Time to break out the bubbly and party hats. 2013 is in the rear view mirror and 2014 is in front of us. What a year it has been! From Boston to Seattle, the Good Earth Plants and GreenScaped Buildings teams have had their hands full with amazing projects and renewed enthusiasm.

We wrapped up 2013 with a big, green bow and a nod of satisfaction. For the Good Earth Plants team, it was our time to shine with plantscaping the Old Police Headquarters and adding new life to our existing office building clients.  Debbie Hopkins and her talented crew brought new clients into the mix with cutting edge designs for lobbies and offices, including Illumina who added a new building to its office park, Encore in Mission Valley, and Co-Merge in downtown.

Deb also brought a new look by adding exterior planters to both the Balboa Park Sculpture Court and to the Discovery Building.

GreenScaped Buildings staff made new friends in Seattle by teaming up with Botanical Designs to design and build a living wall at Natural Factors. It was a first for us and we feel confident it is the beginning of many out-of-state projects for our multi-talented company. Kerry Bauer and her group designed and built multiple living walls and green roofs for several Del Mar residences and commercial clients such as Loews Resort and the Irvine Company both in Santa Monica, PureFitness at the Westgate Hotel in downtown San Diego, and Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern in Dana Point, California.

While my teams worked to a fever pitch this year, I was able to slip away to attend conferences to learn, share and teach about the many ways plants can improve your life. I started in January at the Tropical Plant Expo in Florida, and then attended the Landscape Architects show in Long Beach, the Plantscape Industry Expo in Las Vegas, Cities Alive in San Francisco, and took a fall trip to Boston to speak at the American Society of Landscape Architects. I feel honored to present my ideas on living architecture and my industry in general. I always return home energized and enthusiastic to share what I have learned and who I have met.

2014 is going to be a year filled with new directions. With a strong team in place, I hope to be able to spend more time spreading the word about Good Earth Plants and GreenScaped Buildings and the benefits of improving your environment on your health and well-being. We have so much to offer our clients and it’s so easy to offer our services knowing there is such a talented group behind me to pick up the reins.

Here’s to 2013 and a BIG welcome to 2014, a year filled with abundance for everyone!

**Good Earth Plants is hiring! Please visit our website at www.goodearthplants.com for more information and to apply**