Top Biophilic and Nature Design Trends for the Roaring 20s

Gayle Lynn Falkenthal | January 8, 2020 | Categories: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Living Walls, Moss Walls, Sustainable Living

Pink flamingo lawn ornaments were invented in 1957. The first one had a name: Diego! Photo: Lena Svensson, Pixabay

The start of a new year would not exist the same way without the human creation of the calendar, but Nature would still let us know it’s the start of a new cycle as the days begin to slowly grow longer heading toward spring. We also feel these natural rhythms going into our 44th year in business (wow!) at Good Earth Plant Company. We look forward to seeing what’s new in our world, along with clever twists on old ideas, plus brand new concepts. We love recycling. Based on what we’re seeing and conversations with our colleagues and our customers, we’re looking forward to the following Top Plantscaping and natural design trends to start the decade of the Roaring 20s returned in 2020.… Read More

Don’t Trash The Holidays!

Gayle Lynn Falkenthal | December 26, 2019 | Categories: Environment, Good Earth Plant Company, Sustainable Living

Don't trash that Christmas tree! Do right by Mother Earth and recycle. Photo: Goran Horvat/Pixabay

The holidays are hitting the home stretch toward New Year’s Day. It’s time to start making your recycling plans if you have a fresh-cut Christmas tree. But there are also other holiday items you should consider recycling even if you celebrated Christmas with an artificial tree. Here’s how to properly dispose of your greenery – and this includes wreaths or other decorations made with living greens. The easiest thing to do for most households in San Diego is to put it out for collection with your regular greenery pickup. If you don’t have greenery pickup, there are 17 drop-off locations available.… Read More

Time to Let It Shine

Gayle Lynn Falkenthal | December 17, 2019 | Categories: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living

When you live in San Diego, you've got plenty of sunshine during the shorter winter days to enjoy for good health. Photo: Monica Volpin, Pixabay

Are you feeling a little blue? You might be tempted to blame it on the hectic nature of the holidays, or seeing too much political talk on TV or social media. But it might not be the only reason you aren’t your usual cheerful self. Several weeks ago, we went through our annual change back from Daylight Time to Standard Time in the United States. Just the one hour of difference means most people are going home from work in the dark, and it also makes us aware we are slowly losing daylight a few minutes at a time until we reach the winter solstice this Saturday, December 21.… Read More

Cool, Calm, and Classic: 2020’s Pantone Color of the Year

Gayle Lynn Falkenthal | December 11, 2019 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Awards & Achievements, Sustainable Living

Closeup of a beautiful hydrangea. Do you see blue or lavender, or something in between? Photo: LL Marei, Flickr - Creative Commons License

Just like kids waiting for the arrival of Santa Claus, we get pretty excited at Good Earth Plant Company this time of year, but for something different. We love the announcement of the Pantone Color of the Year! For 20 years in early December, the Pantone Company announces its annual choice for “Color of the Year.” We think about color a lot in our biophilic design work. While green dominates our designs, there’s a lot of creative potential in the choice of containers and other physical elements. So we can’t wait to see what might be hot. This year, it’s something cool.… Read More

Time For Thanks At Good Earth Plant Company

Gayle Lynn Falkenthal | November 26, 2019 | Categories: Awards & Achievements, Good Earth Plant Company, Sustainable Living

Gratitude for another year with family and friends, good health, and enjoying everything Nature has to offer. Photo: Jim Mumford

Thanksgiving 2019 has arrived, and I’m so glad for the break. I’m sure you are too. Let the holiday season begin by telling the people in your life how thankful you are for their presence in your life. And I’m thankful I have a platform like this blog to so say in public! I’m thankful for: My mom: Over 80 years young and amazingly tireless, she is the President of The Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research. She also continues to select the art for the magazine cover of the American Psychological Association. My dad – fiercely independent and full of inner vitality – the stuff he says is book-worthy.… Read More

Turn Black Friday into Green Friday This Year

Gayle Lynn Falkenthal | November 20, 2019 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living

#OptOutside Good Earth Plant Company Thanksgiving Sustainability Living Walls Plants

For five years in a row now, REI has closed its stores on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. It processes no online sales and it paid all its 12,000 employees to spend the day outside with friends and family. How big is Black Friday? It is routinely one of the largest U.S. shopping days, both in stores and online. Adobe Digital Insights Inc. estimates that the single day in 2018 brought in $6.2 billion in online sales in the U.S. We’re completely into the #OptOutside concept at Good Earth Plant Company – we caught on in year number two and told you about it back then.… Read More

Good Earth Plants’ Top Ten Indoor Plant Care Myths

Gayle Lynn Falkenthal | November 13, 2019 | Categories: Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping

Unlike your indoor plants, some of these myths have been around a long time but they just won’t die. If you’re still thinking any of these plant care tips are true, we’re going to put a stake through them now and forever. Myth #1: Put your brand new plants in a bigger pot right away to encourage them to grow It seems like it would make sense. Giving a plant a chance to spread out its roots means it will grow bigger and faster, right? The truth is the opposite. Plants prefer having their roots completely filling out container space. When a plant senses it needs to fill out a bigger pot with new roots, it will divert its energy to the roots, not the stems, leaves, or blooms.… Read More

Don’t Hire Your Contractors Based on Fake News!

Gayle Lynn Falkenthal | November 6, 2019 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Case Studies, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Plantscaping

Earlier this week, I found myself getting completely frustrated by a Facebook “friend” trying to back up a political opinion with some pretty suspicious “facts.” This person claimed all the sources were legitimate. But when I checked them out and dug a little, they were all sketchy. Then I compared them to my own independent research, and there was no doubt. Fake news. Yes, I know, as you’re reading this you’re thinking – “Hey Jim, don’t take stuff on Facebook so seriously.” I get it. But like it or not, people get most of their news and information online these days.… Read More

Go Green This Halloween – Recycle Your Pumpkins

Gayle Lynn Falkenthal | October 31, 2019 | Categories: Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living

Don't be an environmental meanie after Halloween: recycle your pumpkins. Photo: Arnica Backstrom / Pixabay

It’s Halloween today, and 180 million Americans of all ages plan to take part in some kind of festivities today. We’re all about it at Good Earth Plant Company, because so much of Halloween connects with nature. Around this time of year, the seasons are making the transition from the last summer harvest to the cooler, darker days of fall and winter. We make the fall time change this Sunday, November 2. Irish immigrants brought their beliefs about nature to the United States. They explained the natural processes they saw happening during the seasons on magical spirits. It’s not surprising when you think about pre-industrial people trying to make sense of the world without sophisticated science.… Read More

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