Replica Plants Are Plantscaping Rock Stars

| September 26, 2018 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
Being in business for 40-plus years means a lot of changes, nearly always for the better. Looking back on some of our projects is a little like looking back through photos of yourself and cringing at some of the clothes you were wearing. They seemed SO cool at the time. Although my famous mullet haircut still has a whole lot of fans. Artificial plants fall in this category. If you’re old enough, or you’ve binge watched a few good 1980s situation comedies, remember the artificial silk plants and flowers that used to be popular? People used to stuff the fake plants on top of their kitchen cabinets in the space between the cabinet top and the ceiling.… Read More

You Deserve a Biophilic Break Today

| September 17, 2018 | Categories: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Environment, Green Roofs, Nature and Wellbeing
When I was 12, I played Pop Warner football. One of the kids on the team had an agent and was asked to pick five kids from the team to help do a special part of a McDonald’s TV commercial. They divided the entire team in half, gave us different colored jerseys, and created the White Jersey Team vs. the Black Jersey Team. The score was Black 12, White 7 with only seconds to go. Ronald McDonald showed up in the huddle to save the day and was both quarterback and receiver – throwing himself a pass down field (trick photography) and scoring the winning touchdown as time ran out.… Read More

Trees Are Nature’s Super Heroes

| September 12, 2018 | Categories: Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
In a previous life, I must have been some kind of animal that lives in a tree. I love all things trees. I always have. One of the very first blog posts I ever wrote was about the magic of tree houses in September 2013. Trees are at the top of my consciousness right now following my vacation trip to the Pantanal region of Brazil. It’s such a different experience being immersed in dense forests of trees, especially the amazing and unusual types of trees we saw in Brazil. Back at home in San Diego, I’ve been thinking just how valuable trees are to us in our hot, dry Mediterranean climate.… Read More

Making The Home Office Productive and Healthier

| September 6, 2018 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
Our horticulture technicians at Good Earth Plant Company visit some of San Diego’s largest and most visible employers every day. We love creating healthier and more productive workspaces by introducing nature and natural elements through interior Plantscaping. Sometimes it’s living plants, and sometimes it’s through built-in structures like living walls and moss walls. Employees tell us they love working in these spaces, and we love helping them be successful while improving their wellbeing. But there are a whole lot of people we aren’t seeing. It’s the growing percentage of the workforce that doesn’t work in a traditional office setting. You might be surprised how big this group is.… Read More

The 10 Best Movies About Nature

| August 30, 2018 | Categories: Case Studies, Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Nature and Wellbeing
The dog days of summer are nearly over. But we won’t be clear of warm temperatures for a while, especially in San Diego. One of the best ways to beat the heat but still enjoy the outdoors is to watch a nature movie. Because of the work we do bringing nature into the places we work and live, we pay special attention to movies depicting the natural world around us. We’re not especially big fans of the “man versus nature” type movie. Think Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Revenant.” Nature can be harsh and threatening to human beings. What we are much more interested in seeing is the awe-inspiring scenery, science, and creatures, and the ways people relate to them.… Read More

Shhhh – Enjoy the Silence

| August 15, 2018 | Categories: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
For the first half of August, my son Ted and I have been exploring the Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetlands located in western Brazil. It is home to hundreds of species of birds, exotic animals including jaguars, capybaras, and caimans. My father Bob Mumford was supposed to accompany us, but he injured himself on a nature photography trip earlier this year to Mongolia. We held out hope, but my dad’s injury hadn’t healed enough to allow him to travel again. We miss you, Dad! You can see his work on his website. We had been planning this three generation trip to the Pantanal for nearly two years.… Read More

You Would Be Less Stressed Out If You Were Out There

| August 2, 2018 | Categories: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Nature and Wellbeing
You don't have to create the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Colombia to get the full benefits of gardening. Photo: Photoman/Creative Commons License
Feeling a little stressed out? Who isn’t! How stressed out are we? The American Psychological Association (APA) has been measuring American stress levels for ten years now. Surprise, surprise: According to a 2017 study by the APA, more Americans report stress affecting them. But most also admit they are not taking enough active measures to combat the effects of stress in their daily lives. Half the country’s employees say they feel stress in their jobs the majority of the work week (three days or more). ­­More than half of the nation’s workers report stress in their jobs three or more days a week.… Read More

Is Nature In Your DNA?

| July 26, 2018 | Categories: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Nature and Wellbeing
Can you learn to love nature? Or do you have to be born this way? Photo: RawPixel
My Aunt Nancy recently let family and friends know about an honor my cousin Kathy Mulvey received. (Thanks for ratting her out, Nancy!) Phillips Academy Andover, one of the oldest and most prestigious independent secondary schools in the U.S. based in Andover, Massachusetts, named Kathy one of its “20 Alumni Who Are Saving the Planet.” Kathy works for the Union of Concerned Scientists. Here’s what Andover wrote about her efforts: “Everything we value depends on the ecosystem and on people working tirelessly to prevent its destruction. Kathy Mulvey is the sharp end of the long-running debate on fossil fuels, taking some of the world’s largest companies to task on inadequate climate policies.… Read More

How to Fix Open Office Plans!

| July 19, 2018 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
We can thank the Sixties for a lot of things: some of the world’s best music, the American space program, and the rise of political activism. But we also have to hold the 1960s responsible for the open office floor plan the majority of working Americans are subjected to in 2018. Like a lot of things, strong economic growth after World War II caused office designers to offer companies a low cost way to increase the efficiency of their floor plans so they could add people without renting space or buying buildings. In 1968, American office furniture company designer Robert Probst came up with the cubicle, which provided workers privacy while allowing them a view of the open office if they stood up.… Read More

Summer Indoor Plant Care Tips to Beat The Heat

| June 27, 2018 | Categories: Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
Don't let your indoor plants get sunburned by strong sunlight through windows in the summer. Move them to a protected spot. Photo: Yanoch Kandreeva/Creative Commons License
We love summer, but sometimes the summer heat can be a little overwhelming. It’s the same for your indoor plants. Even when they are in an air-conditioned office or home, your indoor plants can suffer from the negative effects of summer heat. Don’t let your plants sweat it out this summer. Check out our summer indoor plant care tips. Protect your indoor plants from strong summer rays You put on sunscreen to keep the sun’s strong summer rays from causing sunburn. You need to protect your plants from sunburn, too. No, they aren’t going to the beach, but they can get extra doses of hot summer sunlight through south and west facing windows.… Read More