News From Good Earth Plant Company: January 2015 Newsletter

| January 26, 2015 | Categories: Awards & Achievements, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Newsletters
Good Earth Plant Company Leaflet Newsletter
Click here to read the January 2015 edition of the Good Earth Plant Company Leaflet newsletter. Highlights this issue include: Read about our latest activities in the President’s Letter Learn about our latest featured projects See photos of living walls in Shanghai, China Check our Calendar for fun, informative green themed events in San Diego Get our newsletter delivered right to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter email list. Visit the home page of our website and scroll to the end of the page to provide us your email address.

Resolve to Get Connected in 2015

| January 22, 2015 | Categories: Good Earth Plant Company, Indoor Plants, Living Walls, Sustainable Living
My first plant selfie of the year at the TPIE show in Florida.
Happy New Year! Can you believe we are 15 years into a new century? I’m getting inspired at the Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition (TPIE) in Florida, one of our hottest trade shows and conferences, literally. This group knows its audience well. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance in most of the U.S. to attend a trade show located in sunny south Florida in January? Back home they would be shoveling snow and only dreaming of the warm weather ahead. I’m motivated by the opportunity to meet and learn from other like-minded people, including a meeting with members of the nonprofit group Green Plants for Green Buildings.… Read More

Beyond the Chia Pet: Plants Using Their Heads

| January 15, 2015 | Categories: Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
This plant head project from A Chef in the Garden looks like she is from the islands.
  Did you get a Chia Pet for Christmas? Chances are you or someone you know did, or maybe you’ve gotten one in the past.Would you believe 500,000 Chia Pets in all their versions including Sponge Bob, President Obama and Willie from Duck Dynasty have sold every year for over 30 years? That’s a lot of ch-ch-chia! The Chia Pet is even in the Smithsonian. True. There is something about the idea of turning plants into people that has intrigued gardeners and artists for decades. I confess I’m obsessed with plant heads and find myself collecting photos of the best. Lately I’ve been running across a lot of projects with this theme, and so I decided to use my head and share them with you.… Read More

Resolve to Recycle More Than Just Your Christmas Tree

| January 8, 2015 | Categories: Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Sustainable Living
With the holidays in the rear view mirror, you should have your previously living cut Christmas tree down by now and out of the house. But the job isn’t finished until you make sure to recycle the tree. 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 16 drop-off locations available. The City of San Diego will accept your tree through January 23 by either method. After January 23, the Miramar Landfill Greenery will take it year-round, along with any other vegetation for recycling.… Read More

Jim Mumford and Good Earth Plants in Entrepreneur Magazine, December 2014

| December 29, 2014 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Living Walls, Media Coverage
Entrepreneur Magazine has featured Good Earth Plant Company and a quote from Jim Mumford along with client Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group (B&BHG) about the living walls created for its Pizzeria Mozza restaurants in West Hollywood and Newport Beach. Entrepreneur Magazine including living walls as part of its Top Trends in Business for 2015. We agree! Read the feature article here.

A Merry Message from Jim Mumford and Good Earth Plants

| December 24, 2014 | Categories: Green Roofs, Living Walls, Newsletters
Ho Ho Ho! The holidays are upon us. The Good Earth Elves have been busy decorating our clients’ homes and businesses for the season, including our custom creations for commercial clients Qualcomm and Illumina. My busy travel schedule not only taught me a lot, it made me appreciate San Diego even more than I already do. Out of the four conferences, I thoroughly enjoyed Nashville (it was cold – 28 degrees) and the Cities Alive Conference. Lots of Jim in Plants conversations about green roofs and living walls (vertical gardens) and how to design them, what system and plants to use and how to maintain them long term.… Read More

Holiday Plants: Poinsettias, Mistletoe, Holly – History & Traditions

| December 18, 2014 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Indoor Plants, Sustainable Living
Have you ever wondered why we kiss under the mistletoe, or why you see poinsettias everywhere during the winter holidays? Not only do these plants fit the color scheme of the holidays but they have traditional meanings you might not know about. Poinsettias, mistletoe, and holly (oh my!) all have symbolic significance behind their holiday appearances. Poinsettias The association between poinsettias and Christmas is said to come from a Mexican legend. A child who had little to bring to the church for Christmas picked some weeds from the side of the road. He placed the weeds on the church altar on Christmas Eve.… Read More

Caring for a Christmas Tree: Debunking the Myths

| December 11, 2014 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants
During the holiday season, we want to keep our Christmas trees looking green and lively to enjoy as long and as safely as possible. There are many myths circulating with tips on how to care for your Christmas tree. Which ones really work? Count on Good Earth Plant Company to tell you the truth about what works and what doesn’t. Myth 1: Put an aspirin in the water because it helps the tree live longer. Myth 2: Sugar in the water is good for the tree. Myth 3: Let the tree sit outside in a bucket of water for 24 hours before setting it up in your house.… Read More

Naughty or Nice: Good Earth Plants Gets Into The Christmas Tree Debate

| December 4, 2014 | Categories: Agriculture and Farming, Architecture and Design, Biophilia, Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Sustainable Living
A Christmas tree farm in Iowa. Photo: WIkipedia
The debate about real versus artificial Christmas trees used to be all about authenticity versus convenience. But these days, it’s also about which tree is truly the most earth friendly. The debate rages on, starting up every year about this time. It never seems to be settled, because both options have their naughty and their nice aspects. Believe it or not, the first artificial Christmas trees were made from toilet brush bristles in the 1930s by the Addis Brush Company, true – and eww! But don’t worry, most of today’s trees are made from metal and PVC, a petroleum based plastic product.… Read More

Giving Thanks at Good Earth Plants and GreenScaped Buildings

| November 26, 2014 | Categories: Good Earth Plant Company, Indoor Plants, Sustainable Living
It is Thanksgiving 2014, and I’m thankful for many people in my life. I’m thankful for: My folks, they set a good standard and give me plenty to both admire and laugh about. Not that they’re perfect, don’t go getting ideas Mom and Dad. My son Ted: just enough of me to make me proud, just enough “other” to make him interesting. My daughter Allie: smart, capable and talented – getting ready to launch herself on the world. I hope we’re ready. My sister Monica, who has been with me since the beginning and is a huge help today. The rest of my family.… Read More