Environment

Human impact on the Earth’s environment is creating climate change, global warming, and polluting air, land, and water on our planet with disastrous results. We must work to reverse these effects through sustainable practices and through thoughtful design and practices.

Sustainable Design Ideas for San Diego Stormwater

| January 5, 2023 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilic Design, Blog, Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Sustainable Living, Water and Water Conservation
Green Roof Salesforce Park in San Francisco. Photo: Greenroofs.com
  Amid the megadrought, the worst drought to hit California in 1200+ years, we are now experiencing a Pacific storm with the terrifying name of a bomb cyclone. And while the atmospheric river it’s bringing with it sounds poetic, it’s anything but. This brutal storm is bringing heavy rains, damaging winds and subsequent flooding to parts of California. In San Diego County, we’re experiencing rains and winds that may lead to major flood events in some areas. Over the last decade, flooding has caused millions of dollars in property damage, even in times of average seasonal rainstorms. (source: San Diego Co Public Works) San Diego is a coastal desert.… Read More

Can Green Roofs Save The World?

| October 19, 2022 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Environment, Green Roofs
We might be underdogs like Rocky when it comes to fighting climate change, but we need to get off the canvas and fight to win. Photo: Jim Mumford green roofs save
Picking up where it left off in 2019, the organization Green Roofs for Healthy Cities focused on resilient cities at its annual “Cities Alive” conference this week in Philadelphia. Nothing would stop me from making the trip east this year to learning from my colleagues about the latest green roof initiatives and building methods. I first discovered Green Roofs for Healthy Cities in 2006. I visited Manhattan for the opportunity to work for a day with Leslie Hoffman of Earth Pledge NYC. We had met earlier in San Diego at a People for Livable Places event. I became enthralled with green roofs, but I had no idea at the time how to build one or even what they really looked like.… Read More

Sustainability Is Worth The Struggle 

| September 28, 2022 | Categories: Environment, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
What kind of world will we leave for future generations? Photo: Pexels sustainability
Good Earth Plant Company loves it when our clients consider how their purchases impact our environment. Study after study demonstrates consumers want to buy products and services from companies taking a stand on saving the planet. A 2019 study of consumers found 83% of Americans are concerned about the environmental impact of products they buy and say it’s important for companies to design more environmentally friendly products. We think it should be 100% but it’s a good start. During a recent conversation with my son Ted, it hit me how pessimistic he feels about our earth’s health. The environmental outlook is dire.… Read More

Good Earth Plant Company is Falling For Fall

| September 21, 2022 | Categories: Environment, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
Good Earth Plant Company loves fall. We'll tell you why. Photo: Pixabay
I can feel it in the air, see it in the changing landscape. Fall is here. The days grow shorter. The shadows grow longer. The sycamores are turning golden brown, the bird of paradise are full of flowers, the chaparral is dry and fully dormant, the sage extra pungent. Soon the cottonwoods in the San Diego River bed running through Mission Valley will be yellow, and the liquid ambers in your yard a deep red. Want even more color? Drive up to Julian or further up into the eastern Sierra mountains around Bishop. Fall is my favorite season. It doesn’t hurt that my birthday and Good Earth Plant Company’s anniversary both occur in the fall: October 25 and November 1.… Read More

Plants Can Save The World – It’s Science

| July 13, 2022 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilia, Environment, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
Get busy, Eco-Warriors. Plants can save the world. We just have to lend a hand. Photo: Anna Shvets
In my spare time, I read science articles. Doesn’t everyone? In this case, the headline got my attention: “Plants aren’t good at photosynthesis. We can do it better.” This didn’t make sense to me. The reason plants grow and thrive is photosynthesis. It’s life and death for plants. The article was written by Dr. Raffael Jovine, a scientist who is the author of the new book “How Light Makes Life: The Hidden Wonders and World-Saving Powers of Photosynthesis.” I read more and thankfully, Dr. Jovine isn’t a hater. Far from it. His book explores how photosynthesis was first discovered and understood by humans, how it works, our planet’s reliance on photosynthesis for nearly all life, the economic value of photosynthesis, and how we can use photosynthesis and plants to save our environment and solve many other complex problems like hunger, healthcare, and equity.… Read More

