active and attending businesses thus far: Terra Nova Landscaping, George Allen Plumbing, Sustainable Home Solutions, Daniel Cook Design Inc. (sustainable design and marketing) US Partners (business evolution), Sustainability Works (performance management and workshops), Blossom Acupuncture, Water Star Motors, PedX (Pedalers Express), Santa Cruz County Bank, Surf City Painting, Local Harvest Catering, Peter Spellman Architecture, Eco Interiors (interior design), Sustainable Business Solutions, Sutherland Design (landscape design and consulting).

I can't say enough about how great this group is, and the referrals have been flying. Please go to our Green Business Network meet up site to see what we are up to, or just show up at greenspace at 7:30 on a Tuesday morning, to see whether it's a good fit for your green business. Some parameters: we meet every Tuesday, and have agreed that missing only 12 meetings a year will keep you in the group. Referral slips have been developed and passed around to help us grow our businesses. As soon as we have enough duplication of like businesses, we want to spin off other groups.

New EcoTimber Flooring Available!

Come to greenspace and have a look at EcoTimber's new releases for 2010.  EcoTimber has been unveiling a new line of hardwood and bamboo flooring.  Offerings include a strand-woven Poplar (pictured), engineered strand-woven Bamboo flooring, and distressed Walnut flooring.  Small (6"x6") hand samples are available to view, and big samples for our display will be arriving in the coming weeks. Many are in stock and available for shipping right now!

Nova Cork

Come in the store and be amazed at the newest addition to our cork lineup, Nova Cork.  Nova is available in several unique styles not seen in other brands.  Available in both click-panels and glue-down tiles.  Nova offers several different price-points to fit any budget.

Cork flooring is durable, warm, quiet, and hypo-allergenic.  The cork used is harvested in a traditional, sustainable method.  The cork bark is taken from sections of the tree, allowing the tree alive to regenerate and be harvested every 9 to10 years.