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.

Plant A Weed and Save the Monarchs

| February 27, 2019 | Categories: Agriculture and Farming, Environment, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living
The western California monarch is in danger of extinction. Good Earth Plant Company provides critical milkweed habitat and we're thrilled to see it working. Photo: Erin Lindley
Recently a visitor to Good Earth Plant Company asked me “Hey, what’s that tall plant growing on your green roof?” I told her it was milkweed. What I didn’t say is that it might be the most important plant on the entire green roof. The Western monarch butterfly is one of the most recognizable insects in the world. It is called “the ambassador of nature.” In coastal California cities where migrating monarch butterflies have traditionally spent their winters like Pacific Grove, Pismo Beach, and Santa Barbara, there is a whole tourism industry built around the butterflies. Ten million monarch butterflies used to spend the winter in California during the 1980s, according to estimates.… Read More

Rain or Shine, Do Your Part to Protect Our Oceans from Stormwater Pollution

| January 9, 2019 | Categories: Environment, Nature and Wellbeing, Sustainable Living, Water and Water Conservation
In winter 2018, the last thing we needed to worry about was stormwater pollution. We only got 3.77 inches of rain in the official 2017-2018 water year in San Diego. Now here we are in 2019, and our first blog post of the year is about the pollution effects of all the rain we’ve been getting. It’s great news in Sana Diego to get some drought relief, watching our reservoirs fill back up and enjoying snow in the mountains. But now we need to be concerned about managing the negative effects of all this water, such as stormwater pollution. Stormwater runoff is the single biggest contributor to poor water quality in San Diego.… Read More

Nature Book Gift Recommendations to Inspire You

| December 19, 2018 | Categories: Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing
Still working on your gift list this year? You are far from alone. The National Retail Federation says 53 percent of all Americans say they’ll be shopping for Christmas gifts the Saturday before Christmas. And Procrastination Nation seems to get bigger every year thanks to crazy fast shipping deadlines. If you’re still looking for a gift that will fit anyone and is appropriate for any budget and a recipient of any age or interests, Good Earth Plant Company recommends a little bit of Nature and inspiration. We’d love to recommend gifts of living walls, moss walls, or replica plant walls, but they are pretty hard to wrap.… Read More

Naughty or Nice: The Great Christmas Tree Debate

| November 28, 2018 | Categories: Environment, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Sustainable Living
It’s that time of year. Time to decide whether you want a real Christmas tree, or an artificial Christmas tree. Likes and dislikes aside, to me the more important debate is figuring out which one is better for the environment in the long run. Like a lot of decisions in life, it’s complicated. I recently learned where artificial Christmas trees originated. They have only been in use a few decades. Before that, a real pine or fir tree was the only option available if you wanted a Christmas tree. It changed when American toilet bowl brush manufacturer Addis Brush Company created an artificial tree from brush bristles in the 1930s.… Read More

Plants Can Be Funny, But the Benefits Are No Joke

| October 17, 2018 | Categories: Biophilia, Case Studies, Environment, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
I never get tired of talking to people about the many benefits of plants and nature in the places we live, work, and play. But I admit it’s sometimes a challenge to figure out new ways to help people get the message! The nonprofit organization Green Plants for Green Buildings has been thinking about this, too. My fellow board members and I put our heads together and we have something new to show you that I’m excited about. Have you ever seen one of those technology product launch videos? Or maybe the demonstrations by Steve Jobs of new products for Apple?… 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

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

Six Natural Reasons Good Earth Plant Company Loves Summer

| June 20, 2018 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Nature and Wellbeing
There is a lot more to love about summer than just the longer days. Photo: PhotoMIX-Company-CreativeCommons License
By the time you read this blog post, it will officially be Summer 2018. The 2018 Summer Solstice officially took place at 3:07 a.m. today – Thursday, June 21. Did you catch yourself smiling or feeling happy about the arrival of summer? In a warm and sunny place year-round like San Diego, you wouldn’t think summer would be such a big deal. But it’s true, there are a lot of things about summer, sunlight, warm weather, and our biophilic connection to nature that make people happier and healthier in the summer months. There’s more and more scientific proof of it. Here are Good Earth Plant Company’s top six reasons why we love summer.… Read More

Our Solution for the Indoor Generation

| May 23, 2018 | Categories: Biophilia, Environment, Nature and Wellbeing, Plantscaping
When a video or article catches my attention, I like to share it with followers on our Good Earth Plant Company social media pages. When it catches YOUR attention, then I know the message has meaning and impact beyond my little universe. A video I posted earlier this week got more attention than anything we’ve posted for a long time. We aren’t alone. In just 10 days, this video has gotten over eight million views – and that number is going up every day. In case you aren’t one of those eight million, here it is. This video hit me like a runaway truck of truth.… Read More