Get High On World Green Roof Day 2022

| June 1, 2022 | Categories: Environment, Green Roofs, Sustainable Living
Join Good Earth Plant Company and celebrate World Green Roof Day on Monday, June 6, 2022.
When we first installed our green roof at Good Earth Plant Company fifteen years ago in 2007, all the information about the long-term impact came from Europe. There weren’t many green roofs in the United States, just a few in the northern United States and southern Canada. There were very few studies conducted on them, none in our Southern California region. Times change, and we are much more enlightened about the positive impact of green roofs on the immediate environment and their contribution overall. We love green roofs and everything they stand for at Good Earth Plant Company. We have now built several green roofs in the decade since then, from private homes in Del Mar, Encinitas, and Santa Monica, to the “Fallen Star” art installation at UCSD, to the spectacular green roof at Sharp Memorial Hospital in Kearny Mesa.… Read More

Need Some Energy? Count On Indoor Plants Instead of Caffeine

| May 11, 2022 | Categories: Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
We love the indoor plants added to the collaborative work spaces at the American Assets Trust office in Del Mar Heights. Photo: Good Earth Plant Company
We have all been through two difficult years. The coronavirus pandemic changed our way of life, and it’s not quite over yet. You may have struggled with health challenges, job challenges, family challenges, and we lost out on a lot of fun. Some of the changes have been for the better. But learning new routines can be stressful, and it takes a lot of energy. Human nature takes over, and we do what we’ve gotta do: binging on streaming shows, baking bread, and starting happy hour at 2 pm. Now we’ve integrated our old routines with our new routines. You might be going back to the office full time or just some of the time.… Read More

Hooray, It’s Time to Celebrate Earth Day 2022

| April 20, 2022 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Sustainable Living
Earth Day 2022 reminds us of ways to preserve our planet - and plants can be a big part of the solution. Photo: Pixabay
The first Earth Day took place in 1970. It is now an annual event celebrated on April 22 in more than 192 countries each year in hundreds of communities in the United States Guess which city has the BIGGEST Earth Day event? Yes, it’s right here in San Diego. The annual Earth Day Fair 2022 returns to Balboa Park after two years off due to the pandemic this Sunday, April 24. It is the largest free, all-volunteer Earth Fair in the United States. Organizers definitely need both volunteers and cash donations. Please help if you can. This year’s Earth Fair features 300 exhibitors, the Children’s Earth Parade from 9:30 to 11 a.m.,… Read More

San Diego Tree Week: Calling All Treehuggers!

| April 13, 2022 | Categories: Environment, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
Can you imagine Balboa Park without its sigature Moreton Bay Fig Tree at Sixth and Upas? We can't. Photo: Wikimedia Commons San Diego Tree Week
Some of my favorite quotes are about trees. I love what they express about the power of nature, optimism, and time. “The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit” – Nelson Henderson “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago” – Warren Buffett “He who plants a tree, plants a hope” – Lucy Larcom “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now” – Chinese proverb I love all things trees. I always have. One of the very first blog posts I ever wrote was about the magic of treehouses in September 2013.… Read More

Celebrating 15 Years of Our Thriving Green Roof

| March 30, 2022 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Awards & Achievements, Environment, Green Roofs, Sustainable Living
My original green roof at Good Earth Plant Company in Kearny Mesa, still growing strong after 15 years.
Fifteen years ago this month, the first permitted commercial green roof appeared on a building in the City of San Diego at Good Earth Plant Company. Just a few days ago, I ran across the original invitation to our dedication event and even a copy of my speech that day. Today, the roof is still thriving and teaching us something new every day. Looking back on this milestone anniversary, I admit I took a giant leap of faith installing the roof in 2007. But my whole career has been filled with leaps and innovation. The only difference here was how BIG a leap it was.… Read More