Plant A Garden, Add a Kid, Watch Them Grow!
Our Spring Newsletter
March 19, 2013
In This Issue
Upcoming Events
Employee Spotlight
Joke of the Month
Quote of the Month
Book a Lunch & Learn
Upcoming Speaking Engagements
Aquaponics at Good Earth Plants
Open House
Kevin’s Corner
Featured Project
Upcoming Events
Open House Plant Sale Reminder!!!
We have set the date for our Spring Open House and Plant Sale…
This year it will be held on Friday April 19, 2013 from 11:30 am to 5:30 pm.
We will have many new displays including a fully functioning display of our new Aquaponics System
We will also be selling LOTS of beautiful plants from Ficus to Ferns!… Read More
The Value of Appreciation
“People don’t work for wages only. They primarily seek an environment that will show them APPRECIATION, both publicly and privately. Wages come and go. As we travel through life, the most important memories we take with us are about how those who showed us Appreciation and Love.”—Rev. Ken Lanning, 1996.
I love this quote. Reverend Ken is a stand-up guy who visits our office on occasion. Once I remember I was eager to show him our green roof, but wary of him getting up to the roof itself. I needn’t have worried though because just as I looked to find a more sturdy lift, there was Reverend Ken climbing a ladder at age 83 to see what all the hoopla was about with my roof. … Read More
Jim Mumford’s Thoughts on Union-Tribune News Coverage
Last Monday, I was thrilled to see the article on the front page of the Business section of U-T San Diego about our living walls and green roofs, with a large photo of me (above the fold) standing in front of one of our own living walls. There’s nothing like seeing your own grinning mug in the paper before you’ve had coffee on a Monday morning. A friend and colleague in Arizona had already posted it on Facebook!
I am happy that both our company names are mentioned (Good Earth Plants and Greenscaped Buildings) and that in a section labeled “learn more” gave details about our open house and plant sale coming up April 19.… Read More
Want A Garden On Your Wall? U-T San Diego, March 10, 2013
If you’re over the potted-plant look and have some tax money to spend on your home or business, one thing to consider is a wall garden or green roof.
This special niche in the landscaping world remains relatively unknown but has in recent years attracted big-time clients like celeb chef Mario Batali, SDG&E and Fashion Valley Mall in Mission Valley, a major regional mall in Southern California.
The firm that served those clients and many more is Good Earth Plants, which evolved from a downtown San Diego plant kiosk to a warehouse space in Kearny Mesa. It also birthed sister company Greenscaped Buildings.… Read More
Our New Aquaponics System
When I saw the display of yellow daffodils at the grocery store the other day, I knew that winter was almost over and it was time for daylight savings and warmer days. That tells me that Spring is right around the corner.
This spring, we are on an exciting journey to introduce new products to the Good Earth Plant and GreenScaped Buildings family. Our new aquaponics project is starting small but we are hoping to be up to full-scale production soon.
I met with Bill Toone, who runs a non-profit called ECOLIFE and was blown away by what he’s doing. Bill started his non-profit making rural stoves for those in Central Mexico whose health was suffering because of indoor cooking fires.… Read More
My TEDx Experience
Speaking with students is a prospect filled with questions: Will they be interested? Will I sound relevant? Is my topic “cool” enough? Is the word “cool” still “cool?” As I get older I find I look at youth and wonder if they go through the things I went through. Or have computers and social media changed us all so dramatically that it’s impossible for us to relate to each other?
I was fortunate to be asked to speak at the TEDx Youth Conference last November and my 17 year old son Theodore attended the presentation. I had ten precious minutes to get everyone to think about plants and why they are important to us. … Read More
TEDx Youth Talk by Jim Mumford: Living architecture
Sharing beautiful images and a compelling story about how his successful plantscaping business bloomed into a pioneering player in the burgeoning field of living architecture, Jim Mumford shows how uber-sleek depictions of futuristic cities are way off the mark. His talk to San Diego high school students on the theme of “Architects of the Future,” demonstrates how plants and metropolitan habitats on walls, roofs, patios at work and at home will bring nature into our lives even more in the future, not less.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.… Read More
A Valentine’s Day Perspective From The Other Side
My first entry into working in a plant and flower world was a flower stand. I was 20 years old. I owned it. I operated it. I knew every square inch of that tiny, windy shack. And just as I would be sweeping away the pine needles and bits of Christmas ribbon, Valentine’s Day would creep up like a big red monster. I started the annual phone calls to growers for roses by the dozen, wholesalers for vases, tiny cards with envelopes, plastic picks, glittery hearts on a stick. You get the picture.
Red Roses. Long-stemmed Red Roses. Red Roses with babies breath. … Read More
Urban Heat Island Effect Bigger Than We Thought
Remember when the terms “Global Warming” and “Climate Change” were first mentioned? Now it’s commonplace. I just read how a research meteorologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography is suggesting that big cities in North America and Asia may generate enough heat to warm areas as far north as Canada and Siberia as much as 1.8 degrees.
In general, the heat gathered from the urban heat island effect rises and travels upwards and its energy may change high-altitude currents in the atmosphere that dictate prevailing weather. Meteorologists have known that cities are warmer than rural areas with cars, buildings, asphalt and roofs that absorb heat.… Read More
